Day 24 – Kits (uniforms) and sponsors
Lesson
Topic Point: Uniforms have evolved mostly with technology, and partly with styleand function. Early uniforms were natural fibers, initially wool and thencotton. By the 1970s and 1980s, synthetic fibers which retained less moisturestarted being used. Modern uniforms use moisture-wicking and cooling technologyto maximize comfort. The length of shorts also evolved, first being long forprotection, then shorter for mobility, and the medium length for comfort andstyle without sacrificing mobility. Teams will have long and short sleevejerseys for each color of their jersey colors. Historically, the long sleevejerseys were for cold weather, though some players prefer to wear long sleevesin warmer weather as well (David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo). Over the last 10years, many players will don the short sleeve jersey but wear a long sleeveshirt, which must be the same color, underneath. There are various reasons forthis including the desire for a compression base layer, temperature regulation,style, and comfort. This year though, there seems to be a return to thetraditional long-sleeve jersey.
The goalkeeper must wear a different colorjersey from his/her team. Goalkeeper jerseys used to be long-sleeve with elbowand shoulder padding. That has changed with many goalkeepers wearing a jerseysimilar in style to the field players – short-sleeve and no pads. Goalkeepers’shorts and socks varied; often they wore the team shorts and socks. Currentlythe trend is to wear the same color shorts and socks as the jersey.
There are many kit sponsors, though Adidasand Nike are likely the top two most popular. Other popular brands includeUmbro, Hummel, Puma, Joma, and Macron. The goalkeeper’s gloves and the playersboots do not have to be the same brand as the kit. However, the training staffoften are wearing the same brand of shoes as the kit. The warmup suits andjackets will be the same brand as the kit.
National teams typically have just two setsof uniforms, with one jersey designated as home and the other away. They havetwo colors for shorts and socks as well, though shorts and socks may be mixedand matched with the jersey, as long as the appropriate jersey is worn. Clubteams, on the other hand, will have a set of jersey/shorts/socks combinationfor home and away, though there is occasional mix/match. Club teams alsocommonly have a third kit, a separate combination from the first two. Strangely,the second and third sets of uniform do not always ‘match’ the club’s primarycolors.
Clubs will have the names of sponsors ontheir jersey – something that was initiated in the late 1970s and achieved moreuniversal adoption in the late 1980s. National team jerseys will not displayadvertising sponsors on their game day attire. Their practice gear, however,commonly does.
Ted Lasso: Wesee both long-sleeved forms with AFC Richmond. Some players wear a long sleeveshirt under a short-sleeved jersey (Jaime Tartt). Other players wearlong-sleeved jerseys (Isaac MacAdoo, Sam Obisanya). Also, early in season 2, wesee the influence of sponsorship on the club. After the team protests theirinitial sponsor, the club accepts a new sponsor and the sponsor name on thejersey changes (S2E3-4). During the third season, the viewer can see bothjerseys, the old sponsor and the new sponsor, in the crowd.
In season 3 of the show, Nike joined TedLasso and provided the kits and warmups. In this season, a third kit (yellow/blue)was introduced as well. The brand of the kit in the first two seasons was afictitious brand (Verani Sports), and we only saw the home and away versions ofthe kit.
Soccer-related note: In the mid-1800s, uniforms were not a thing. Players wore button-downcollared shirts and trousers to play, but would wear the same color of cap orscarf to designate their team. By the late 1800s, teams would wear the samecolor tops for identification, though the look still resembled business-casualattire! The first true uniforms appeared around 1870 due to creation of theEnglish Federation and the FA Cup, which designated that players from each teamshould be clearly distinguished.
The 3rd kit started in Europeancompetitions to commemorate the significance of the match and started in the1930s.
American Sports comparison: The NFL was the last major sports league to adopt the use of a thirdjersey in 2002. The one exception was during the 1994 season when teams wore throwbackuniforms to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary. Different fromworld football (soccer), American football teams wear their 3rdjerseys at home rather than on the road. In soccer, the 3rd kit istypically worn on the road.
Interactive:
The two links below are to YouTube videos which nicely explain the evolution of soccer uniforms (football kits) over the last 130-140 years.
Below you can see the USA home (red/white stripes) and away (blue with stars) jerseys for 2026. A lot is made of the jersey color and style and they take the focus of news attention. However, the full kit will include two sets shorts (dark blue and white) and two sets of socks (dark blue and white). The shorts and socks are not designated as home or away, but the jerseys are. The United States may be designated as the away team for one or more of their games even though the World Cup is in the United States, and don the blue jerseys. The shorts and sock colors worn for a match are selected to contrast the shorts/socks of the other team and are not dependent upon which jersey is worn. When the US wears their red/white jerseys, they may wear blue or white shorts. The socks may be blue or white as well, and do not have to match the shorts or shirt. The same holds true when the US wears their blue jerseys. The United States hence has 8 combinations of shirt-shorts-socks that can be worn!
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