As some of you may know I came up with the concept of, and then co wrote the book ‘The Fashion of Football’ in 2004 with the celebrated writer Paolo Hewitt, so I have always had a keen eye on ‘clobber’ around the beautiful game.

As a keen student, I have plenty of football books, many from my formative years. As we are in the midst of another World Cup time, I have been looking through my old football books and noticed that from photographs of England’s 1966 squad both on and off the pitch, it is plain to see that the early stages of ‘product placement’ was certainly in evidence.

You can see the West Ham glory boys of Hurst, Peters and Moore in matching knitwear, a few sporting Slazenger logos.

There are press pictures of the whole squad kitted out in the G23 raincoat by the company Baracuta. This garment was revived a few years back and is now known as the ‘Ramsey’ after the manager Sir Alf.

The sporting goods company Umbro made the iconic red shirts of the triumphant 1966 team. It is a name long associated with the national side.

And in 1970, I became aware of the brand Aertex, as the shirts the team wore in the searing heat of that Mexico World Cup were constructed of that fabric.

So, following on from our 2004 book, here is a little bit of history on each of those companies forever woven into the story of football.

UMBRO – The name comes from its founders, the Humphreys brothers, Wallace and Harold, who worked out of a small unit in Cheshire. The company started in 1924 and ten years later or so, they were supplying football kit to most of the big names of those days, Preston North End, Blackpool and Manchester United among them.

They then secured the contract to supply kit to the England national team and the actual footballs to the leagues in general.

They also spread their wings outside of the UK, with Brazil wearing Umbro when they won the then Jules Rimet trophy in1958. As mentioned earlier, England won in 1966 whilst sporting that famous red shirt supplied by the company. A little known fact is that 15 of the 16 nations competing in England that year wore the brand. Only the Russians had other ideas.

AERTEX – The heat of the Mexican World cup of 1970, saw England’s then manager Alf Ramsey demand that their kits be made in Aertex, following on from an earlier example of the fabric being used in the England kit in the 1966 tournament. Aertex was a very lightweight material, and so ideal for hot climatic conditions.

I distinctly remember a group game against Czechoslovakia when England wore a pale blue version of the kit. Looking back, in truth, we had no idea what the actual ‘off white’ colour actually was, not having a colour telly at the time. Indeed it was reported in the press, that callers besieged the TV companies complaining that those ‘watching in black and white’ struggled to see who was playing for whom with both teams’ strips appearing very similar in colour.

It all began for Aertex in 1888. It was invented by mill owner Lewis Haslam and was very much the forerunner of what would be known today as ‘technological clothing’

The ‘aeration’ within the weave constructed from a cotton fabric was light to wear and very comfortable.

Kim Kardashian is also known to wear Aertex. Well, she wears Stella McCartney who uses the fabric in some of her designs. But in truth, that is all another ball game, which we have no time for on these pages…

SLAZENGER – Founded in Manchester 1888 by brothers Albert and Ralph of the same exotic surname, from a Jewish heritage, Slazenger were first known for mainly making equipment for golf and tennis.  Balls to you…

They began a lengthy association with the tennis championship at Wimbledon as far back as 1902, with the leading players of the day, demanding the use of Slazenger balls during the tournament. Fred Perry also used their tennis rackets in his own particular heyday of the mid 1930s.

It should also be noted, that as well as the company knitwear being on show on the backs of the 1966 England squad, the famous orange ball used in the final, was from the same company. Named the ‘Slazenger Challenge 4 star’ it was constructed of 18 panels and was also available in yellow.

And finally…

BARACUTA – The list of those who wore the iconic Baracuta brand include the likes of Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra. Now add to that the names Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton and Alf Ramsey.

Where as the first three names all sported the revered G9 Harrington jacket, the last three sported the G23 ‘Barapel’ raincoat, later to be renamed the Ramsey Raincoat, tailored for the England ‘66 squad by the company.

I still know a lot of people who presume Baracuta is an American company, whereas in fact it all started in Manchester in 1937. The company began exporting to the US in the 1950s and this is where the likes of Steve McQueen picked up on the styles.

Legendary British retailer John Simons is the man responsible for giving the G9 style the name of ‘Harrington.’ That all came about, seeing the character Rodney Harrington feature in the 1960s TV show ‘Peyton Place.’ Rodney, played by actor Ryan O’Neal, rarely left home without a G9 on his back.

The garment, now has a revered place as a staple in the wardrobe of many a mod, skinhead and suedehead.

So there you have it. And to think that some think that football is only a game.

All yours Bill Shankly…

The Mumper of SE5