History of team colours

[nikolaos1981]

Recently a local journalist mentioned the reasons that led some popular teams to deside what their colours should be.For example he mentioned that ITALY's national team wears blue,because it was the official colour of Savoia's royal dynasty.The DUTCH wear orange for the same reason(official colour of their royal family).The GERMANS wear black and white to remind their Prussian history,and used to wear green(as an alternative)in order to thank the Irish,who were the first to play a friendly match with them after the second world war in a time when most nations avoided them.I also know that LAZIO wears sky blue and white(greek flag's colours) to honour the greeks for establishing the olympic games and their general contribution to the western civilisation.BOCA JUNIORS fans have desided to choose as team colours the colours of the flag on the first ship that would entered Buenos Aires's harbour after BOCA's establishment.That ship had a swedish flag,so BOCA JUNIORS wear yellow and blue.I think RIVER PLATE's original jersey was white(the famous red diagonal stripe was added later,by the fans).Most fans know that BARCELONA wears ''blaugrana'' because the club was co-founded by a swiss,who's homeland's colours were those two(I don't think is accidental the fact that F.C.BASEL,which was established 6 years earlier in Switzerland,wears the same colours).
So,if you had the patience to read all the above(frankly I don't think anybody will),please enlighten me about your favorite team's colours history.I'm really interested.

[dor02]

Juventus used to have an all-red jersey until 1903. After watching a Notts County match in England, one man brought a Notts County kit back to Torino and it had the black and white stripes.

Melbourne Victory wears navy blue and white on their jersey because they're the same colours on the Eureka Stockade flag.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_stockade

[unclesox]

The GERMANS wear black and white to remind their Prussian history,and used to wear green (as an alternative) in order to thank the Irish, who were the first to play a friendly match with them after the second world war in a time when most nations avoided them.
Hate to give you the bad news, but Ireland was NOT Germany's first opponent after WWII.

It was Switzerland. ;)

There was very good conversation about this over a year ago on the Germany forum. The source of the green shirt was never resolved, but the thread makes for some interesting reading. (only lasts 6 pages) :)

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211168

[dor02]

Hate to give you the bad news, but Ireland was NOT Germany's first opponent after WWII.

It was Switzerland.I've seen some footage of that match. West Germany won 1-0 in Stuttgart thanks to a penalty.

[Tricky Tree]

I know Barca had a Swiss founder but their colours are red and white...??
Arsenal were given a set of Nottingham Forest shirts so copied their colours. Do the South American teams who copied English club names - Corinthians, Wanderers, Arsenal etc use the same colours?

[nikolaos1981]

[QUOTE=Tricky Tree]I know Barca had a Swiss founder but their colours are red and white...??

You are right,my mistake.By writing ''homeland''I meant Basel not Switzerland(I should have written''hometown''!).Anyway,after a little research I found out that although Basel wasn't his hometown after all,he played for the club and he was actually club captain.A few years later he visited some relatives in Barcelona,he fell in love with the city and decided to stay.In 1899 he founded Barca and chose those colours,after FC Basel.

[Craigebhoy]

Maybe someone can confirm if this is correct or not, but some time ago I believe I read that Sporting Lisbon wear the green & white hoops because Celtic gave them a set of strips when they toured Portugal many years ago (early 20th century)?

On an Australian T.V. documentary recently, it was claimed that Boca Juniors colours were inspired from the Swedish national colours, with Swedish merchant ships often being seen in Argentina years ago.

[Excape Goat]

On an Australian T.V. documentary recently, it was claimed that Boca Juniors colours were inspired from the Swedish national colours, with Swedish merchant ships often being seen in Argentina years ago.

True story, but slightly different. The founders of the club could not decide on the colors. They waited outside the harbor for the first ship and the first one to arrive was a Swedish one.

[comme]

[QUOTE=Tricky Tree]I know Barca had a Swiss founder but their colours are red and white...??

You are right,my mistake.By writing ''homeland''I meant Basel not Switzerland(I should have written''hometown''!).Anyway,after a little research I found out that although Basel wasn't his hometown after all,he played for the club and he was actually club captain.A few years later he visited some relatives in Barcelona,he fell in love with the city and decided to stay.In 1899 he founded Barca and chose those colours,after FC Basel.

The alternative to this story is that the colours were chosen because maroon and blue were the colours of Merchant Taylor school.

Athur Witty the club's first captain went to Merchant Taylor and so chose those colours.

[Cris 09]

It was actually pink!!!

