England first wore this special lightweight summer version of their red
away kit
in the 3-2 World Cup final tournament extra-time loss to West Germany
in 1970, after their designated
change kit of all
blue had not provided enough contrast to Czechoslovakia's all-white kit
in their previous game.
It was made of the same aertex
material as their other kits worn in Mexico, though the emblem had a white
background, (i.e. not the same colour as the shirt, unlike on the
white and
blue shirts)
and the white shorts, too, were aertex.
After leaving Mexico, England reverted
back to their long-sleeved
white and
red shirts and it wasn't until 1973
that they saw a need to revive short sleeves.
A yellow change kit
was introduced and quickly discarded. Then, in 1974, England re-introduced the short-sleeved red aertex shirts
last seen in Mexico, before Admiral negotiated a contract to supply the FA and developed their
own lightweight shirts for the warmer months.
The above shirt (left) was worn by Sir
Trevor Brooking against East Germany, in 1974, and it appears here by kind permission of the National Football Shirt Collection (England
Match Shirts), also part of
the Neville Evans Collection (curator Simon Shakeshaft). Alongside it is the
number 16 shirt worn by Malcolm Macdonald on the substitutes' bench against
Bulgaria and is part of Richard Clarke's 'Three Lions
- England Match Worn Shirts' Facebook Collection.
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England
Football Online
England's
Tournament Uniform
