A brief look at LFC’s surprising history with blue kits
Liverpool FC are well known for wearing red, white and yellow kits throughout their near 130 year history, and are colloquially known as, The Reds. However, you may not know that Liverpool have dabbled with blue kits in the past!
With the release of Liverpool’s 2020/21 ‘hyper turquoise’ kit, we take a brief look at LFC’s history with blue kits.
Following a row between the board of directors, Everton FC quit Anfield and John Houlding, landlord of the ground, formed Liverpool FC in 1892.
For the first four years of the club’s existence, Liverpool FC inherited the Everton FC kits that had been left behind and so played in the blue and white kit you see above before Houlding changed the kits to the now familiar red and white.
Liverpool would be seen playing in red shirts and white shorts for 70 years before Bill Shankly, on November 24, 1964, the evening before a European Cup second-round first-tie leg at Anfield against Anderlecht, asked Ron Yeats, ‘Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look.’
‘Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7 feet tall.’ Ian St John recalls Shankly exclaiming to Yeats.
During those 70 years, before the change to all red, Liverpool were only once forced by the FA to wear blue and white socks during the 1950 FA cup final against Arsenal.
A Liverpool player in a blue kit wouldn’t be seen again until 1999, when LFC released a green and navy blue away kit. This navy blue would remain present in the away kits for the next three years.
Including in this gold and navy blue kit worn during Liverpool’s 2000/01 treble winning season.
As well as in this white and navy blue away kit from the 2001/02 season.
It then wasn’t until 2011, when Liverpool and Adidas released a white and black third kit with bright blue highlights, that Liverpool fans would see their team in blue again.
This controversial kit divided opinions of Reds fans worldwide, some loving the out-the-box design, others not accepting their beloved Liverpool players being draped in the colour of their bitter local rivals.
Not many Liverpool fans will be aware that LFC did pay homage to the original 1892/96 blue and white shirt with this limited edition 125th year anniversary shirt in 2017. A slight tweak on the actual green and white away shirt released the same year.
Liverpool rekindled the white and navy blue colour palette for their away kit in the 2019/20 Premier League winning campaign, as well as a popular black and turquoise third kit.
Other than the original 1892-86 kit inherited from Everton, any dabbling with blue has been subtle by Liverpool and so it was surprising to see Nike be quite so bold with their first ever away ‘hyper turquoise’ kit.
Celebrity super fan, Chelcee Grimes, has assured weareliverpool.co.uk that the kit is not blue….
