The Supporters

In the approach roads to a football ground on a match day there are crowds of people and queues of traffic all converging on the ground. These are the football fans; most will be supporting the home team but many others will have travelled to support the visiting team.

They have become as important to the atmosphere and excitement of the game as the players themselves. Each will usually support their National team but their heart is with one particular club with which they identify completely.

Not always have the supporters felt the need to outwardly
advertise their loyalty by wearing team colours.

Careful study of old photographs of football crowds around the turn of the century reveal that about 90% of men wore cloth caps,8% wore bowlers and only 2% were women who also wore hats. On warm days some of the cap wearers preferred boaters.

1918-1939

In the inter-war period the wearing of the bowler hat began to decline to be replaced by the trilby, but the flat cap still predominated.

The more adventurous were now adorning themselves with rosettes and rattles as well as bright striped scarves in team colours. Suits with shirts, collars and ties remained the typical clothing.

After the Second World War, during the period of austerity, the only changes in dress were the demise of the bowler hat and the appearance of a much greater proportion of bare heads.

As the years passed it became much more fashionable for fans to adorn themselves with team-coloured hats, flags, badges and emblems as well as rosettes and scarves.