The History of Football Shirts: Numbers, Names and Sponsors

Every printed name, number and sponsor on a modern football shirt had to start somewhere. All three arrived surprisingly recently, and one of them was pioneered not by a giant club, but by a small Southern League side from Northamptonshire.

1928: Numbers Arrive

Shirt numbers made their English debut in 1928, in a match between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. At the 1933 FA Cup Final, Everton wore numbers 1 to 11 and Manchester City wore 12 to 22 — numbering hadn't yet settled into the position-based system fans would recognise today. Names on the back came much later still, arriving properly only in the 1990s once printing technology made it practical to personalise a full squad's shirts individually rather than pre-printing a fixed set.

1976: The First Sponsor's Name

On 24 January 1976, Kettering Town became the first English club to play with a sponsor's name on its shirts, wearing "Kettering Tyres" against Bath City in a deal worth a few thousand pounds, negotiated by player-manager Derek Dougan. The Football Association immediately objected and ordered the lettering removed; Dougan tried abbreviating it to "Kettering T", claiming the T stood for "Town", but the FA wasn't fooled. Facing a fine, Kettering backed down — but the club, backed by Bolton Wanderers and Derby County, lobbied hard, and in June 1977 the FA lifted its ban on shirt sponsorship altogether.

Liverpool Gets the Credit, Kettering Did the Work

Liverpool's 1979 deal with Hitachi is often remembered as the first major shirt sponsorship in English football — and it was certainly the first top-flight deal that stuck. But it followed Kettering's path by three years, a classic case of a small club doing the difficult, unglamorous work of changing the rules, and a bigger one getting the headline.

Where This Shows Up in What We Print

Squad numbers, surnames and sponsor logos are exactly what modern DTF printing makes easy — every shirt in a squad can carry a different name and number at no extra cost, the same idea Kettering Town fought the FA for, just with far better printing technology behind it. See our sports team kit printing page for club and squad kit.

Frequently asked questions

When did football shirts first have numbers?

1928, in a match between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, though numbering didn't settle into today's position-based system straight away.

Which club had the first shirt sponsor?

Kettering Town, wearing "Kettering Tyres" against Bath City on 24 January 1976 — three years before Liverpool's better-known Hitachi deal.

When did shirt sponsorship become officially permitted?

June 1977, when the Football Association lifted its ban following lobbying by Kettering Town and other clubs.

The Rules That Shaped the Shirt: Goalkeepers, Numbers and Squads

Beyond the three milestones above, several smaller rule changes explain why a football shirt looks the way it does.

• 1909: goalkeepers get their own colour. The laws began requiring goalkeepers to dress differently from their teammates, with scarlet or royal blue first specified. Green was added as a third option in 1912 and quickly became the norm. Early keepers often wore heavy woollen garments closer to a jumper than a shirt, and gloves were rarely worn before the 1970s.
• 1939-40: numbers become compulsory in England. Having been introduced in 1928, numbering was made a requirement for every player in a squad by the Football League in the 1939-40 season.
• 1954: fixed World Cup numbers. At that tournament each player in a 22-man squad wore one specific number from 1 to 22 for the whole competition, the first time numbers followed a player rather than a position.
• 1993-94: squad numbers and names reach the Premier League. The FA moved to persistent squad numbers, dropped the strict use of 1 to 11 for the starting line-up, and surnames were printed above the numbers. Most top European leagues followed over the next five years.

One oddity: Celtic wore numbers on their shorts rather than their shirts until 1994 for domestic matches.

Replicas and Names: The Fan Shirt Arrives

Fans wearing the same shirt as the team is a younger idea than it feels. In 1975 Leeds United became the first club to design shirts sold to supporters as replicas, and other clubs soon followed. Names on the back have an earlier outside story: in 1979 Monza showed players' names above their numbers in a Coppa Italia game against AC Milan and were fined by the Italian federation. AC Milan added names in 1980 and dropped them the next year. The idea took more than a decade to settle.

The effect for supporters has been a quiet habit. Many people want a shirt carrying their own name and number, a nickname, or the number of a player they admire, and that is the heart of what a printer does for a fan or a grassroots team.

Planning a Squad Order: Practical Steps

Most problems with team kit come from the list, not the printing. A tidy list prevents most errors.

1. Build one master list. Name, preferred name, number, size and fit for every player, in a single message or spreadsheet.

2. Decide the number rules. If your league specifies numbers, check them before ordering. Avoid duplicates, and keep two or three spare numbers for late signings.

3. Choose the name style. Surname in capitals above the number is the familiar layout. Nicknames suit social teams and fun sides.

4. Check readability. A number must be legible from the touchline and from behind. Contrast between print and shirt matters more than the font.

5. Decide the sponsor spot. Chest, sleeve or back panel. If a sponsor supplies a logo, ask for a high-resolution file.

6. Approve the proof. Check each name and number against your master list before anything is printed.

Our page on sports kit names and numbers goes through placement in more detail, and the matching commercial page covers the kit types we print.

Sponsor Logos on Local Kit

Kettering Town's story still has a lesson for grassroots clubs. Sponsorship was resisted when it began, then became so normal that almost every major club signed a deal. At local level, the practical rules are simpler: ask your league or competition whether there are limits on logos, agree the placement with the sponsor, and confirm that the artwork you hold is the official version.

Some tips for placement:

• Front chest is the most visible; keep it clear of numbers if your league prints them there.
• Sleeves suit small marks such as a business name or a local charity.
• Back panels above the number suit short lines of text.
• Never stretch a logo to fit. Ask the sponsor for a version designed for narrow spaces.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the wrong spelling of a name because the list was copied from a social media tag.
• Mixing up sizes across adults and juniors in one team.
• Printing numbers too thin for the garment fabric.
• Waiting for a final squad before ordering. Order the confirmed players first, and ask whether late additions can be matched; give your deadline when you request a quote and order early.
• Assuming a kit design copied from a famous club can be reused freely. Professional club badges are usually protected as trademarks, so stick to your own badge or club name.

Football Shirt FAQs

When did the Premier League start using squad numbers?

In the 1993-94 season, with names printed above the numbers. The FA had by then moved away from the fixed 1 to 11 for starters.

Why are goalkeepers in a different colour?

The laws required it from 1909 so referees and players could tell the keeper apart from outfield players. Green was added as an option in 1912.

Can each player on my team have a different name and number?

Yes. DTF printing allows each shirt to carry its own name and number from a single supplied list. We show a proof before printing, and a discount applies on 5+ items.

Is a Sunday league team too small to order?

No. There is no minimum order, so a five-a-side team or one replacement shirt can be handled the same way as a full squad.