[Football] Claret and Blue

[ringmerseagulltoo]

Just watching Chelsea v West Ham and wondered about the origin of Claret and Blue as a club strip. It is an unlikely colour combination.. Does anyone know how did it come to be adopted by so many football clubs when so many more obvious combinations are not used?

 

[Swansman]

While I have no answers to your question, this is a fantastic post on Reddit:

"An insight in the world of football kits - 454 teams that play in the most unusual colors"
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/gdeb2j/oc_an_insight_in_the_world_of_football_kits_454/

 

[Questions]

We used to play in that kit when I was a at secondary school in Worthing..... It was the best kit of the Worthing school teams

Oh yeah andWorthing Foresters played on it.

So famous colours then....

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Sixth Hove cubs played in that kit in 67-69 when I was in the team.

We were shit.

We lost something like 32 nil to 17th Hove on the grass just north of the Goldstone ground (RIP). Couldn't get out of our own half. FFS.

 

[theboybilly]

Villa originally wore chocolate brown and blue but over time it got changed to claret. West Ham wore that kit because a representative of theirs (when they were Thames Ironworks FC) challenged 4 Villa players to a race. He won but the Villa players couldn't settle up so pinched some kit and gave it to the bloke from 'West Ham' The rest is history. Burnley just copied Villa in 1910 even though they were fellow founder members of the Football League.

 

[Sheebo]

It’s not nice tbh but red and blue is far, far worse. 2 primary colours does not make good viewing.

It’s a shame as Dagenham and Redbridge are probably the most well known / biggest club who wear red and blue and I quite like them.

 

[theboybilly]

It’s not nice tbh but red and blue is far, far worse. 2 primary colours does not make good viewing.

A bit like Watford's yellow shirts, and red shorts from the 80s

 

[KZNSeagull]

A very brief google suggests that Aston Villa wore it first and that it may have come from the claret of Hearts and the blue of Rangers. The Scottish rampant lion is on their badge so reasonably plausible I suppose.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Sixth Hove cubs played in that kit in 67-69 when I was in the team.

We were shit.

We lost something like 32 nil to 17th Hove on the grass just north of the Goldstone ground (RIP). Couldn't get out of our own half. FFS.

To lose 32-0, l'm amazed you got out of your own goal area!

 

[Gwylan]

We used to play in that kit when I was a at secondary school in Worthing..... It was the best kit of the Worthing school teams

Oh yeah andWorthing Foresters played on it.

So famous colours then....

Bevendean Juniors played in those colours too.... so, they were good enough for Tony Towner

 

[Taybha]

Palace will probably be the first team to have worn those colours , yes they will say it was before anybody owned a colour Telly but that's neither here or there .

 

[dsr-burnley]

Burnley just copied Villa in 1910 even though they were fellow founder members of the Football League.

Correct. Burnley played in green and had never won anything, someone suggested that green was unlucky so why not copy the league champions Villa, so they did. Then in 1914 we won the cup and (after a break for the war) virtually the same team won the league with a then-record 30 match unbeaten run. So it worked!

 

[Palacefinder General]

Shout out to Scunthorpe Utd

 

[Chicken Run]

44th Brighton Cubs & Scouts played in Claret & Blue in the 70’s

 

[sparkie]

Correct. Burnley played in green and had never won anything, someone suggested that green was unlucky so why not copy the league champions Villa, so they did. Then in 1914 we won the cup and (after a break for the war) virtually the same team won the league with a then-record 30 match unbeaten run. So it worked!

We know that Villa side well as we beat them in the playoff between the Football League Champions and the Southern League Champions to win the Charity Shield.

 

[Insel affe]

A very brief google suggests that Aston Villa wore it first and that it may have come from the claret of Hearts and the blue of Rangers. The Scottish rampant lion is on their badge so reasonably plausible I suppose.

Are you suggesting what I think you are ?

Protestant overtones, Billy Boy influences ?

 

[Butch Willykins]

Hove Rugby Club are also that colour combo.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Fishersgate Flyers.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

44th Brighton Cubs & Scouts played in Claret & Blue in the 70’s

And in the 80's....I probably wore the same shirts you did a decade before Dave Burt was our manager...top man, & a great football mind. Always remember Friday night training in the scout hut with a Subbuteo pitch set up out the back to discuss tactics.

Triple Champs 1985 - still got my trophies at home

 

[zefarelly]

Stayning Strikers (U10's/11's) we wore the England away kit as our home kit ( red admiral) at the time (80/81) then I got persuaded to play for Shoreham boys club . . . . Hibernian kit, green white sleeves, we were utter shyte, losing 17-0 at home killed it for me and by U13's I was just playing at school with mates in the park.

Always liked a claret/blue kit, if well executed, I guess WHU was the first I clocked as 1980 was the first cup final I watched