Category: Kit History

England Kit History: 2000-2009

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As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, you can find the following, with this piece being the penultimate deep dive into a single decade.

It’s the 21st Century and England played 117 Games between 2000 and 2009, is the most games played by England Men’s Team in a decade, which The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 87 times and Secondary Kits 30 times, no 3rd kit this time! However, it was the most time change kits have been worn with 25.5%, just over a quarter of the total games played.

The 2000s was a decade where England’s kits were solely supplied by Umbro but as we will see the frequency of changing was becoming an annual event for at least one kit.

2000 – 2001

England entered the 21st Century with kits they ended the 20th Century in, this is only year in this decade that we do not see a new kit in, as theme to rotate new Primary and Secondary Kits each year is in full swing in the 00’s!

2000 Started with England playing three games in a row in their secondary kit, in fact this year England played four games at home this year and wore this secondary kit in all of these games against Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany in the final game at the Old Wembley Stadium.

At the Euro 2000, England failed to make it past the group stages and wore their Home Kit in the defeats to Portugal and Romania, however their solitary victory in the tournament against Germany gave us the rare sight of these countries both playing in their Secondary Kits!

The final game of the year, against Italy was the final run out of then Primary Kit, one of the most under-rated kits in their Kit History was only used for 19 months and just 12 games.

2001 kicked off with England’s first Foreign Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in charge and also started with a new Primary Kit and it was the re-introduction of red into the kit, with a thin stripe now included that went through the crest on both shirt and shorts!

The following game against Finland was the only (and final) appearance of Secondary Kit, having worn this kit seven times between 1999 and 2001, six of these appearances were in Home Games, the other as mentioned above in Euro 2000!

We did see a variation of the Primary Kit with white shorts, the all white look was used in two games and famously worn then David Beckham scored an injury time free kick to send England to 2002 World Cup!

2002 – 2003

2002, a tournament year and time for a new Secondary Kit, this one was a first… the version for sale was a reversible shirt, with the red football shirt containing a navy leisure shirt on it’s reverse! It made its first on pitch use against Italy in March but was most well known for being worn at 2002 World Cup against Argentina and was worn five time that year!

2003, started with the only appearance of a Secondary Kit that year and the final use of the reversible Secondary Kit, in a game against Australia which Wayne Rooney made his debut for England in one of 11 half time substitutes!

This year’s new kit was a Primary Kit and it was an evolution of previous kit, with more red being introduced into the kit, with sleeve trim being solid red and like the secondary kit it was also reversible with an alternative leisure shirt for the versions that were sold to fans!

One of the most important aspects of this shirt was the introduction of the “Star”, a single star was added to an England Shirt for the first time to signify their World Cup win in 1966. Although not it was not place above the crest, which returned to a central position as seen in the 90s, the star was located on left sleeve of the shirt!

All white was starting to become a regular alternative for England in these years, this look was worn three times in 2003.

2004 – 2005

There was a new Secondary Kit launched in 2004, and another red shirt and the current theme of the St.George’s cross influenced a secondary kit for the first time, with small crosses placed on the shoulders which was to represent fans having scarfs wrapped around their shoulders!

A big difference with this kit was the introduction of silver, the details, including nameset was silver and the shorts were also silver in colour, there was also a small piece of gold, with the star now located above the Crest for the first time in England Kit History.

This kit was worn 7 times in 14 games of 2004, the most we have seen in a single year and half of the total games, however it was only worn once in Euro 2004 tournament!

Another Primary Kit was introduced, and that St.George’s cross theme continued once again, with a single cross on the right shoulder, the World Cup winning start was placed above the crest on a Primary shirt for first time!

This kit was worn once in all white this year, when England played in USA against Colombia, there is something about this all white look that did not work for me and a little jarring compared with the all white looks used in the previous two kits!

2006 – 2007

2006 kicked off a run of 3 years in a row where new kits were worn in the opening games of the year, this time is was another Secondary kit and you guessed it, the St.George’s cross was the theme again with a cross detail on the right shoulder, however silver detailing was upgraded to gold…

A larger crest gave this shirt a more classic feel and was influenced by the kit worn 40 years earlier when England lifted the World Cup!

The Primary Kit was worn 10 times out of the 14 games this year and for the second major tournament in a row England wore their Secondary Kit just once in the group stages! The only one variation was used when the all white with this kit returned for it’s 2nd and final outing against Croatia!

2007 started with a new Primary Kit and there was a lot going on with this shirt, lots of detail, asymmetric patterns, a couple of Umbro Logos and some shoulder tapping!

England returned to a rebuilt Wembley Stadium in this kit, wearing in their first game under the Wembley Arch against Brazil having played across the Country since September 2000!!

This kit was in 11 times of 12 games in 2007, with alternative white shorts being used 3 times (two of these games at home)!

The only appearance of the secondary kit was the game against Estonia in June, which was the final appearance of the 2006 Secondary Kit, being just used 5 times in total!

2008 – 2009

England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, so the year start with another new kit (Secondary this time) and England’s second foreign manager with Fabio Capello taking charge of The Three Lions!

The new Secondary Kit was one of those forgotten kits, possbily due the fact that England failed to reach a major tournament so it was not seen on this stage!

It seem to be Umbro’s take on classic Admiral look of 1982, with blue (navy in this case) and white panels across the crest, a little more subtle than the Admiral version but an interesting look for the time!

