Manchester United F.C. is an English football club that plays in the English Premier League. Their home ground is Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The Red Devils as they are affectionately known boast over 300 million world-wide fans. Meaning that out of every 20 people on earth, one of them will be a Manchester United Fan! Currently managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United are one of the most successful teams in the history of English football and have won 21 major titles since he was hired in 1986. During its remarkable history, many famous players have run out in the famous Manchester United shirt which can trace its roots back when Manchester United were called Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Football Club.
The famous strip, familiar to millions around the world today has come a long way since the club's early days in the late 1800s. In the Newton Heath days, the shirts were made up of yellow and green sections (1878 - 1892) with some additional colour schemes being used such as a red and white shirt (1892-1894) coupled with blue shorts. There was also a brief period where a white shirt with a red sash was deployed. This all changed in 1902 when the club changed its name to Manchester United. At this point the club radically altered the kit colours to red shirts, white shorts and black socks. This colour scheme has been the basis of the home kit ever since.
The away strip is white jerseys, black shorts and white socks however different looks to this strip have existed. The most notorious of these was the all-grey strip used in the 1995-1996 season. Bizarrely, Manchester United did not win a single game when wearing this strip, the players claiming that passes were going astray because it was too hard to see their team-mates! The Manchester United Third Strip is all-blue out of respect to the kit used in the 1968 European Cup triumph.
The Manchester United shirt worn for home games today is red with a white stripe running down the back. A patch with the words "The Red Devils" on an image of the team's devil mascot is sewn on the bottom-left of the shirt. The club logo is on a red shield on the left breast. The emblem has been altered through the years but takes its inspiration from the crest of the City of Manchester. The "Red Devil" was added in the 1960s after Matt Busby heard the nickname being used by a local rugby club. The away shirt in use today is white with blue piping at the edges. It has red trim on the neck and the club emblem is on a white background on the left breast.
I hope this article has provided an interesting snapshot into the history of the Manchester United Shirt, and if your million dollar question on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" is "What was the first name Manchester United F.C. were known by?", you won't need to use a lifeline!
