Innovation in sports goes hand-in-hand with the changes in technology. While the gear used in cricket and football underwent necessary changes, the jerseys evolved slowly but steadily. The jerseys did not just evolve to aid the player’s movement but to please fans and sponsors as well. Here’s a deep dive into the evolution of jerseys in two of the world’s most popular sports – cricket and football.
19th century
In the 19th century, jerseys were more like shirts in cricket. One-Day cricket was yet to be invented. Even Test cricket was played for more than five days. During this time, there were no coloured jerseys as they played with red ball. While cricket jerseys did not go through many changes, plenty was happening in the football world.
Similar to cricket, for a better part of 19th century, long-sleeved cotton or woolen shirts were donned by the players. However, the obvious confusions paved the way for coloured jerseys. From fans to match officials and even players, everyone found it difficult to spot players on the field from the two sides. The colour variations were suggested in 1867 and few years later patterned flannelette shirts. The colours of their shirts were chosen to show the town/school/association's colours.
First half of 20th century
In the 20th century, the coloured jerseys were still nowhere near as there was no need for it in Test cricket. The players were still donning jerseys that looked more like shirts. There was not much commercialisation in the sport when compared to football.
In the 20th century, the clubs had to register the colours and designs of the players' jerseys beforehand. Also, there was a need to differentiate goalies from other players. As a result, they had to wear either scarlet, blue or white jerseys. Later, green was added to the list as well. Few years later, goalkeepers sported yellow jerseys in international matches as per FIFA rules.
Soon enough referees and linesmen had to wear different colours as well. In early stages, black was the preferred colours. Also, one jersey was not enough when playing away matches. Teams were required to choose an alternative colour for away matches or for games where opposition had similar jersey colour.
Latter half of 20th century
In the 1970s, one-day cricket became more popular. While the inaugural One-Day World Cup was played in 1975, the first day-night match was played in 1978 at VFL Park, Melbourne. A year later, Australia and West Indies played the first ODI featuring coloured outfits at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). In the next few years more countries started wearing multi-coloured uniforms.
However, the 1983 World Cup was played donning the whites. India winning the World Cup in England had a major impact on the sport's popularity. In 1984, India hosted the first day-night ODI. In 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship, the Indian team wore coloured jerseys for the first time. There was a sudden increase in number of ODI matches being played but in white uniforms. It was also due to lack of stadiums with floodlights.
It was John Cooper, a Sydney-based company Illustrated Sport Clothing (ISC) who introduced the iconic yellow or golden colour in Australia’s jersey. Meanwhile, India tried the shades of blue. In 1992, for the first time, numbers were introduced in jerseys which also provided some relief to the scorers and broadcasters. With few years left in the 20th century, ODIs became more popular. In 1999, India played as many as 43 ODIs. Sponsors became interested in the fast-paced format as well and began advertising on the jersey.
In the latter half of the 20th century, football's popularity grew exponentially as well as it reached more nations. The game changed as well with players becoming more athletic and creative in the way they played the game. There was a huge influx of capital which led to cut-throat competition. There was a need to make better jersey to help players move better. At the same time the business of replica kits and sponsorship boomed as well.
As a result, lightweight, synthetic fabrics were used instead of heavier materials in the uniform. At the same time, the jerseys made a style statement too. In addition, numbers were introduced on the back of jerseys.
21st century
ODI cricket had established itself by then. Australia were dominating the white-ball format. The jerseys used to be baggier before but now lighter fabrics were used to help players move more freely. In 2007, T20 cricket was introduced as well. With India winning the inaugural season, it gave birth to the mammoth we all know as Indian Premier League (IPL) which meant more sponsorships.
In 2013, for India's home series against Australia, Nike introduced jerseys made from 100 per cent recycled polyester. In 2014, socially responsible kit which was made of plastic bottles were used. It was claimed that a pair of shirt and trouser was made out of 33 plastic bottles. Nike came up with two new features in "4D Quickness" and "Zero distractions". The 4D Quickness feature meant that the fabric used offers multi-dimensional stretch so that player remains focused.
Till 2019, the Test jersey was not tinkered with as the format belonged to the purist. But in order to boost merchandise sales, names and numbers were used on the back of Test jerseys. It was the same year when the inaugural edition of World Test Championship (WTC) kicked off.
Leagues had existed in football for a long time unlike cricket. With time, the football jerseys did not remain baggy either. Now, they were tight and were made out of polyester. Football unlike cricket is played in the rain as well. Hence, these polyester jerseys did not absorb rainwater. Earlier, wet and drenched jerseys made it tough for players to move around and also made them feel uneasy, Now, they were able to move better even in rain with the help of moisture-wicking polyester fabrics. Systems like Climalite, Di-Fit and Climacool were used to draw the moisture away from the body.