This was another year which gave us half the games England played in a Secondary Kit, wearing it 5 times in total out of 10 games that year! England ending 2008 with 3 different kit looks in 3 games, wearing the current Primary Kit in it’s default look for the final time against Belarus in October!

The year ended with England wearing their briefly used Secondary Kit for the last time, this would also be the last time we see England in Secondary colours this decade.

England started 2009 in an all white look against Spain, using this Primary Kit for its final use and the busy design that had been used since 2007 was replaced with a Kit that in it’s visual concept was at the other end of the spectrum of what we had previously seen!

This was the “Tailored by Umbro” era and its first kit was what is considered by many kit lovers and England fans to be one of the finest kits in Three Lions Kit History!

Simple in it’s design, give us a wonderfully classic look and also moved away from blue shorts as default choice being all white and details within the shorts also being white to add to the clean look of the kit!

This kit was worn for the next 7 games, the longest “Kit-Streak” of a single kit look being used this decade and was worn 10 out of the 11 games that year!

The only game where all white was not used was against Ukraine which gave us navy shorts as an alternative look for the first time!

This made 2009 the first year since 1980 in which England did not wear a change kit in a calendar year!

Breakdown per year – 117 Games in Total

  • 2000 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2001 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2002 – 13 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2003 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2004 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2005 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2006 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2007 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2008 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 2009 – 11 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 2000’s completed, 117 games in total, little in kit variations with only Primary Kit used in All White as an different Kit Look but there were six official primary and five secondary kits used.

I will return with a look back at the 2010’s for the final installment in these deep dive looks (well until the end of 2029!).

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

Champions League: Match 6, Kit Review

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The 2024/25 Champions League returns for Match 6 of the League Phase and the final round of fixtures in 2024, before we move into new territory with the final two rounds in January.

The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.

This gives 107 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, (111 including Cup and 4th Kits).

Match 6 Fixtures

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 91 (+3 from Match 5)

New Kits this Matchweek

There were 3 new Kits on show this week

Aston Villa used their 3rd Kit in it’s default look for the first time this season, having previously worn with alternative white shorts.

AS Monaco wore their Away kit for against Arsenal.

Sparta Prague wore another mash up, this time with 3rd shirt and away shorts and socks.

Kit Highlights

Bayern Munich used their 3rd kit for a 5th time out of the 6 games, still yet to wear their Home Kit!

Sparta Prague have now worn their 3rd Kit in three different variations, all black, with away socks and now with away shorts and socks.

AC Milan v Red Star Belgrade gave us both team in their 3rd Kits!

Seven Teams in total have worn four different kit looks in their six games, AC Milan, Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord, Manchester City, Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.

My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between Benfica and Bolonga, a classic Benfica look and a wonderful Bolonga 3rd Kit was a great look on the pitch and the stand one of this week!

Kit Stats

Overall this Matchweek we have seen the following kits…

  • 20 Home Kits
  • 6 Away Kits
  • 6 3rd Kits
  • 4 “Cup” Kits

There were 2 Kit Variations used this week

  • Juventus – Home Kit with alternative white shorts and socks
  • Sparta Prague – 3rd with Away shorts and socks

There are still 6 Clubs in total that have worn the same kit in their opening six fixtures of the competition (Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Arsenal, PSG, Real Madrid, RB Salzburg).

Let me know your thoughts or other details you spotted this week in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and I will be back after next round of Champions League games.

Other posts that you will find interesting….

Champions League – Match 1

Champions League – Match 2

Champions League – Match 3

Champions League – Match 4

Champions League – Match 5

Premier League – Matchweek 15

England Kit History: 1990 – 1999

England Kit History

England Kit History: 1990-1999

Posted in Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 9 Comments

As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, you can find the following:

England played 112 Games between 1990 and 1990, a slight reduction in matches from the 80s and which The Three Lions wore their Primary (Home) Kit 88 times and Change Kits again just 24 times, the most time change kits have been worn with 21.5% of the total games being played in change kits, including two different 3rd kits, but more on that later.

The 90s was a decade where England’s kits were solely supplied by Umbro but as we will see the frequency of changing these kits significantly changed from what we have seen in previous years!

1990

The 90s started with a brand new set of kits released by Umbro, the set was made up of Primary, Secondary and 3rd kit! A set of kits which remains a fans favourites with all three kits seen today at England games in various re-releases!

The Primary kit was first used against Brazil in March 1990 and in the 15 games England played in total in 1990 they wore this look 14 times!

The only game where England did not wear their classic primary look was a World Cup warm up game against Uruguay at Wembley, England using their change kits at Home was becoming something of a theme now!

1990 was also a World Cup year, with England performing well and reaching the Semi-Finals, this meant that they played seven games in total at Italia 90, however they did not change from the Primary kit wearing it all their games!

1991 – 1992

The Summer of 1991 gave us England in five different kit looks, in five games..

It started with the only use of the 3rd Kit from this latest Umbro range, a victory at Turkey in May.

Then wearing Primary Kit against USSR and Secondary Kit against Argentina at Wembley.

The classic Primary kit was used in other look was when the Secondary shorts were added to create an All White look against Australia, this was the first of two games in that Summer Tour of the Southern Hemisphere where all white was used and one of only three times when the all white look was used in the 90s (the last use was a lot more well known than these ones)!

The final kit in this run was playing against New Zealand when in the first of two games, they went for another mash up, with secondary kit combined with Primary shorts!

1992 gave us a replacement 3rd Kit, with the Primary and Secondary Kits remaining in place for a 3rd year (the last time this would happen in England Kit History)!

