England has always had a national football team dating back to 1870 where they played their first match in the UK against Scotland. As the national team has been playing professionally for a number of years, there is no doubt that the players have donned a variety of kits over the years. Within this blog post we are going to acknowledge the ever-changing appearance of these kits which don the three lions with pride as well as showcasing notable kits. So, to find out more about the England kits evolution, keep on reading.
Evolution of the England Home Kit
Dating back to the first home kit worn by the England national team, their home colours have always seen a white shirt decorated with the three lions and navy shorts and socks. In the 1800s we saw the first kit introduces with a diamond detailing in the centre and then shortly adapted to have a buttoned neckline with a collar. The collar was also seen again during the beginning of the 1900s which made it a staple in the look of the home kit for England.
During the 1940s we saw the home kit alter slightly during the 1946 tournament as they opted for the use of two colours of socks. They mainly wore their staple blue socks but changed to red if the opposition was also wearing the same colour of socks. This was something that was seen frequently throughout the 40s which is believed to be the reasoning why red was starting to be introduced into the team’s kit.
Towards the end of the 50s we started to see the use of long sleeve shirts and collared neckline to change to a shorter sleeves shirt with a v-neckline however still maintaining their crisp white appearance. From there on the appearance of the home shirt and shorts remained the same with the focus turning to the look of the socks. We saw the socks have styles such as red with white stripe, white with red and blue stripe and white with multiple red and blue stripes as well as blue with white stripe.
It wasn’t until the World Cup Finals in 1962 that the home kit introduced an alternate pair of shorts which were white as well as their signature navy shorts.
Moving to Admiral in 1974 saw the home kit change for England slightly as it featured a more striking appearance compared to the simplistic design used previously. The shirt was white in colour with blue and red stripes along the length of the sleeves, cuffs and collar. The matching shorts were blue in colour with red and white stripes down the side and completing the kit the socks were white with red and blue stripes.
This remained a constant appearance for Admiral’s home kits with the socks occasionally changing their appearance. The socks used in their 1976 match against Brazil were yellow whereas they wore their change socks in their match against Bulgaria in 1979 which were red with blue and white stripes.
The second lot of Admiral home kits saw another striking change. The white home shirt featured blue and red stripes around the shoulders and the shorts were bright blue with red and white stripes. Completing the England home kit were white socks with a blue stripe that contained the manufacturers logo in red.
Moving back to Umbro in 1984 saw a design update to the shirt whereby the white jersey had a thing pin-striped design. The white shirt was paired with navy shorts and white socks with red detailing. This kit also saw the navy away shorts mixed and matched with it during certain games.
Throughout that decade Umbro switched up the look of the home shirt by changing the design on the jersey from stripes to diamond patchwork to thicker stripes and more. The also changed the appearance of the shorts by adding a striped patter to them as well.
Over the years the home kit has predominantly been white and navy, however in 2016/17 their home kit featured a pale blue which had only been seen on a handful of kits in the past. This was mixed in with the navy on the shirt to create a fresh and eye-catching look.
Appearances of the England Away Kit
The first change kit for England was produced in the 1930s where a blue jersey decorate with a white collar was paired with white shorts and navy striped socks. This is essentially the colourway of the home kit at the time in reverse.
After they experimented with red change socks in the 40s, they started to experiment with the use of red more and more in the kits. And for the 1951 away kit we saw the first introduction of a red shirt which was worn with white shorts and blue and white striped socks. This shirt features a reed collared neckline and was also seen again in the 1952/53 tournament paired with white shorts and white and red socks.
During the 1962 World Cup we saw the first full red away kit for England which saw a short sleeve shirt with a v neck paired with shorts and socks which has a simple line of white around the ankles. This style of colourway did not last too long as in 1964 the away shorts became white again, and with this they wore the white home socks in their matches against Portugal and USA as well as their red socks against Argentina.
The 1974 away kit for England saw a change in look as the England team switched from Umbro to Admiral. Their new away kit featured a red white with blue and white stripes with white shorts that had blue and red stripes. These were then worn with red socks with white and blue striped which were also used with the home kit and they also used the home socks which were white with blue and white stripes with their away kit in games against Bulgaria.
The 80s saw another change to the England away kit with a red shirt that had a striped blue and white detailed design around the top of the shoulders. This was then worn with white shorts with red and white stripes and red socks with a blue stripe with the Admiral emblem within.
1984 saw them return to Umbro who started to make a design change which saw stripes decorating the jersey. The red shirt had white stripes and was paired with white shorts and red socks. This kit was also mixed and matched with their navy home shorts too.
Umbro experimented with a number of design changes with the away kit during the 80/90s where they introduced different sized striped as well as a diamond patchwork effects but still maintained their red and white colouring.
A red jersey has been a staple for the England national team over the years and for their latest kit in 2018 this jersey featured a subtle cross on the chest which was created using meshed vents. This detailing was a unique and patriotic addition to the jersey.
Manufacturers of the England Shirts
As the England team has been around for a number of years, we have seen a wide range of sports clothing manufacturers partner with the team to produce their kit. As there have been a number of manufacturers involved with creating the England kits, the style and appearance of the jerseys have been ever changing as each manufacturer has its own take and template which they use when creating shirts. Below we have included a list of manufacturers who have made the England kit over the years:
- St Blaize and Hope Brothers – 1949 to 1954
- Umbro – 1954 to 1961
- Bukta – 1959 to 1965
- Umbro – 1965 to 1974
- Admiral – 1974 to 1984
- Umbro – 1984 to 2013
- Nike – 2013 to present
Notable England Kits
The red England away shirt worn during the 1966 World Cup is a staple love for all supporters as it was the jersey worn by all of the legends when the England national team lifted the trophy.
For the 1970 World Cup the England team sported a variety of kits, but their most impressionable kit was the one they wore against Czechoslovakia. This kit saw a short-sleeved shirt, shorts and socks set all produced in a pale blue colouring which was not a shade that the England team had been seen in before.
A one-off kit was produced in summer 1973 saw the England squad don a completely different colourway to what they have worn previously. This kit saw them wear a yellow shirt with navy and yellow shorts and yellow socks.
The 2010 home shirt is an iconic piece as it featured a design created by Peter Saville which saw the St Georges cross stitched all over the jersey in navy, red, purple and green for a subtle yet effective display of patriotism
Do You Own an England Shirt?
Throughout this blog post we have explored the history of the England home and away kits to identify the most and least popular appearances and how they have changed over time. Do you own any of the England jerseys mentioned above or do you have a favourite which we haven’t mentioned? Let us know over on our social media pages today. And don’t forget that you can shop our wide range of official England shirts over on our store – Soccer Box.
This article was written exclusively for Soccer Box by Loren Astbury
