Football kit is a serious matter. Obviously, kit quality is key – must be breathable, durable, comfortable etc… But, have you considered whether your cheap football kits is the right colour? What you wear and how you wear it can make a difference to your team performance!
Back in the 1863 when the FA was established, players didn’t wear uniforms. Teams were identified simply by wearing distinctive coloured hats and scarves. Uniform kits first appeared in the 1870s and the colours adopted were often those of the university, school or sports club associated with the team. For example, Blackburn Rovers first wore the Cambridge University colours (blue and white) because several of the club’s founders were educated there. So very early on in the history of association football, team colours became more than just a practical way of distinguishing players of one team from players of another – the colour of a team’s football kit took on an emotional meaning.
Studies show that their appearance in their football kit affects player confidence and thus impacts on the performance of a team. Colour is likely to be an important factor in this. Different colours are linked with various psychological attributes. The colour red, for example, is often associated with strength and courage. Manchester United adopted red and white as their team colours in 1902 and is one of the most successful teams in English football history.
Perhaps their football kit has been a real factor in their success? It might sound a bit wacky – but remember the infamous grey away strip Manchester United wore in 1995-1996? It was soon abandoned after the team failed to win a single match. Players struggled to pass to each other wearing the all grey strip and claimed that the kit wasn’t visible on the pitch.
Many professional football players confess to having a “comprehensive” pre-match ritual governed by various personal superstitions. These range from always eating the same thing for dinner the night before a match, to listening to the right music in the shower on the day of the match and being the last player on the pitch. A number of superstitions centre around football kit and clothing on the pitch. Former England captain Bobby Moore insisted on being the last to put on his football shorts before kick off. Kevin Pilkington used to always wear the same pants and football socks for a game and would put the left sock on before the right sock.
Uniforms give a sense of identity and unity. The colour of your football kit is likely to be its most instantly striking feature and will affect both team members and opponents as well as supporters and observers. This is as important for a grass roots football team as for professional teams so choosing kit for your team is an important decision.