This 3rd Kit was worn twice in 1992, at Czechoslovakia and Spain and is another well loved and regarded kit with this design incorporating “The Three Lions” in it’s design of both shirt and shorts.

As regular readers will know, England in Sky Blue is one of my favourite Kit quirks and I have written a dedicated piece all about England in Sky Blue which you can find here.

1993 – 1994

1993 started with the launch of a new Primary Kit, which starts a run of a new kit being launched every year alternating between Primary and Secondary, which would be theme of kit launches for the majority of remaining years in which Umbro would be the England Kit Supplier!

This kit was one of the forgotten kits of this period, likely as it was never worn in major finals with England failing to reach World Cup 94, the kit was first worn in the World Cup Qualifier against San Marino! The kit included a larger shield around the crest that we have seen before and a lot more red in the shorts!

In the summer of 1993, England played in a tournament in the United States in preparation for the World Cup the following year, this tournament saw England play three games (USA, Brazil and Germany) with two of them in the Secondary Kit from 1990, meaning this kit spanned four years.

However there were some slight differences with this one, the new crest (with larger shield), the updated Umbro logo, with capital letters used for wordmark and the nameset numbers / player names used for that season.

This kit was also used with Primary shorts of the 1993 Kit against USA, for another kit variation look.

With the team failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, it meant The Three Lions only played six games in 1994, the fewest since 1967.

However there was time to launch a new Secondary Kit, another kit that often gets forgotten, this was a darker red than seen before and marketed as “wine red”. It also included red shorts for the first time in it’s default look and the first time England played in all red since early 1970!

1995 – 1996

1995 started with England visiting Ireland, wearing their red secondary kit for the 2nd time, however due to crowd trouble the game was abandoned after 27 minutes.

In March, England launched their new Primary Kit and the kit that would be worn when England hosted the Euros the following year. This kit was big change from the previous 20 years, with no red in the kit for the first time since 1974, however a new colour was introduced, turquoise was now incorporated into all three elements of the kit’s trim!

It used a central crest for the first time in England’s Kit History.

Another change was the introduction different colour nameset, traditionally England had always used red numbers with their Primary Kit, this kit used navy with turquoise trim.

1996 started with a new secondary kit and at the time one of the most controversial kits, certainly in England’s Kit History. The kit was not red, and was “Indigo”, almost grey in its look! It was peak 90s in terms of it’s design and was certainly planned with one eye on what fans would wear rather than keeping with tradition!

First worn against Bulgaria in March (actually with solid red numbers), it was most famously worn at Euro 96 in the Semi-Final against Germany which ended in penalty defeat. It was worn one more time at Georgia, meaning it made 3 appearances in it’s only season of use! Although not regarded so at the time, this kit is considered a classic nowadays by fans and kit lovers alike.

And remember that this may be the only football kit to feature in a number one single… “Tears for heroes dressed in grey”, 3 Lions ’98!

1997 – 1999

During 1997 England launched two new kits, first a new Primary kit and then a secondary kit replacing the much maligned Indigo Kit!

The Primary kit saw a return to red as part of the kit, including the nameset and was first worn against Italy in February of that year, one of three games against them in 1997. The central crest / logo remained in place from the previous kit! The Primary kit was used in 10 times in the 11 games of this year!

The new Secondary kit was launched in the summer and was a return to red, with a stripe included in the shirt, the only “striped” shirt in England kit history so far!

The one game the kit was worn in 1997 was at La Tournoi, a tournament in France which was part of the preparations for World Cup ’98, England lifted the trophy in this kit after winning the tournament!

1998, A World Cup year and it was in the World Cup that see some interesting use of the two current England Kits, in their opening two games the default Primary Kit was worn, however in the final Group match against Colombia, the Secondary Kit was combined Primary socks to create a red / white / white look, the first time this combination had been seen in 16 years, also at World Cup (v France, 1982).

The next game, the Last 16 game against Argentina was another mash up, this time Primary Kit with Secondary shorts, to create an “All White” look (only the 2nd time this was seen in the 90s). The only thing about this mash up was the numbers on the shorts, being different from the shirt was slightly jarring (probably just me I know!!).

The final year of the 90s was the only year in which England used two completely different Primary and Secondary Kits in this decade, starting the year in games against France (Primary) and Poland (Secondary) of the kits from 1997/98!

April saw the release of a new Primary Kit, which was a stripped back kit in terms of design from the previous years and return to a more a classic look of the 1960’s! A return to just white and navy, the crest returned to it’s traditional position on the shirt and there was a crew neckline for first time in 10 years.

The final kit released this decade was also one of the strangest, remaining red in it’s colour it was made of woolen material which I am not sure was the most efficient fabric for elite sportsmen and something that is unlikely to return!

Breakdown per year – 112 Games in Total

  • 1990 – 15 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1991 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
    • 1 3rd Kit Variation
  • 1992 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
    • 1 3rd Kit Variation
  • 1993 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1994 – 6 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1995 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1996 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1997 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1998 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1989 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 1990s completed, 112 games in total, different kit looks and changes, five official primary and secondary kits used and two 3rd Kits!

I will return with a look back at the 2000s!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

Champions League: Match 4, Kit Review

Posted in General, Kit History, Kit NewsTagged , , , , , , , , , , 10 Comments

The 2024/25 Champions League returns for Match 4 of the League phase, half way through this stage of the reformated competition!

