Football shirt numbers and names
Numbers on the back of football shirts are so familiar that it is easy to forget they were once controversial. Here is how they arrived, what the original 1 to 11 meant, how squad numbers and names changed the shirt, and what to know if you are having a shirt printed.
The first numbered shirts
The earliest record of the use of numbers on the back of football kits in the English league was 25th August 1928, when Chelsea & Arsenal both used them in their league games: Arsenal away at Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea at home to Swansea Town. The idea did not stick at first. The Football League did not adopt it, and numbering was tried again and rejected in the early 1930s.
The 1933 FA Cup final showed another approach: Everton wore 1 to 11 and Manchester City wore 12 to 22, so that every player on the pitch had a different number.
In 1939 the numbering of players shirts was introduced by the Football League Management Committee, with both teams using 1 to 11. The Second World War interrupted league football almost immediately, and numbered shirts became the normal sight in English football after the war.
What 1 to 11 used to mean
The original numbers described positions in the formation most teams played at the time, the 2-3-5:
| Number | Traditional position | Later meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Right back | Right back |
| 3 | Left back | Left back |
| 4 | Right half | Central midfielder or centre back |
| 5 | Centre half | Centre back |
| 6 | Left half | Centre back or defensive midfielder |
| 7 | Outside right | Right winger |
| 8 | Inside right | Central midfielder |
| 9 | Centre forward | Striker |
| 10 | Inside left | Playmaker or second striker |
| 11 | Outside left | Left winger |
Over the years the convention changed as formations did and eventually it was difficult to associate a number with a position, although number 1 has always been the goalkeeper. Different countries also drifted in different directions, which is why a 4 or a 6 can mean a defender in one country and a midfielder in another.
Substitutes and 12 to 14
In 1965 a change in the rules saw substitutions allowed for the first time in the Football League, initially only to replace injured players; the restriction was relaxed soon afterwards. The substitute wore 12, and as benches grew, 13 and 14 followed, with goalkeepers often given 13.
Squad numbers
The 1954 World Cup FIFA required teams to use a squad numbering system, shirt numbers were given to all the players on a nation’s squad and they used the same shirt number for all the tournament.
In England, the League Cup final of 18 April 1993 between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday saw the first player names on the back of shirts, alongside squad numbers, and from the 1993-94 Premiership season squad names and numbers were used. Shirts bearing player names as well as numbers were first used in World Cup final tournament play at the 1994 tournament in the U.S.A.
The advent of squad numbering on the back of player shirts meant the numbers were less meaningful as a guide to position, but sales of replica kits rocketed, because a fan could now buy a shirt that matched one player for a whole season.
Famous numbers today
Squad numbers let players choose, and some numbers have become personal. The 7 and the 10 are the obvious examples; you can follow them through the careers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Clubs also occasionally retire a number to honour a player, and some competitions set limits on which numbers can be used. Our player shirts guide covers the numbers players made their own.
Name and number printing
If you are having a name and number put on a shirt, a few things are worth knowing:
- Competition lettering differs. Leagues and tournaments use their own official typefaces and sleeve badges. The same club shirt printed for the league and for a cup competition can look quite different.
- Official prints are heat-applied. Club shops and licensed retailers apply them with a heat press. Do-it-yourself iron-on kits exist, but home irons rarely give an even, lasting bond.
- Care affects lifespan. Wash printed shirts inside out at a low temperature and keep them out of the tumble dryer. Heat is what cracks and lifts printing over time.
- Printed shirts are usually non-refundable. Check the size before you have a shirt printed.
- For older shirts, period-correct lettering matters to collectors. A modern print on a 1990s shirt reduces its appeal to anyone who wants it to look as it did at the time.
Shirts are not the only part of the kit you can personalise. Nike By You lets you design your own football boots on selected models, and FootballBoots.co.uk has a full guide to custom football boots.