Do people in the UK wear football kits casually?

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Appropriate_Data4991@reddit

Yes, and doesn't have to be for your club. Cooler or more obscure the better. Ajax's Bob Marley kit is a good one.

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Wide-Challenge-4874@reddit

So your answer was probably a really good one.

People get really tribal over what team they support and you're not saying what part of London you were walking through. Wearing a football shirt in the main rival's area is akin to looking for a fight, so declaring you are an American innocent probably saved you a scrap.

Hopeful-Project5504@reddit

Yeah for sure. Easy mistake to make though, can't always tell from the outside.

You tried going for a night out in Leeds in a United shirt?

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icabod88@reddit

realistically, no matter where you are in the UK, you can wear whatever shirt you like.

paulmclaughlin@reddit

Just stand on your bar stool, the height'll get you part of the way through the disguise

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MrPogoUK@reddit

Frank Lampard used to go out clubbing wearing an England shirt with his name on the back, as this had the effect of making people think he was some bloke who happened to look quite like Frank Lampard trying way too hard to make people think it was really him, so they left him alone.

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Mediocre_Profile5576@reddit

That’s genius.

Tiny_Cauliflower_618@reddit

When I got together with my now husband, I knew (because we had been friends for years) that he'd never had a serious girlfriend, and he worked for a football club.

He was in full kit when I arrived (just got home), but phwoar, best clothing decision of his life as we are both quite awkward; we were meeting up to see if we had in-person spark, and my hormones basically saw them sexy shorts and deactivated my ankles. Fell into his arms, and the rest, as they say, is history.

They didn't have autism in his day, you know 😉

Generally I'm against recording people in public places for the entertainment of others, but in this case I would perhaps make an exception.

Got to love a full kit wanker

swhite99@reddit

Google Full Kit Wankers

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HydrochIoricAcid@reddit

Wearing just the football jersey is common but not if ur wearing the full kit

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I would vary rarely wear an actual football top to the game since becoming an adult - usually I'd wear a smart top in the right colour.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing a replica top to the games though. Outwith games it's fine on kids but strange for adults, IMO.

Is that a hangup from casual culture in the 80s and 90s? It was all Fred Perry and Burberry instead of football team merch.

I remember hearing people wearing team colours described as "scarfers" and they were seen as safe because they weren't a rival teams firm.

These days those groups seem to be evolving into ultras and all wear the same black puffa jackets so they can't be id'd. The rest of us seem happy enough wearing football colours on match days and even out and about. Though as an Aberdeen fan it's hard to wear with pride this season!

That’s because the 115 FC plastics can’t change teams at half time if they wear the shirt

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Imaginary_Hall_3413@reddit

I sense you’re trying to make a witty dig at city but I don’t understand most of that sentence

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statelyhovel@reddit

115 FC

A reference to the number of rule breaches they were charged with.

plastic

Fake, as in fake fans.

can’t change teams

Can't change the team they support.

at half time

A short break halfway through a football game.

if they wear the shirt

You're replying to my first comment in this thread, so I don't know how you think I "keep" saying anything?

It’s not just their family, it’s a lot of people. You go in the ‘proper’ drinking bars before and after the match (ie the ones where regulars go, not the famous ones like The Strawberry/Shearers) and not many people are wearing the shirt. If anything it would be a training top or one of the fancy jumpers with a more discreet design.

And that's bollocks about people not wearing them on a match day

Read the comment again. They said you don't see many people wearing them not on a match day. They're saying match day is when you would tend to see them.

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NoPalpitation9639@reddit

Yeah it's very much a north, South thing. In the south people wear their shirt to matches (usually younger people, don't think I've worn one since I was about 25 other than cup finals etc) or to the gym. Wearing a shirt just to go to Tesco or while sightseeing is far less common down here (although some still do it). The difference is really clear when you go to a Brit dominated holiday resort- I wouldn't dream of bringing a football top for anything other than running, whereas the northern lads seem to pack one for every day

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maxamus83@reddit

Nah it’s not a north south thing, it’s a team culture thing. Millwall and Chelsea for example you 100% won’t find many season ticket holders wearing shirts to games (tourists and day trippers are different).

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NoPalpitation9639@reddit

It's the same at Arsenal, most adults don't wear colours, I think maybe because of traditions from the casual culture (you still have scarfers and day trippers dressed up like they ram raided the club store). I think someone at Newcastle, Sunderland, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds etc wearing anything other than club colours would raise suspicion

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wizard_mitch@reddit

I hadn't really thought about but yeah, seeing people in football tops was something you would see most days and wouldn't bat an eye when I lived in the Midlands.

I now live in Cornwall and I pretty much never see anyone wearing football tops. It's more common to see people wearing f1 team tops.

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Trebus@reddit

Lots of adults who actually go to the match regular also avoid wearing them.

Aye, no-one that I know wore one matchday, although I don't know anyone that goes anymore. It's definitely changed, although football isn't really for the working class anymore, certainly not if your team is in the Prem.

I do think there's a point where grown men shouldn't be wearing them. They're for playing football in & for kids.