The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.

This gives 107 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, (111 including Cup and 4th Kits).

Match 4 Fixtures

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 83 (+11 from Match 3)

New Kits this Matchweek

There were 11 new Kits on show this week

  • AC Milan – Home / Alternative black shorts & socks
  • Bayer Leverkusen – Away
  • Dinamo Zagreb – Away
  • Girona – 3rd / Away socks
  • Juventus – Away
  • Manchester City – Home / Alternative white socks
  • Monaco – 3rd / Charcoal shorts
  • Aston Villa – Away / Home shorts
  • Atletico Madrid – Away
  • Brest – Away / 3rd shorts
  • Benfica – Home / Alternative red shorts

Kit Highlights

The week’s fixtures started with a Kit Mash up on show, Girona using their 3rd Kit with Away socks for an interesting look at PSV! This was the first time they had used a change kit in this season’s competition.

AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City, are teams that have worn four different kit looks in their opening four games….

Levekusen in Away kit at Liverpool (a kit worn by their goalkeeper in the last round of fixtures).

Man City in Home / white socks at Sporting CP!

AC Milan in an alternative look for their Home Kit this season, but remains a classic AC Milan look with black shorts / socks, this also opens up more alternative possibiltes for future fixtures with their default white shorts / socks.

Bayern Munich used their 3rd Kit at Home for a second in this competition, this means they are yet to to wear their Home Kit in their opening 4 games!

12 Team in total have worn three different kit looks in their opening four games.

My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between Sparta Prague and Brest, Brest another team in an interesting kit mash up, using 3rd shorts with their away kit for a look very much like a “Team USA” kit and paired with the lovely tri-colour kit of Sparta Prague made a good visual match up.

Kit Stats

Overall this Matchweek we have seen the following kits…

  • 19 Home Kits
  • 9 Away Kits
  • 4 3rd Kits
  • 4 “Cup” Kits

There were 7 Kit Variations used this week

  • Girona – Away / 3rd Socks
  • AS Monaco – 3rd / Charcoal shorts
  • Manchester City – Home / White socks
  • AC Milan – Home / Black shorts & socks
  • Aston Villa – Away / Home shorts
  • Benfica – Home / Red shorts
  • Brest – Away / 3rd shorts

7 Clubs in total have worn the same kit in their opening three fixtures of the competition (Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Arsenal, Atalanta, PSG, Real Madrid, RB Salzburg).

Let me know your thoughts or other details you spotted this week in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and I will be back after next round of Champions League games.

Other posts that might interest you….

Champions League – Match 1

Champions League – Match 2

Champions League – Match 3

Premier League – Matchweek 10

England Kit History

England Kit History: 1980-1989

Posted in Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, I have the following:

England played 116 Games between 1980 and 1989, the most games in decade so far, saw The Three Lions wearing their Primary (Home) Kit 97 times and change Kits again just 19 times, the same number of times overall but only 16% of the total games.

The 80’s was also the decade where we started to see more regular changes in Kit Design.

1980 – 1981

The 1980s started with England in the same kits as they ended the 70s, however this was about to change with the second set of Admiral Kits introduced in May 1980 ready for the European Championships of that summer, the first tournament England qualified for in 10 years!

This Kit is one of England’s most well known and loved by the fans with it’s unique shoulder panels introducing more colour to the England shirt than had ever been seen before and huge leap from the Kit worn just six years before (Primary Kit of 1964-1974).

One thing to call out here was in the European Championship hosted by Italy, England wore a version of the Kit that was unbranded, to comply with UEFA laws of the time.

The team wore three different kit looks in 1980, with a return to all white look in the game against Romania, this was the first time in over 10 years since the team went for an all white combination, that was at The World Cup 1970 in Mexico!

1981 started with another all white look again and then in the next two fixtures both at Wembley (Romania and Brazil) saw the final outings of the first change kit from Admiral in it’s first use since 1979.

1982

1982 was a World Cup year and the first one England have played in for 12 years! It also gave us a new change kit from Admiral, the design mirrored the Primary Kit but used traditional red as the base colour. The first game it was used was the final warm up game before the World Cup in Spain against Finland, however it was its use in the World Cup that raised some eyebrows…

Against France in the opening game the shirt was paired with its default white shorts and white socks (from Primary Kit) for nice looking Kit Mash Up.

The interesting change was in the game against West Germany (2nd Group Phase of the competition) where there was slight change to the look of the shirt, with an extra white band appearing in the design.. also, this shirt carried the Admiral Branding!

Although not all players in the game had this alternative version….!

England meet West Germany in the Autumn of 1982 and went for another kit mash up, wearing change socks (red) with the Primary Kit… a look not seen since 1979, and just look at those wonderful numbers, might just be one of my favourites in England’s kit history.

1983 – 1984

In terms of kit usage 1983 was fairly uneventful, 11 games in total with the change kit used just once in its last outing was at Home to Greece in March, the final ever use of the famous kit design was in November when team played in Luxembourg, change was on its way…!

We are now into 1984, and a return of Umbro as the Kit Supplier for The Three Lions but this time carrying the “Double Diamond” branding for the first time, and they would provide kits for the next 29 years! The new look striped back the colour and design of the Admiral years and went for a more traditional look with a return of navy blue shorts! The kit was first worn against France in February 1984.

England toured South America in the summer of 1984 after failing to qualify for the Euros and this tour gave a first look of the new Umbro Change Kit, with the Secondary shorts and socks being worn at Brazil (remember that John Barnes goal) and Chile!

