commemorative kits
A kit is how we tell teams apart on a pitch.
But it is much, much more than that.
The reason supporters readily drape the relevant colours over themselves is because they are the fabric – literally – of their club’s history.
It wasn’t until 1903 that Juventus first donned their famous black and white stripes, which were kindly donated by Notts County.
Englishman John Savage answered a plea from the Old Lady to replace their pink jerseys and save them from a century of confusion with fuschia-shirted Palermo.
Even West Ham’s famous claret and blue colours are said to have been born out of a wager, won by Thames Ironworks coach Bill Dove.
The legend goes that Dove, a prolific sprinter, beat four Aston Villa players in a footrace who were unable to pay up after their loss.
So Dove was instead given a set of kits from the then-league champions which was adopted by the east Londoners henceforth.
Despite their roots being planted firmly in the past, the provenance of a club’s kit is still of paramount importance today.
Arsenal (2005/06)
The final day of the 2005/06 season. Arsenal v Wigan Athletic.
When Uriah Rennie blew the final whistle, it was the end of the game the Gunners won 4-2, but also so much more.
No longer would Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp or Freddie Ljungberg ply their trade at Highbury, nor Arsene Wenger ever sit in the dugout again.
And the famous clock had ticked through its last minute at the ground.
After 93 years, Arsenal were moving away from their home to the newly built Ashburton Grove – known now as the Emirates Stadium.
Throughout that final season at the famous old stadium, Wenger’s side wore a burgundy home shirt that was inspired from their first ever kit – under the guise of Dial Square in 1886.
The jersey was also given gold lettering and included the words ‘Highbury 1913 – 2006’ in gold embroidery on the back.
Tottenham Hotspur (2007)
In 1885, three years after their formation, Tottenham Hotspur changed from their dark blue strip, incorporating white into the shirt for the first time.
The decision was made after the part-timers travelled to watch professional side Blackburn Rovers, instead of playing an arranged match.
So impressed were the players by what they saw from the Lancashire club, they adopted their blue and white halved shirts and donned them for their first ever competitive game.
The north Londoners then went on to win 5-2 against St Albans in the London Association Cup in their new strip.
Fast forward 122 years and Spurs were donning the same blue-and-white halved shirts in a Premier League match against Aston Villa, this time to celebrate the 125th anniversary since the club was founded.
The match itself could well be remembered for another century and a quarter itself.
Having gone a goal ahead, Tottenham found themselves losing 4-1 after just 59 minutes.
Cue a once-in-125-year fightback, culminating in a last-minute Younes Kaboul equaliser and scenes of jubilation on the touchline, stands and pitch.
Manchester United (2012/13)
‘Forged in industry, striving for glory.’
That was the motto carried on the inside collar of Manchester United’s gingham-patterned 2012/13 home shirt, a nod to the city’s industrial past.
Gingham itself is synonymous with Mancunian heritage.
The pattern was widely produced in the throng of cotton mills as the Industrial Revolution forged what would eventually become one of the country’s biggest and most vibrant cities.
The kit itself went on to be one with bittersweet memories for Red Devils fans.
Sir Alex Ferguson masterminded the club’s 20th league title, finishing nine points ahead of second-placed city rivals Manchester City.
This triumphant moment was superseded by sorrow, though, when the legendary Scot retired as manager of the club after 27 glittering years.
Barcelona 1999/2000 centenary
Red and blue have been consistent on the shirts of Barcelona since their founding in 1899, reflected in the club’s Blaugrana nickname.
According to writer Jimmy Burns, the colours in fact came from Merchant Taylor’s School in Crosby, Merseyside, and were exported by one of the club’s first ever players, Arthur Witty.
Witty is said to have put on his old school shirt, in the red and blue that would eventually become synonymous with Barcelona.
In the club’s centenary season, their half-and-half kit commemorated the first one ever worn by the Spanish giants.
Despite the celebration of the past, the year itself was one of near misses for Louis van Gaal’s side.
They finished second to Deportivo in La Liga and also lost in the semi-finals of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey to Valencia and Atletico Madrid respectively.
Manchester United 16/17 Newton Heath kit
It was in 1881 that Newton Heath, the club which would later become Manchester United, first unveiled their now-famous green and gold halved shirts.
Following a collection that players and board members made donations to, a set of cashmere jerseys in the aforementioned colours were purchased.
Back in the present day, the Red Devils’ latest kit incarnation is one that harks back to their humble beginnings, although its launch in Shanghai, was possibly a little more ostentatious.
While the shirt is red, as opposed to green and gold, the two-tone design from the formative strip is still present.
There is also hexagonal, honeycomb, detailing printed in between the halves of the shirt as a nod to the worker bee, present in the city’s coat of arms.
