Historical Football Kits

 

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Chelsea

Change Kits

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Kit History

chelsea 1905-06 change kit

1905-1907 A

chelsea 1906-07 change kit

11 Jan 1907 A

v Worksop Tn FA Cup
chelsea 1908-12 change kit

1908-1912 A

chelsea 1912-14change kit

1912-1914 A

chelsea v southend v southend

Jan 1913 A

v Southend FA Cup
chelsea v everton fa cup 1915

March 1915 A

V Everton FA Cup
chelsea 1919-21change kit

1921-1922 A

chelsea 1921-23 v birmingham

1921-1922 A 2

v Birmingham
chelsea 1924-25 change kit

1922-1925 A

chelsea v birmingham 1922-23

1922-1923 A 2

v Birmingham
chelsea 1925-29 change kit

1925-1930 A

chelsea v blackburn fa cup 1931

14 Feb 1931

v Blackburn FA Cup
chelsea v birmingham 1931 fa cup

28 Feb 1931

v Birmingham FA Cup
chelsea kit v birmingham 1931 fa cup replay

4 March 1932

v Birmingham Replay
chelsea 1932-33 change

1930-1933 A

chelsea 1938-39 change kit

1933-1945 A

chelsea v millwall 1937 fa cup

January 1937 A

v Millwall FA Cup
chelsea 1945-46 change kit

1945-1946 A

chelsea 1946-47 change kit

1946-1947 A

chelsea v chesterfield 1050 fa cup replay

Feb 1950

v Chesterfield FA Cup
chelsea v birmingham 1953 fa cup

Feb 1953

v Birmingham FA Cup
chelsea 1950s change kit

1953-1955 A

chelsea fc 1954-58 change kit

1954-1958 A

Used once in 1958-59
chelsea v hartlepools 1956 fa cup

Jan 1956

v Hartlepools FA Cup
chelsea v sparta prague march 1957

March 1957

v Sparta Prague
chelsea fc 1957-58 3rd kit

1957-1958 3rd

Worn once v Everton
chelsea fc 1958-59 change kit

1958-1959 A

chelsea fc 1958-59 3rd kit

1958-1959 3rd

Worn twice
chelsea 1959-60 change kit

1959-1960 A

chelsea 1959-60 3rd kit

1959-1960 3rd

chelsea 1960-61 change kit

1960-1961 A

chelsea fc 1960-61 change kit v wba

1960-1961 3rd

chelsea 1961-62 change

Sept-Oct 1961 A

chelsea 1961-62 red change kit 1

Oct 1961 A

chelsea 1961-61 red change kit

Dec(?) 1961 A

chelsea fc 1962 change kit

1962-1963 A

chelsea 1963-64 change kit

1963-1964 A

chelsea 1963-64 3rd kit

1963-1964 3rd

chelsea 1963-64 change strip v birmingham city

March 1964

v Birmingham City
chelsea fc change kit august 1964

Aug 1963

v Aston Villa
chelsea 1965-67 change kit

1964-1967 A

chelsea 1964-65 3rd kit

1964-1965 3rd

chelsea change kit october 1964

1964 Special

v Benfica & Barbados tour
chelsea 1963-64 white kit

1964-1965 4th

Used once in 1963-64
chelsea 1965-67 red strip

1965-1966 A

chelsea fc 1965-66 white change kit

1965-1966 EUR

chelsea 1966 fa cup semi final kit

1966 FA Cup SF

chelsea 1966-67 fa cup change kit

1966-1967 3rd

Used twice in FA Cup

1966-1967 4th

Used twice in League
chelsea 1966-67 third strip

1966-1967 3rd

v Manchester City
chelsea 1968-70 change kit

1967-1968 A

chelsea 1970-72 change kit

1968-1969 A

chelsea 1969-70 change kit

1969-1970 A

chelsea 1970-71 change kit

1970-1971 A

chelsea 1971-72 change kit

1971-1972 A

chelsea change kit march 1972

March 1972 A

v Man City
chelsea 1972-75 change kit

1972-1974 A

chelsea 1974-75 third kit

1974-1975 A

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chelsea 1974-75 third kit

1974-1975 3rd

Worn twice at end of season
chelsea 1975-76 change kit

1975-1976 A

Umbro

1976-1977 A

Umbro

1977-1978 A

Umbro
chelsea 1978-81 change kit

1978-1981 A

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Umbro
chelsea 1979 kit v shrewsbury