With the full Secondary kit being worn at Uruguay.

1985 – 1986

1985 gave us a return of the All White look again, mashing up Secondary shorts with Primary shirts / socks, this was worn in the game against United States that summer, not sure the light grey goalkeeper kit would be allowed to used with that kit nowadays!

The left over elements of primary / secondary kit were used in the game against Turkey later that year, with Secondary shirts and socks used with Primary shorts to give a red / navy / red look, one I particularly like England in! This also meant England went four games in a row with four different kit looks, the first time this had happened since 1974 and that included the change from Umbro to Admiral!

1986 was another World Cup year and like the last time tournament was held in Mexico there was an “airtex” version of the kit used for the tournament. By this team England had introduced a Sky Blue 3rd Kit, in the same template as the other two kits and for the actual tournament this kit was registered as the Secondary Kit for The Three Lions.

The only time elements of this kit were seen in action were in the Quarter-Finals against Argentina when they were worn with the Primary shirt to give us a unique white / sky blue / sky blue look, something never seen before or again!

This was the only alternative version of the England kits used that year!

1987 – 1989

1987 started with All white returning in a famous win at Spain, however by May of that year Umbro released their 2nd Primary Kit of their return for one of my favourite kit looks of all time.. first worn against Brazil! This would be the 4th and final official Primary Kit used in the 80s.

The change remained the same through 1987 was worn at West Germany and then for the final time in 1988 at Israel. The new change kit was introduced in Spring of that year and first worn against Colombia at Wembley in the lead up to Euro 88.

This was not the only change kit released, there was a 3rd kit in the same template. Regular readers and followers will know that this is my single favourite kit of all time and only got used in one U21 game, but we did get this wonderful Squad Picture of the Senior Team in this kit….. (so it had to be included)!

I have written a dedicated piece all about England in Sky Blue which you can find here.

These kits remain in place through 1989, were we got to see a couple of different kit mash ups, against Chile, white / white / red was used for the first time in 5 years!

This was followed by All White look against Sweden, however this game will be more remembered for how Terry Butcher’s kit looked at the end of the game…!

Breakdown per year – 116 Games in Total

  • 1980 – 13 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
  • 1981 – 9 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1982 – 15 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 3 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1983 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1984 – 11 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1985 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1986 – 14 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1987 – 8 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1988 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1989 – 11 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 1980s completed, 116 games in total, different kit looks and changes, four official primary and secondary kits used and even the introduction of 3rd Kits! I will return with a look back at the 90s soon!

Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England Kit History: 1970-1979

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As regular readers will know I am looking to document the England Men’s National Football Team’s Kit History from 1960 to The Modern Day, creating some reference articles and documents for those that like to have quick reference to these things.

So far, I have the following:

England played 99 Games between 1970 and 1979, wearing their Primary (Home) Kit 80 times and change Kits just 19 times, including the use of a 3rd Kit for the first time.

The 70’s was also the decade of a change of kit manufacturer for the first time!

1970

1970 was a World Cup and England as Holders qualified for the tournament, this would be the only tournament that the team would make in this decade! In terms of Kit, it was the same kit that had been in use since 1964 in terms of design.

In February England wore all red to their visit to Belgium, this is first time this look had been used since 1963.

For the World Cup itself, England used the “Airtex” version of this kit, first seen in 1969, the also went with all white for the opening two fixtures against Romania and Brazil (also in the warm up game at Ecuador).

The third group game was when things got interesting in terms of Kit, England used a 3rd Kit for the first time, with an All Sky Blue Kit, this kit also used red numbers and was the first time blue shirts had been used since 1959 (although they were Royal Blue), a classic look for England even if just used for one game… England in Sky Blue is one of my favourite Kit Quirks, which you can read all about here.

In their Quarter-Final against West Germany, they returned their default Secondary Kit of the time, the red shirts / white shorts / red socks look for their third Kit Look of the tournament, but the Germans defeated England in a repeat of the ’66 Final and this was the end of World Cups for The Three Lions for this decade!

1971 – 1974

Between 1971 and 1972 there was little to discuss in terms of England Kits, the kit remained the same and we only saw the Secondary in action once in each of these years, Greece Away in 1971and West Germany Away in 1972.

In fact between December 1970 and May 1973, in the 22 games played by England they wore their classic Primary Kit in its white shirt / navy shorts / white socks look 20 times!

However, that changed in the Summer of 1973 when England mixed things up and introduced a new change kit, with a new colour introduced to The Three Lions colour palette, yellow! The Yellow shirts, navy shorts and yellow socks look was used three times that summer in games at Czechoslovakia, Poland and Italy for a look never seen again outside that Summer of ’73! This experiment was short lived and although we did see yellow used in exhibition match against “Team America” in 1976!

The wild times of the yellow kit were soon forgotten, and they returned to their classic Primary look for the next eight games, taking us to the summer of 1974. This summer saw the return of red shirts for a change look, the last times these shirts were used in default look with white shorts and socks against East Germany and then white shorts and socks against Bulgaria.

The final game of that summer at Yugoslavia was the last time the Primary kit design of the past 10 years was used… an end of a Kit Era for England!

The end of 1974 swept big changes for the England team, Sir Alf Ramsey had moved on from the team after 11 years in charge, a new manager and with a new a “Kit Deal” was introduced to the team. Admiral took over the reins from Umbro, introducing more colour into all elements of the Kit, with royal blue shorts and royal blue / red strim added to the shirt sleeves and sock cuffs, and white / red trim to the short for a radical new look for the England National Team.

