More than Just the Shirt on your Back

For soccer fans in their thirties, there will be one shared experience that the youngsters who follow the beautiful game in these days of millionaire stars and global image rights will find hard to fathom.

Picture a windy day on an exposed cattle field in November sometime in the 1970's or 1980's. The coveted ball swirls in the growing tempest as two amateur teams contest for supremacy in conditions more akin to the battlefields of Flanders. The rain turns to hail as the referee's whistle brings the latest ordeal to a close. After such a game, the overwhelming feeling would not be of ecstasy at the victory or despair at the loss but the rather sore and exposed stinging of irritated skin.

Because in those days, the shirts on the players' backs were worn only to determine one team from the other, not to provide comfort or make a fashion statement. They were not even intended to protect players from the elements. Rough materials which rubbed the flesh raw, collars so wide and pointed they needed corks on the end to prevent eye injuries and shorts so tight it was debatable whether the men who wore them would ever get a chance to enjoy the sport with their offspring. This was the harsh and often painful reality of soccer kits in the age before commercialism took hold in the game.

Fabric technology offers comfort

In these days of breathable, lightweight fabrics, the idea of pulling on your team's colors and getting the clothing equivalent of thirty lashes will be totally alien to anyone whose only experience of soccer shirts will be the smooth glide of silky, temperature controlling polyester. No one would spend in excess of €60 on a soccer shirt if 90 minutes of wearing it resulted in a rash.

Just as the modern game requires more from its players, so does it demand more from its equipment. Soccer is a global game and the teams at the top are required to challenge for glory in environments as diverse as the bone-chilling ice fields of the Ukraine and the sweltering stadium-cum-ovens of Dubai.

Kit manufacturers are well aware that teams require equipment which will leave the players to concentrate on just one thing - the game itself. All of the teams appearing at Euro 2004, regardless of whether they turn out in Nike, Adidas, Umbro, Puma or Kappa, will be wearing shirts a million miles away from the scratchy uniforms of yesteryear. With the introduction of moisture management systems such as the Play Dry technology that keeps the players cooler, drier and more comfortable, soccer is now played in relative luxury.

England calls in rocket scientists

One wonders why the manufacturers of the past never embraced the simple concept of comfort. It's hardly rocket science. Except these days, that's exactly what it is. The England team has enlisted NASA experts in an attempt to deal with the heat in Portugal during the European Championships. The new second strip, which has been developed by sports company Umbro in association with U.S. space boffins, is pushing the boundaries in kit design and innovation.

The red shirt is made from 99.9 percent silver weave called X-Static and claims to warm the players in lower temperatures and cool them in hot environments. The manufacturer claims the heat transfer and moisture management system is a first for football and it is hoped that it will pay dividends when employed by England in Portugal this summer.

Supporters boost shirt profile

The companies responsible for kitting out the Euro 2004 competitors are not only concerned with developing innovative technology for their clients. They are also well aware that the 22 men in each international squad will not be the only ones to sport their shirts. The stadiums of Portugal will be filled with fans displaying their countries colors in the stands.

Just as the tickly aertex of bygone days is now a thing of the past, thankfully so are the designers who sent their teams out to do battle in shirts which wouldn't have looked out of place in a garage sale or charity shop. Fashion is a factor that sports manufacturers have finally cottoned onto.

The rise of the soccer shirt as fashion accessory can be charted back to the recent past when Giorgio Armani designed the Italian national team's shirts for the 1994 World Cup. The styling was typically Italian chic and the shirt became as popular off the pitch as on it. The mid-90's saw an explosion in fans wearing their team colors on days other than match days as the image of the soccer fan attempted to move away from that of the perma-kitted hooligan.

Female interest takes fashion to another level

The embracing of the game and the fashions by female fans also took off at the same time and helped to promote the new, changing face of the game. As a result, companies reported a marked increase in sales to female supporters and now are selling specially tailored women's replica shirts along side those popular with the boys.

Add to this the soaring profile of the soccer star as celebrity and the team shirt has become de rigueur for fans the world over; for those wanting to show their allegiance, for those who follow the individual icons of the game and those who just like the style regardless if its their team or not. Shirt manufacturers have harnessed the power of the soccer shirt as a marketing tool and an essential piece of modern clothing.

The European Championships are seen as a lucrative time for the sports manufacturers. Adidas, the German sports giant that provides the kit for the German, French, Latvian, Greek and Spanish national teams at the tournament, are expecting great things.

Adidas hoping for great returns

Anne Putz of Adidas Salomon told DW-WORLD that, although sales figures for their shirts would not be available until after the tournament, in general soccer accounts for 15 percent of the total sales of the company's sports division. She also added that since Adidas started producing soccer clothing in 1972, teams wearing the company's shirts have won all but one European Championship.

With the popularity of the soccer shirt now assured and the advances in kit production, the 2004 European Championships are likely to be the most fashionable, dry and well-ventilated on record for players and supporters alike.