Sept 1979 3rd

v Shrewsbury T
Umbro

1980-1981 3rd

Le Coq Sportif
chelsea 1981-83 change kit

1981-1982 A

Usually worn with yellow shorts
Le Coq Sportif
chelsea 1982-83 change

1982-1983 A

Le Coq Sportif

1981-1983 3rd

chelsea 1983-84 3rd kit

1983-1984 3rd

Le Coq Sportif
chelsea 1983-84 change kit

1983-1984 A 84-85 3rd

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Le Coq Sportif

1984-1985 A 85-86 3rd

Le Coq Sportif
chelsea 1985-86 change kit

1985-1986 A

Chelsea Collection
chelsea 1986-87 change kit

1986-1987 A 1

chelsea 1986-87 change kit grange farm

1986-1987 A 2

chlesea 1986-87 change simod

1986-1987 A 4

Umbro

1987-1989 A

Umbro
chelsea 1987-88 change kit

1987-1988 3rd

Umbro
chelsea 1988-89 change kit

1988-89 3rd 89-90 A

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Umbro

1989-1990 3rd

Umbro
chelsea 1990-1991 change kit

1990-1992 A

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1990-1991 3rd

Umbro

1991-1993 3rd

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Umbro

1992-1994 A

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Umbro
chelsea 1993-94 third kit

1993-1994 3rd

Umbro
chelsea 1994-1996 away kit

1994-1996 A

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Umbro
chelsea 1996-97 change kit

1996-1997 A

Umbro

1997-1998 A

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Umbro

1998-2000 A

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Umbro
chelsea 1998-00

1998-2000 3rd

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Umbro
chelsea 2000-01 change kit

2000-2001 A 01-02 3rd

Umbro
chelsea 2001-02 change kit

2001-2002 A 02-03 3rd

Umbro

2001-2002 3rd

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Umbro
chelsea 2002-03 change

2002-2003 A 03-04 3rd

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Umbro

2003-2004 A 04-05 3rd

Umbro
chelsea 2004-05 change

2004-2005 A

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Umbro
chelsea 2005-06 change kit

2005-2006 A

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Umbro

2005-2006 3rd

Adidas

2006-2007 A

Adidas

2006-2007 3rd

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Adidas

2007-2008 A

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Adidas

2007-2008 3rd

Adidas

2008-2009 A

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Adidas

2008-2009 3rd

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Adidas
chelsea 2009-10 change strip

2009-2010 A

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Adidas
chelsea 2009-10 third strip

2009-2010 3rd

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Adidas
chelsea 2010-11 away kit

2010-2011 A

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chelsea 2010-11 third kit

2010-2011 3rd

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Adidas
chelsea away kit 2011-12

2011-2012 A

Adidas
chelsea 2011-12 third kit

2011-2012 3rd

Adidas
chelsea fc 2012-13 away kit

2012-2013 A

Adidas
chelsea fc 2012-13 third kit

2012-2013 3rd

Adidas
chelsea fc 2013-14 away kit

2013-2014 A

Adidas
chelsea fc 2013-14 third kit

2013-2014 3rd

Adidas
chelsea 2014-15 change kit

2014-2015 A

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Adidas
chelsea 2014-15 3rd kit

2014-2015 3rd

Adidas
chelsea 2015-16 change kit

2015-2016 A

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Adidas
chelsea 2015-16 third kit

