[Football] When did replica shirts become really popular?

[Guinness Boy]

Posted on another thread about being with someone in Birmingham in probably 1989 or 1990 who got in trouble due to wearing a replica Albion shirt made me think 'when did people start doing this?'.

When I was first taken to games at the end of the 70s and early 80s it was scarves on wrists but I don't remember ever seeing anyone in a replica shirt. Later on that decade ski hats became popular in the North Stand but I still don't remember an abundance of shirt wearing.

I can remember seeing our scratchy Bukta kit in a local sports shop as a kid and my mum doing her sharp intake of breath that meant 'you won't ever be getting one of them'.

But by the time of the Wembley playoff v Notts Co loads of people had the 'Nobo' shirts, pretty sure a couple of my mates had the red and white one that actually looked pink from a distance.

Was it anything to do with sponsorship on shirts suddenly being allowed on TV?

 

[loz]

I had replica shirt in 72 and 73, bought them in Hewitts in Croydon, but I was 8 at the time, never really saw “grown ups” wearing them until the 80s

 

[aberllefenni]

For us, I think it probably was the Butka kit from the 70's.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Italia 90. Football in the mainstream, Gazzamania, the game not immediately associated with violence. Grown men buying opera cassettes and openly crying in front of their friends.

That's where I think the take off really happened.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Italia 90. Football in the mainstream, Gazzamania, the game not immediately associated with violence. Grown men buying opera cassettes and openly crying in front of their friends.

That's where I think the take off really happened.

That's a great shout. Went to Ibiza in 1991 with my mates and shirts, real and hooky were everywhere, including the clubs, as was a certain substance that had calmed down an awful lot of young men and turned 'no surrender' into 'let's all have a disco'. Clubs in Rimini were full of England during Italia 90.

 

[Happy Exile]

I remember having a replica England shirt during the 82 world cup, which was bought from a jumble sale so presumably was older than that. I was 7 though. so don't remember loads about it but from my memory of the material I doubt it was a "genuine" replica. Pretty sure my mate had a yellow Liverpool away one around the same time. Looking on ebay it seems they did exist.

 

[Van Cleef]

But by the time of the Wembley playoff v Notts Co loads of people had the 'Nobo' shirts

I remember outside wembley there was a bunch of lads who had cut the bottom off some tesco bags and worn them instead.

 

[Weststander]

For us, I think it probably was the Butka kit from the 70's.

This. Loads wore that shirt by 1976.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Calling Superphil!

 

[GT49er]

When did replica shirts become really popular?​

Not yet for some of us! HOW much? - for a SHIRT?.............and as for buying a new one because it's got four blue stripes instead of last year's three stripes ............... therein lies madness!

.....and don't get me started on away shirts that aren't needed when there is no colour clash with blue and white stripes, let alone special European shirts which may (possibly) be worn a couple of times! A nice blue and white woolly scarf, on the other hand, can last a life time, and can still keep your neck warm no matter how much other parts of the body may need a larger size!

 

[US Seagull]

FWIW, I asked Microsoft Copilot:

The popularity of replica soccer shirts has an interesting history! Let’s dive into it:

1. 1959: The first replica kit emerged, courtesy of Umbro, specifically aimed at children. The Umbroset came as a boxed kit with a shirt, shorts, and socks, encouraging kids to “dress like their heroes” and featuring images of popular players like Matt Busby and Denis Law1.

1. 1973: Admiral, a sportswear manufacturer, struck a deal with Leeds manager Don Revie to produce their away kit. They took advantage of the newly introduced Design Copyright Act, ensuring an authentic and exclusive kit. By the late 1970s, 84 out of the 92 League teams had similar deals in place1.
2. 1977/78: Admiral’s advertising campaign showcased replica shirts worn with jeans, a more casual style than the full kit. This marked a turning point, as fans began to embrace the replica shirt as everyday wear1.

1. 1980s: The trend of wearing what players wore gained momentum in European soccer. By 1990, photographs showed spectators at Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup final proudly donning replica club shirts2.
2. 1990s: The commercialization of soccer shirts increased, with replica shirts prominently featuring professional team logos. Fans embraced these replicas as a way to connect with their favorite clubs3.

So, the rise of replica soccer shirts has been a gradual process, evolving from children’s kits to becoming a beloved part of football culture for fans of all ages!

So, if AI is to believed, it started in the 70's, but really took off around the start of the 90's. Which I feel tracks with my general sense of the thing.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Although there were some around in the late 70's I think that they really kicked in when shirt sponsorship began in the early 80s.

 

[PeterT]

I had the Admiral England home and away shirts in 1976 but that was just to play football in, not to wear to matches. Got the home shirt from Tony Buss Sports in Lancing. Might pop back in there and see what stock he has in.

 

[Invicta]

Got the Bukta shirt (10 yr old size) in 1980. Full kit in a box. Still have the shirt. Early 90's until I got another one.

 

[Easy 10]

I was a NOBO boy when I first started wearing the replicas so would probably have been around 88 or 89 and they were everywhere by then. I can remember chewing my FIST with frustration at how long it would take for the replica shirt to become available though, always seemed to be a couple of months into the season. Which often seems to be the case these days, but I don't wear replica shirts any more, apart from sometimes the 70s Bukta one to the late or early season games when its nice outside.

 

[portlock seagull]

Euro 96

 

[Comrade Sam]

Got my first the Christmas of my first season in '85.
Two replicas spring to mind from Buckingham Road middle school in Shoreham-by-Sea in the late '70s. A new kid who had the diagonal stripe Palace shirt - who I swear was the guy in the Half Man Half Biscuit classic. We went to his birthday party at his house on the beach and we watched him play scalextric with his cousin, then Subbuteo with his cousin. It was the first time I'd been in the same room with either classic.
The other shirt was a Liverpool top and the kids gran had stitched HITACHI onto it. I had only seen the sponsor free kit on the box and couldn't work out why he'd deface it so horrifically.
I don't know if any of these facts will help to discover the answer you're looking for.

 

[Comrade Sam]

I was a NOBO boy when I first started wearing the replicas so would probably have been around 88 or 89 and they were everywhere by then. I can remember chewing my FIST with frustration at how long it would take for the replica shirt to become available though, always seemed to be a couple of months into the season. Which often seems to be the case these days, but I don't wear replica shirts any more, apart from sometimes the 70s Bukta one to the late or early season games when its nice outside.

My Mum washed mine at 60 degrees and washed the badge and NOBO off. She then did it again with next year's kit. The most annoying thing was that my mum had been banned from washing my clothes for 5 years already, after repeatedly ruining everything I bought from Carnaby street. So both had got into the wash by accident.

 

[BNthree]

By the time New Order released World in Motion (and wore shirts in the video) in 1994 wearing a replica shirt was a thing.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Get Shirty.
Doc about Admiral shirts when it all started.