Some people love them, others gag at their sight, but it’s irrefutable that collared soccer jerseys grab people’s attention, and according to a poll made up of 65 GOLZ TV fans, we found that 57% of you like it when teams use collared jerseys. However, across the wider football fan spectrum, opinions are split. And that begs the question: why?

In this argument, there are usually two camps, one including people who value design, history, culture, and looks, while the other prefers efficiency and improving on-field performance.

The history of collared jerseys goes all the way back to the beginning of soccer, when team uniforms were simple shirts and trousers. These shirts had collars, which not only was the standard for clothing at the time but also showed that the players had some sort of class. 

However, a little more than a half-century later, synthetic fabrics broke into football, and suddenly, teams began to move away from the old way of suiting up and instead integrated with a newer design. The further advances in the development of synthetic material have led to a constant increase in performance-driven jerseys, alongside more bold designs that help teams stand out. 

In recent years, we’ve seen a few clubs, such as Everton, Manchester United, and AC Milan, adopt their bold designs with a collar to pay homage to the old way of designing football jerseys, and while their respective fanbases have enjoyed them, others have claimed that those kits have a negative impact on performance.

My personal take? Football is about winning, but something as trivial as a collar on a jersey, even if it does minimally impact performance, shouldn’t be excluded in the name of performance when the materials used are still things like synthetic fabrics; the collared jerseys of today are much better than the ones from the past. 

In terms of style, I am in the camp that believes that they look absolutely amazing. When done right, they can combine the classiness of older kits with a modern design. Everton’s 23/24 kit by Hummel is an incredible example with the iconic Everton blue with white complementary colors. 

However, I am also aware that any design that is overused will eventually become stale. Collared jerseys shouldn’t be made for each team every season. At the end of the day, the decision comes to the jersey manufacturers, especially those like Hummel and Castore who are finding a way to compete with the big dogs like Nike and Adidas. I wouldn’t be surprised if more teams turn to the smaller brands who are willing to change things up and deliver products that aren’t bland and are tailored to the fans and the culture of clubs around the world.