The new kit was first worn against Czechoslovakia, wore had played England twice already this decade with England wearing All Sky Blue in 1970 and then Yellow in 1973…. this fixture was the gift that kept on giving in the early 70’s!

1975 – 1977

1975 was a year that England only played in “new” Primary Kit, playing nine games in total in their default look, the first time England had just worn white shirts in a calendar year since 1969, however there were a couple of “All White” looks used that year.

It was not until May 1976 that we saw England change from this look, when not only did they use white shorts for the first time with their Primary Kit for the first time since 1970 World Cup (which was also against Brazil), they paired this look with yellow socks for a Kit Look only used once in England’s history!

Later that Summer gave us a look at the Admiral Secondary Kit for the first time, which was the same in design as the Primary Kit but with red shirts, white shorts and red socks in its default look.

It would be another year until we see the Secondary Kit in action again away at Brazil as part of the South American tour of that summer, this time it was worn with Blue Socks to create a wonderful “Tri-Colour” Kit look, once of my favourite looks in England’s Kit History!

England would go on to use the Secondary in the next two games of the tour at Argentina and Uruguay, however used default red socks in these two fixtures.

1978 – 1979

Moving through 1978 and 1979 there was little to discuss, Secondary Kit was used twice in 1978 in their first two fixtures at West Germany and then at Home to Brazil, the first time since 1966 World Cup Final that England had used change colours at Wembley!

The summer tour of 1979 saw England in their Secondary Kit for three games in a row but it was the game at Bulgaria that provided us with a new kit variation of the Admiral Era, with red shirts and socks worn with white socks for the first time in these kits and the first time since June 1974, also against Bulgaria!

The return fixture against Bulgaria in November 1979, the final England of this decade provide us with another Kit look / Mash Up and another “Tri-Colour” Kit Look, with Primary shirts and shorts paired with red socks, ending the 70s in style!

Breakdown per year – 99 Games in Total

  • 1970 – 12 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
    • 1 3rd Kit
  • 1971 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1972 – 7 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1973 – 12 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1974 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1975 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
  • 1976 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1977 – 11 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1978 – 9 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1979 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations

Well, that is the 1970s completed, a huge decade of Kits for England although not of success on the pitch, plenty of Kit Looks, plenty of change and sign of things to come as we look at the 1980s next time! Let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and a reminder that the overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

England Kit History: 1960-1969

Posted in General, Kit HistoryTagged , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Over the years I have documented the Kit History of England’s Men National Team at World Cups and European Championship Finals, and was also asked to write a piece for Kit Magazine looking in the World Cup History for the World Cup Special back in 2022..

This got me thinking… should I keep a record of the Kits worn by England across their History, so here we are!!

This will be one of my reference pieces for those people to use as they see fit to look back the Kit History of England Men’s National Team, I have broken each article down into decades starting from 1960’s (once I have caught up to this decade, I may go back in time too…)!

England played 100 Games between 1960 and 1969, wearing their Primary (Home) Kit 86 times and their Secondary (Away) Kit just 14 times!

1960 – 1963

We are kicking off from 1960, and looking between here and 1963 there was very little change in the overall shirts, with a plain white shirt with a “V” neck for both Primary and Secondary shirts with plain red “V” neck.

The exception here was the socks, with several variations used over these four years… England started the decade with red socks as the default “Tri-Colour” look, these socks contained a white band across the shins, with alternative white socks used with a red band and plain white socks also seen in action.

The most adventurous socks were seen in November 1960, when red / blue / white hooped socks were used in the Home Nations game at Wembley against Wales (Image below).

In 1961, the moved to white socks as default with red / blue bands on the cuffs and another sock variation was used, this time return to single band with Navy socks, with white band used this time, worn just the once against Wales again in Home Nations with the home kit but also worn with secondary shirt (red) and white shorts for “tri-colour” look against Austria.

1962 was a World Cup year, and year started with England returning to red socks with their Primary Kit but quickly reverted to white socks with red / blue banded cuffs.

During the World Cup, England played four games and adopted the All White look for games against Brazil and Argentina, using their default (White / Blue / White) against Hungary and all red (with banded socks) against Bulgaria.

Not much change in terms of Kit usage in 1963, however the one call out was the use of “crew” necked collar with the Primary Kit, first used against The Rest of the World XI to celebrate 100 years of The FA.

1964 – 1965

1964 introduced what would be the classic England look for the next 10 years, the simple crew collar white shirt, navy shorts and plain white socks. Socks with the banded cuffs were used at start of 1964 but they were soon replaced to the plain look we often associate the team with in this period. Also for the summer games against Ireland and Brazil a final return of the “V” Necked collar was seen.

The Secondary Kit was used four times in total in 1964, with three different variations, with white shorts and white (banded cuff) socks against Portugal and USA, with white shorts and plain white socks against Portugal and then white shorts and red socks against Argentina both these games were part of the Taça das Nações Tournament hosted in Brazil that summer.

However by the end of 1964 and into 1965, the kit became one that we would see the rest of the decade..

Of the nine games played in 1965, six were in this classic look, all white was used twice against Sweden and Spain, a new secondary kit was used for the first time, matching the crew collar of the Primary Kit and worn with white shorts and red socks, this was worn against West Germany… a match up that would be a year away from immortality.