2015-2016 3rd

Adidas
chelsea 2016-17 change kit

2016-2017 A

Adidas
chelsea 2016-17 3rd kit

2016-2017 3rd

Nike
chelsea 2017-18 change kit

2017-2018 A

Nike
chelsea 2017-18 third kit

2017-2018 3rd

Nike
chelsea 2018-19 change kit

2018-2019 A

Nike
chelsea 2018-19 3rd it

2018-2019 3rd

Nike
chelsea 2019-20 2nd kit

2019-2020 A

Nike
chelsea 2019-20 3rd kit

2019-2020 3rd

 

Background

According to the Chelsea Chronicles, the club's official programme, the team wore "Marune" (sic) tops against sides in blue during 1905-06. White was worn in January 1907 in the FA Cup against Worksop Town but this may have been a one-off. The sparse photographic evidence we have otherwise shows Chelsea in dark jerseys against teams in blue until professional football was suspended in 1915.

Maroon remained the alternative of choice at least until 1933. The Portsmouth Evening News (1 December 1934) reported that Chelsea wore red shirts at Fratton Park. We know that a new set of alternate shirts with contrasting white collars has been delivered the previous season so it now appears that the switch from maroon to red occured at the start of the 1933-34 season.

Several one-offs strips appeared in the FA Cup due to the peculiar requirements of the competition regarding colour clashes. These include blue and white striped shirts in the early 1930s and a set of white shirts borrowed from Fulham (including the club crest) for two matches with Chesterfield in 1949-50.

White shirts made a few appearances in the FA Cup during the 1950s and in a floodlit friendly against Sparta Prague.

In September 1961 a brand new change strip featuring red bands on a white shirt was worn at Cardiff. This smart outfit was worn again in October but was then replaced with more conventional all-red strip.

The first yellow and blue kit appeared in 1963-64 and has been a popular choice ever since, alternating with all-white throughout the rest of the decade.

In 1972, Chelsea turned out in red shirts once again, now enhanced with green stockings. Due to a more strict approach to clashes of shorts and/or socks, this strip often appeared with blue shorts from the "home" kit. A third kit in all-white with a broad vertical panel in red and green also appeared briefly.

Yellow and blue returned in 1977 but the following season the blue became green and this combination lasted until 1981.

When Le Coq Sportif took over from Umbro as Chelsea's kit partner, they introduced an elegant all-blue home kit with white pinstripes and red/white trim along with a change kit in yellow and blue and an all-white third choice strip. Between 1983 and 1985 Chelsea wore some adventurous kits with thin horizontal stripes.

In 1986 Chelsea became the first club to market kits under their own brand, The Chelsea Collection, a range that included a dramatic new away strip in "jade." This colour was used the following season when Umbro designed the club's kits, both home and away versions featuring a diamond shaped pinstripe pattern. These were complemented in 1988-89 by an elaborate red third strip with irregular white and blue hoops, an outfit that became the away kit the following season.

The 90s were notable for the introduction of increasingly extravagant designs by the major manufacturers and Chelsea were at the forefront of fashion. Perhaps most noteworthy is the 1994-96 kit in two shades of grey and bright orange. By the end of the decade designs became more restrained and the familiar yellow and blue theme was reinterpreted in 2000 with a smart amber and blue outfit. By this stage Chelsea had adopted the now familiar practice of replacing one of their kits on a two-year rotation.

In 2002 the first all-black kit appeared and has remained a popular choice ever since. The 2005-06 away kit featured pale blue-grey shirts and was the last kit to be designed by Umbro for the club.

In 2006 Adidas took over from Umbro and introduced a complete new set of relatively restrained kits in blue (home), black (away) and white (third). Their 2007 contribution included a garish fluorescent yellow and black affair, however, that was hard to miss and after a few seasons, their designers turned out some very flashy change strips.

You are welcome to Contact Me with corrections and additions.

Sources

With acknowledgements to John Devlin's True Colours Vol 1 and thanks to Nik Yeomans for his detailed research on the 1954-1982 period.

This section was substantially updated in November 2018 with new material researched and submitted by Nik Yeomans and further contributions from Tony Sealey.

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