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Kadoomed@reddit

I disagree, to an extent. I think it depends on the club, your age and what kind of fan you are. There's also hang ups from the 80s and 90s casual culture that might feed into this.

Personally, I'm happy to wear shirts and a scarf on match days and would always pack a few shirts for holidays (usually a home, away and a national team). They're comfier to wear in hot climates than normal t-shirts and can lead to good conversations depending on the team you support.

Outwith those scenarios, I wear them at home when I'm chilling or don't have anything special on, nipping to the shops or gardening, afternoon pints outside or to a BBQ. I wouldn't wear them on a night out or to anything where I really cared about my appearance.

I will caveat that because I live in North East Scotland and there was a bit of a resurgence in wearing Aberdeen colours to show up against the Celtic and Rangers tops that are prominent across the region from families that have moved to the area for work or glory hunters. I don't think it's necessarily been successful and there's still a bit of a culture across Aberdeen fans of not displaying colours unless you're going to a game or playing football, but I think it's a good intention.

Also we've been lucky that we've had some really good shirt designs in recent years that make you want to wear them. Same with Scotland (the world cup away top is great). Plus they cost so much these days you need to get the use out of them!

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opopkl@reddit

The last time I was in a Spanish resort, lots of English men were shirtless and wearing football shorts and a bum bag. They looked like little kids, especially next to their sensibly dressed wives.

They put on vest tops when they were indoors, though, to show that they weren’t being totally disrespectful.

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Bum-Sniffer@reddit

You aren’t a proper Chelsea fan if you paid for and wear a Tottenham shirt, I don’t care which country you’re from. There are things you just don’t do.

I say this as a Spurs fan myself.

90% of the r/coys subreddit are American wouldn’t catch them doing something like that.

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AffectionateYou1021@reddit (OP)

Lol, started watching chelsea during 15-16 season and had to wake up at 7am to watch their games.

thickgenius@reddit

As an Oldham fan, I've basically just shut the fuck up since the 90s.

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MixPlus@reddit

Well at least your worst days are past you. I remember being shocked seeing both Oldham and Notts County in the National League in the 2022/23 season. You had to play my local side, Dorking Wanderers, who had been promoted there for just one year.

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thickgenius@reddit

We said that during the Torex days tho, and then that fat fuck Ashley.

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Thandoscovia@reddit

No, but you can certainly stop wearing the shirt in public

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FuzzyBreak5678@reddit

Septics and their permissive views on the support of sport teams (I have heard them call perfectly good football clubs a franchise).

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tucnakpingwin@reddit

Don’t bin it, just be mindful of where you wear certain team’s colours 😂 This is all banter by the way, us Brits (even those who hate football) love nothing more than complaining about the weather, and abusing people for wearing a football shirt for a team that’s in opposition to our own.

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Iwantedalbino@reddit

Assuming it applies to you, man law dictates you can’t change teams, the die is cast.

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UuusernameWith4Us@reddit

This was a few months ago

Justboy__@reddit

There’s no need to be like that pal. Some of my best friends know Spurs fans!

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but we were both born in 1995 😭

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Rush31@reddit

Did you not hear? His son IS Tottenham!

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HailToTheKingslayer@reddit

Explains their username?

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Odd-Accident-3287@reddit

I’m staying anonymous for a reason lol 😂

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CaptainYid@reddit

I'm Tottenham. My wife has been making similar jokes since we met.

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Competitive_Pen7192@reddit

Spurs is a reason why I've stopped following football.

Lost interest after the Champions League final as they didn't turn up (even Kane).

Manquillo sounds like it should be a haircut

You win

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phoebsmon@reddit

Ginola, please

Some of us are classy

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phoebsmon@reddit

It's genuinely happened a couple of times. There was one with a glittery crest covering half the skirt and a couple made out of old shirts iirc

I'm from rugby land, now live in Newcastle.

I've tried, but it's just not for me. Even friends I've had for years still look at me like I'm an alien when I, once again, repeat that I'm just not a fan.

Aromatic_Pea_4249@reddit

Wearing a Spurs top in London at the moment?

Were you standing outside the Emirates Stadium?

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People over here make it their entire personality.

They force their kids to support the same people they do from birth and disown people who dont support the same bunch of fairy's they do

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Verbal-Gerbil@reddit

There’s a trend recently of football tops but not teams. Easter heroes does cool techno themed ones

It feels like they’re less common as casual wear. These days I pretty much only see them on match days

And by kits, I assume we’re talking the top only, because I haven’t seen anyone in a full kit since I was about 8

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Racing_Fox@reddit

Yes, all the time

Though I find the material makes me sweat so I stick to other club shirts instead

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iamnosuperman123@reddit

Retro tops are in.

BumblebeeNo6356@reddit

Could the person have heard your accent and then been genuinely curious about why an American was wearing an English teams shirt?

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william_h_bonney_@reddit

They should only be sold in the sizes that fit professionals. Bigger than a large? Not for you.

Also, stop wearing replica kit the moment your club has a first team player younger than you.

I think it can be seen as a slightly juvinile thing to wear casually? At least something that kids/teens are more likely to wear than adults. But nobody would slag you off for it, not likely even mates.