1966

As host of the 1966 World Cup, England prepared with a number of fixtures including games in January and February, as well as four game Pre-World Cup Tour to Scandinavia and Poland and ended up playing 17 games in the calendar year.

February saw something of a “Kit Mash”, with Primary Shirt and Shorts paired with Secondary socks for another “Tr-Colour” look and not one that is thought of with these particular set of kits!

England’s look remained fairly consistent through out the year, only going for the all white look once in their World Cup Quarter Final against Argentina, and using their secondary Kit twice, against Poland and then most famously in The World Cup Final against West Germany at Wembley.

1967 – 1969

After the mammoth 17 Games of their World Cup Winning year, 1967 provide something of a quieter year with just 6 games played, no variation used just default Primary and Secondary Kits in action.

1968, was the first time England played in the European Championship Finals, by winning their Quarter Final play off games against Spain in April / May (both wearing all white), they went on to play in the finals (just 4 teams then) using their default Primary Kit in both games.

The was an alternative Secondary Kit variation used this year, when the team visited Romania in November 1968, they wore red shirts, white shorts and socks for look not seen in action since 1964 and was also the final time red shirts would be used by England this decade.

In 1969 England played 10 games, which they wore their Primary White shirts for all of them, the only change was the alternative All White Look, used against Mexico, Uruguay and Brazil on the Summer tour to these countries, in preparation of the World Cup in 1970, the shirts although looked the same in terms of design they wear in the “Airtex” material to combat the heat of Central and South America.

Breakdown per year – 100 Games in Total

  • 1960 – 8 Games
    • 4 Primary Kit Variations
  • 1961 – 9 Games
    • 4 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1962 – 11 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1963 – 9 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1964 – 12 Games
    • 4 Primary Kit Variations
    • 3 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1965 – 9 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1966 – 17 Games
    • 3 Primary Kit Variations
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1967 – 6 Games
    • 1 Primary Kit Variation
    • 1 Secondary Kit Variation
  • 1968 – 9 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations
    • 2 Secondary Kit Variations
  • 1969 – 10 Games
    • 2 Primary Kit Variations

More Kit looks than I expected in this decade, let me know your thoughts and comments below or over at @Kit_Geek and watch this space, as in England in 1970’s will be coming soon and an overall visual page of the England Kit History is now also live on the site here

Resources for this article / project

England Football Online

Historical Football Kits

True Colours – Volume 2 and International Kits

Premier League: Matchweek 7 Kit Review

Posted in General, Kit History, Kit News, Premier League Kit LogTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

We are now 7 Games into The Premier League season and we have reached the second International Break, so as those International Players meet up with their fellow countryman, sit back take 5 minutes and take a look back at the Kits from Matchweek 7.

You can find last week’s report here

The current Kit Overview for Premier League is below, with all 60 Kits now being confirmed

Matchweek 7 Fixtures

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 51 (+4 Kits this Matchweek)
  • Goalkeeper Kits – 50 (+3 Kits this Matchweek)

New Kits this Matchweek

There were four new Kits seen this Matchweek..

Fulham used a change kit for the first time this season in the league with their Away kit at Manchester City.

Newcastle United used a variation of their 3rd kit, with alternative turquoise shorts and socks to match the detailing in the shirt.

Manchester United used their 3rd kit in it’s default look for the first time.

Tottenham Hotspur used their 3rd Kit for the first time in the league this season.

The 3 new goalkeeper kits on show

  • Liverpool – Yellow
  • Southampton – Purple
  • Newcastle United – Pink

Kit Highlights

Liverpool and Southampton both used their 4th Goalkeeper Kit variations of the season (in just 7 games). Southampton have now used Green, Orange, light orange and now Purple of the Puma template, with Liverpool using Black, Green, Purple and now Yellow.

The Liverpool Goalkeeper Kit was the standard keeper template from Nike this season, however it did not use the rotated Nike “Tick” as seen on their 3rd Kit this season, thanks to our friend Jim for calling this detail out this weekend.

Newcastle United and Southampton continue to wear changes kits in all their Away games this season, with Southampton in their Away Kit in all of these games, Newcastle have used 3 different kit looks in their 4 Away games.

My favourite Kit Match Up of the weekend was the game between Manchester City and Fulham, two kits that worked just well together and Fulham in Red / Black just works as a change kit!

Kit Stats

Overall we have seen 13 Home Kits, 3 Away Kits and 4 3rd Kits

There was just the variations seen this weekend, mentioned above as they used for the first time

  • Newcastle United – 3rd with Alternative shorts and socks

Kit Grid – Up to 7th October

Kit News

It is being reported that Liverpool had already signed a new kit deal, returning to Adidas for a 3rd time, there is not much detail shared as yet but suggestions are that there will be a formal annoucement in early 2025, ready for the 2025/26 season and will initially be for 5 years up to 2030.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and I will be back after the International Break.

Premier League – Matchweek 2

Premier League – Matchweek 3

Premier League – Matchweek 4

Premier League – Matchweek 5

Premier League – Matchweek 6

Champions League – Match 1

Champions League – Match 2

Champions League: Match 2, Kit Review

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The 2024/25 Champions League returns for Match 2 of the League phase, all teams now playing Home and Away in this new version of the competition. So it is that time again to look at the Kits worn this week.

The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.

This gives 107 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, (111 including Cup and 4th Kits) with Atalanta, Bologna, PSG and Red Star Belgrade (FK Crvena zvezda) releasing their 3rd Kits and Feyenoord confirming their 3rd Kit Shorts and Socks inbetween Match weeks.

