Why Football Teams Began Wearing Numbers

Early footballers did not need a number on their back to tell spectators who they were. As crowds grew and match programmes became more common, however, identifying individual players became increasingly useful. Numbered shirts appeared in English football during the early twentieth century and became widely established in the Football League in 1939. The traditional numbering system reflected positions: number one for the goalkeeper, and other numbers associated with defenders, midfielders and forwards. Later, squad numbers and players' names transformed the shirt into a personal identifier as well as team clothing. The history of numbering tells a larger story about football becoming easier to follow from the stands, in newspapers and eventually on television.