Chelsea Football Uniform

June 22, 2022

HISTORY OF CHELSEA FC’S JERSEY COLOR.

‘Blue is the color, football is the game’ goes the song the Chelsea squad and fans.

Ever since its humble beginnings in 1904, when London businessman Gus Mears founded the club after failing to convince Fulham to take up residence in his newly-purchased Stamford Bridge athletics stadium, Chelsea have worn blue.

However, the blue jerseys the fledgling team initially turned out in were quite different from the kind of shirts worn by the likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and David Luiz today. Not least because of the advances in the technology of sporting attire and the prevalence of sponsor logos on modern football tops, but also because the blue Chelsea originally turned out in was much paler, lighter, almost turquoise shade called ‘Eton blue.’

The simple design of the Eton blue tops, with their round neck and button-up collars, was combined with plain white shorts and black socks. This is how Chelsea continued to appear on match days up until 1912, when a switch was made to the royal blue which has since become synonymous with the club. So much so, in fact, that West London side’s nickname is simply the Blues.

Despite the change of shirt, the white shorts and black socks remained in place right up until 1961, when the socks also became white. The next, more radical, change came shortly after in 1964. Scottish manager Tommy Doherty, who also had a spell at the helm of Manchester United during his career, oversaw Chelsea and decided that the club’s shorts should also be royal blue to match the shirt.

Doherty was of the belief that, by switching to blue shorts, Chelsea took on a more modern look, and one which was unlike any other major club in England at the time. The fiery Scot’s decision to see his team’s shorts match their shirts has stood the test of time, with the Stamford Bridge side having stayed true to the same kit layout ever since and Tommy Docherty changed the kit again, switching to blue shorts (which have remained ever since) and white socks, believing it made the club's colours more modern and distinctive, since no other major side used that combination; this kit was first worn during the 1964–65 season.

In more recent times, the Blues have sported some garish away kits, with luminous oranges and yellows a particularly misguided choice, while the grey and orange number from the mid-1990s often appears on polls to determine the least appealing jerseys in memory.

The blue home shirt remains a classic, however. A simple configuration which, if adhered to properly, always produces attractive jerseys.

However, the blue jerseys the fledgling team initially turned out in were quite different from the kind of shirts worn by the likes of Werner, Romelu Lukaku, Kai and the rest of the players.

Now that you have this information and know where the blue home jersey kit originated from, do well to patronise us.

Blue is the color; long may it remain so.