Match 2 Fixtures

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 59 (+23 from Match 1)

New Kits this Matchweek

There were 23 Kits on show this week

  • Suttgart – Cup Kit
  • Sparta Prague – 3rd
  • Barcelona – Home
  • BSC Young Boys – Away
  • Bayer Levekusen – Home
  • AC Milan – Away
  • Red Star Belgrade – 3rd
  • PSV – Home
  • Sporting CP – 3rd
  • Slovan Bratislava – 3rd
  • Manchester City – 3rd
  • Feyenoord – Away
  • Shakhtar Donetsk – Home
  • Aston Villa – Home
  • Bayern Munich – Away
  • Benfica – Home
  • Atletico Madrid – 3rd
  • Lille – Home
  • Liverpool – Home
  • Bologna – 3rd
  • RB Leipzig – Home
  • Juventus – 3rd
  • Strum Graz – Home

Kit Highlights

Stuttgart followed a tradition we often see with German teams in Europe and used a dedicated European Kit for the first time, with gold details and paired with red socks (different from their Away Kit socks).

On Tuesday 1st October, out of the 18 teams that played 7 in total wore the same kit as in Match 1, with 6 teams playing against each other, with RB Salzburg v Brest, Arsenal v PSG and Borussia Dortmund v Celtic, the only other team that wore the same kit was Inter Milan!

Slovan Bratislava wore their 3rd Kit at Home against Manchester City, who also wore their 3rd Kit so the rare sight of a 3rd Kit v 3rd Kit match up!

BSC Young Boys wore a change kit in The Champions League for the first time since 8th December 2021 when they played Manchester United, they used their all white Away against Barcelona on Tuesday 1st October.

Bayern Munich have yet to wear their Home Kit in the competition, having worn 3rd Kit in first game and now Away kit at Aston Villa.

Bologna launched their 3rd Kit on Monday and debuted it in their game against Liverpool.

One of the Kits of the season, Juventus’ 3rd Kit was used for “The Old Lady’s” visit to RB Leipzig, the second of the possible four Trefiol Kits to used in the Competition, and it looks great in action.

My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between PSV and Sporting CB, a classic look for PSV Eindhoven and the Sporting Kit being something a little different produced a nice Kit Match up with a real European feel… loved it!

Kit Stats

Overall this Matchweek we have seen the following kits…

  • 21 Home Kits
  • 4 Away Kits
  • 9 3rd Kits
  • 2 “Cup” Kits

There were no Kit Variations used this week, all 36 Kits were in their default look.

13 Clubs in total have worn the same kit in their opening 2 fixtures of the competition

Let me know your thoughts or other details you spotted this week in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and I will be back after next round of Champions League games on the 22nd / 23rd October 2024.

Other posts that might interest you….

Champions League – Match 1

Premier League – Matchweek 6

Champions League: Match 1, Kit Review

Posted in General, Kit History, Kit NewsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments

This season see a new format of the Champions League, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and create a Matchweek Kit Review, much like my Premier League ones… so here we are, looking at Match 1 of The Champions League, 2024/25 Edition!

The current Kit Overview for Kits worn by The Champions League Teams.

This gives 103 of the 108 Kits of the 36 Teams, but there will be more thanks to a 4th Kits or Cup Kits that we are likely to see in use over the coming months!

Match 1 Fixtures

Total Kits Used

  • Kits Worn in Total – 36

New Kits this Matchweek

As the first week of the Competition, all 36 kits are being used for the first time!

Kit Highlights

Due to some of the regional country laws around sponsorship gave some slightly different Kit Looks..

Aston Villa wore a Charity Sponsor (one they have used before) in their game at BSC Young Boys, their first game in Europe’s Premier Competition for over 40 years!

Stuttgart wore their Away Kit at Real Madrid, but went with no sponsor to give them a plan chest band on the kit, for a classic look!

Bayern Munich followed their recent trend of wearing change kits in Home European games, by wearing their “Trefoil” Clad 3rd Kit in the emphatic 9-2 victory against Dinamo Zagreb.

As pointed out by our friend Denis of Museum of Jerseys all 11 of Liverpool players were in Green, although different shades in their game at AC Milan.

Manchester City debuted their 4th Kit in their Home game against …., released just last week they were quick to use the kit (even before using their 3rd kit) and it was in a Home fixture, is this a trend we will see for the rest of the campaign for The English Champions!

Only three teams wore Home Kits in Away games, Inter Milan at Manchester City (possible only due to 4th kit being worn at Home), Girona at PSG and Arsenal at Atalanta.

Borussia Dortmund wore their “Cup Kit” at Club Brugge, so could be argued it was actually four teams!

My favourite Kit Match of the week was the game between AS Monaco and Barcelona, a nice Kit Match up with two good kits for these teams this season..!

Kit Stats

Overall we have seen the following kits…

  • 20 Home Kits
  • 8 Away Kits
  • 6 3rd Kits
  • 1 4th Kit
  • 1 “Cup” Kit

Kit Variations seen this week

  • Juventus – Home, with alternative white shorts & socks
  • Aston Villa – 3rd, with alternative white shorts
  • Bayer Leverkusen – 3rd, with alternative white shorts & socks

Let me know your thoughts or other details you spotted this week in the comments below or at @Kit_Geek and I will be back after next round of Champions League games on the 1st / 2nd October 2024.