I am sometimes asked why ruggers do wear horizontal stripes, while footballers wear vertical stripes... ?
My not-so-universal theory about it brings three facts on the table...
First, why stripes ? this is a very complex question, that have been discussed by French historian (and rugby-fan...)
Michel Pastoureau in a splendid book named "The Devil Cloth : a History of Stripes" (Columbia 2001)... it's just brilliant... and too rich or too complex to be sumerized here...it talks about jokers, musicians, fools, prisonners... and sportsmen... and why stripes used to be a symbol of exclusion or infamy in ancient times... it's an amazing analysis from one of the most reknown scientist in medieval history and heraldic history... just read it ! (here at Amazon in
French or in
English)
Second, as football code began to evolve into two different codes ("Football Rugby" and "Football Association") in the second part of the XIXth century, it was a natural thing for each "football familiy" to have adopted a differentiated kind of jersey... horizontal for Rugby vs vertical for Association... and plain colours for all !
Third, why horizontal stripes ? because as the Rugby code was spreading, newly created teams were certainly willing to follow their model, i.e. the colours of Rugby college... the place where it all begun !
Upper picture : "Famous English Football Players 1881" in Boys' Own Paper... you will recognize my header... (large pic
here)
Lower pictures : left is XIX century rugby kit at Rugby college (horizontal stripes...), right is an early XXth century Association postcard (vertical stripes...)