Juventus used to have an all-red jersey until 1903. After watching a Notts County match in England, one man brought a Notts County kit back to Torino and it had the black and white stripes.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_stockade

[nikolaos1981]

Greek clubs most commonly wear either white and blue(colours of the greek flag) or yellow and black(colours of the Byzantine empire).When PAOK was established in Salonica mainly by refugees from Constantinople and Minor Asia chased by the turks,the club founders have chosen yellow and black for official colours,but PAOK was forced to play a friendly match against Aris Salonika(which was established earlier and had already chosen those colours),so only one major club of Salonica could keep yellow and black as official colours.PAOK lost the match and changed yellow to white.But the eagle with the 2 heads(which also symbolises the Byzantine empire,as well as the orthodox church) remained as PAOK's logo.The only major greek club that combines both the eagle as logo and yellow-black as official colours is AEK Athens

[Craigebhoy]

True story, but slightly different. The founders of the club could not decide on the colors. They waited outside the harbor for the first ship and the first one to arrive was a Swedish one.
Yep sorry mate, you're right, I got that slightly wrong. ;)

Greek clubs most commonly wear either white and blue(colours of the greek flag) or yellow and black(colours of the Byzantine empire).When PAOK was established in Salonica mainly by refugees from Constantinople and Minor Asia chased by the turks,the club founders have chosen yellow and black for official colours,but PAOK was forced to play a friendly match against Aris Salonika(which was established earlier and had already chosen those colours),so only one major club of Salonica could keep yellow and black as official colours.PAOK lost the match and changed yellow to white.But the eagle with the 2 heads(which also symbolises the Byzantine empire,as well as the orthodox church) remained as PAOK's logo.The only major greek club that combines both the eagle as logo and yellow-black as official colours is AEK Athens
That is funny nikolaos1981..........here in Melbourne, Australia we have three Victorian League teams that were founded by Melbourne's Greek community:

1. South Melbourne "Hellas", who wear a blue and white strip (Greek colours).

2. Heidelberg United "Warriors", who wear a yellow and black strip (similar to AEK Athens).

3. Bentleigh "Greens", who wear an all dark green strip (similar to Panathiakos).

[Excape Goat]

-- Arsenal wore red because they got their kit from Nottingham Forrest.

-- Leeds Utd changed their kit to white to follow the successes of the Real Madrid in 1960s.

-- I always believed NY Metrostars(now Red Bulls) wore red and black because of AC Milan and the large Italian community in the NY/NJ area.

[Pabs]

RE: Juve

Indeed it was pink, not red. In their Centennary year, they brought out the pink kits for a few games.

As for their first choice white/black strip. Indeed it was Notts County that they got it from, but the version of the story I heard is different. I read that the Pink kits were starting to deteriorate (remember these are decades before big sponsors were the norm) and they dispatched another order to England to get a fresh set. The equipment company didn't have any more Pink kits so they sent over the white/black shirts.

not sure which story is true though.

[sidis]

the Vasco da Gama Jersey (black with diagonal white stripe) represent the expedition of Vasco da gama. the black represent the unknowing dangers in the expedition, the white stripe represent the discovering of the new world through the Portugal Kingdom explorers, simbolized by the Malta's Cross and the top-right/bottom-left direction of stripe an imaginary line between Portugal and India/china.

Actually the white jersey is the home kit. In the time that dont have stripe they have the nickname: "camisas negras" (black shirts)

the evolution:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Vasco_historia_uniforme2.jpg/180px-Vasco_historia_uniforme2.jpg

[Burkies Ginger Mop]

You know I have no idea why we (Rangers) playing in Royal Blue. Although I do know by our second game we were wearing it!

I'm sure the traditional strip is a royal blue top, white shorts and black socks toped with red.

[FWS93]

Boca Juniors, Originally had black and White Stripes of their kit, but played argentine club boedo for the colors and lost. some members of the boca club went ot the harbor and said they would use the colors of the first ship to arrive, it was a Ship from Sweden

Azul Y oro
http://www.lamitadmas1.com.ar/fotos/idolos/rattin.gif

[changoguapo]

i heard, cant remember where that Guadalajara's traditional jersey the blue shorts with white/red stripes was in honor of the french/belgian founders. thus the red/white/blue colors of the jersey.
the nickname Chivas (goats) came from a journalist who allegedly said the team played or ran like a bunch of wild goats. (something like that). perhaps somebody can confirm or disprove me.

[nikolaos1981]

i heard, cant remember where that Guadalajara's traditional jersey the blue shorts with white/red stripes was in honor of the french/belgian founders. thus the red/white/blue colors of the jersey.
the nickname Chivas (goats) came from a journalist who allegedly said the team played or ran like a bunch of wild goats. (something like that). perhaps somebody can confirm or disprove me.


by the way muchacho,cruz azul=cross azure(sky blue), right?Is there a history behind the name and the colour of your favorite club?

[changoguapo]

by the way muchacho,cruz azul=cross azure(sky blue), right?Is there a history behind the name and the colour of your favorite club?

actually it means Blue Cross (CRUZ AZUL) the team was founded in 1926 by workers of a cement company called Cemento "La Cruz Azul," whom happens to be the main sponsor on the shirt. if you were to see the jersey the Company logo is similar to the team logo, just subsitute the word "Deportivo" from the team logo to "Cemento" and its the company logo.
you can see it here, http://www.cruz-azul.com.mx/home.html
its in spanish.