But plenty of people do it all the time, and its not at all uncommon.. It was a weird question to ask - as long as you werent wearing the full kit (and therby being a full-kit wanker.)

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Crepegamestrong@reddit

It's not considered cool to wear one anymore.

A lot of people have even stopped wearing them to matches they go to watch.

Used to be super common, but not anymore in recent years

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zorba-9@reddit

I have seen loads of people on holiday wearing some of the biggest XXL Rangers/ Celtic tops that could fit 3 players in, they waddle about in 30-40 degree heat with a bottle of beer, they love their fitbaw taps, but being a sports kit, it looks kind of a juxtaposition?

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gilestowler@reddit

I used to work in an open plan office. There was no dress code, and people wore casual clothes. There was this one got all was obnoxiously loud. He was the office "wacky guy." he was very annoying. He seemed desperate to prove what a "lad" he was, and he'd sometimes wear full on football kits into work.

He had that way of talking like Johnny Vaughan used to, as though he found everything incredibly ironic. I remember once after work he went to a nearby pub, got drunk, stole a traffic cone and brought it back to the office. He'd then bellow through it several times a day.

The funny thing about him trying to be a "lad" and wearing these football kits was that he looked like a cross between Postman Lat and Darryl from Peep Show.

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Feisty-Lifeguard-550@reddit

Probably be an Arsenal or Chelsea fan winding you up , yeah people wear the tops , not the whole kit 🤣

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GeneralSEOD@reddit

Very common here, my dads always switched between Celtic/Scotland whenever they're there.

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deathschemist@reddit

yeah, but you kinda gotta be careful where you're wearing the shirt. your answer was good because if you were wearing that shirt in a heavily arsenal-leaning area, that's akin to looking for a fight.

IcyAttitude5247@reddit

Newcastle yes, most teams no

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gunbunny23@reddit

My partner's wardrobe is about 40% football shirts. His team has brought out so many new items in the last year or so it's getting beyond a joke, thankfully some of it does look like bog standard tee's

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Admirable-Dark2934@reddit

The bigger thing is wearing it in the wrong location. Our fans don’t necessarily get a long, to the right person you would be putting a target on your back by showing support to a different club.

And yea shirt is okay in most places during the day, but if you’re pulling your socks up and wearing the shorts too, you will get get abuse for being a full kit w* unless on a field with a football.

Sadly, yes they do

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blu_rhubarb@reddit

It's more common here than it is in the US.

Did they ask why you were wearing a football shirt, or why are you wearing that? If it was phrased more like the latter, it's likely just a dig at it being a Spurs shirt.

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messedup73@reddit

My husband wears his Celtic F.C tops all the time in England but when we go up to Scotland we find most pubs say no football colours.It seems fine if we go to watch a match but due to old religion arguments in Scotland its rare to see adults wearing tops.I buy him new tops every year hes got a collection now.

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Istoilleambreakdowns@reddit

"No football colours" in practice in Scotland can also mean no Boston Celtics or GAA tops in quite a few pubs.

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RoyalCultural@reddit

Yes it's fine although can be controversial in places like Glasgow or Northern Ireland if it's a Celtic or Rangers kit. That kind of caper can get your head kicked in.

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Aprilprinces@reddit

Spurs shirt, mate - he was worried about you

no. Normal ppl don't wear football kits casually.

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rhaeofsunlight@reddit

Tends to be nits and gammons where i'm from who wear it.

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PhdLevelWeeb@reddit

i've seen plenty of people douing it and i'm not a football fan but some of the tops look cool.

I really want to see more people wearing the Sheffield F.C kit. give a bit of love to the worlds oldest football club! (and sadly mostly forgotten)

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FPL_Clown@reddit

Asking you is the unusual thing. It’s totally normal. Although at 42 I wouldn’t wear one outside of going to a match/parade.

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Jayaybee16@reddit

I wear my team logo socks, pants and wear my team shirt on matchdays along with logo trainers from the club website even though I'm not going to match. Primarily it supports my team, brings excitement to the kick off and game, and secondarily it lets my fiance know they are playing and I will be watching them at home or somewhere. It is my way of supporting my team. I don't go the full strip with shorts and long socks lol, I'm 57 after all, but will wear team baseball cap to top it off.

I would not go out wearing team colours any other day and certainly not to dinner

I would wear them at gym or badminton etc

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NLFG@reddit

Generally, no.

Personally, it's because they're sweaty and for the gym.

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Kent_Tog@reddit

It's a good way to give someone an excuse to punch you in the face. Lots of people wear football shirts to actual matches but wearing them out is a bit crass and usually reserved for chavs.

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No_Story5313@reddit

As a man in his 40s...

with Fernandes 8 on the back (I assume it was his wife)

as a teenager, sure, go for it. as an full grown man, keep it to game days & special events.

rugby jerseys tend to be more acceptable, as they're often more nondescript

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datguysadz@reddit

I used to wear football shirts casually when I was a child. I wore one to my secondary school disco when I was about 13 and realised this was the time to stop. Never full kits though, unless I was literally playing football.

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