Sportswear - When Hooligans Ruled the Terraces
Posted by Retro Star London on 26th May 2023
Football hasn’t always been the family affair, it is today.
In the 80’s and 90’s the newspaper headlines screamed about the Hooligans, Thugs and Firms that set out each Saturday to cause mayhem on the terraces, around the stadiums and sometimes on the journey to and from the grounds.
The terraces were mostly standing room only in those days and a small minority of the supporters had a sport of their own, hunting down and beating up opposition supporters.
For most supporters, the violence in football was abhorrent, and eventually the Government stepped in and made the grounds seating only. This was to curb the thugs and to avoid tragedies like the Hillsborough disaster, when in April 1989 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives.
What has this to do with Retro sportswear?
The Hooligans who formed themselves into groups sometimes known as firms, favoured certain brands, usually from Italy and were also known as Casuals.
Most of these brands still survive and have shaken off their dark history.
There are three brands that stand out:
Fila: Was established in Italy in 1911 and began making sportswear in the 1970s and 80s. The look of their sportswear and logo revolutionized the sportswear industry. The brand's logo and Italian style caught the eye of athletes and British youth subcultures like the Casuals. Legends like Björn Borg elevated the brand's status and propelled it into the sportswear mainstream.
Ellesse: Ellesse emerged from Italy in the 1950s as a brand that combined functionality with street fashion appeal. The brand was one of the first to put a logo on the outside of its clothing. The Ellesse logo was created from the image of a tennis ball and the shape of the tips of a pair of skis.
Sergio Tacchini: Sergio Tacchini was founded by the Italian tennis player Sergio Tacchini in 1966. It gained recognition for its innovative sportswear collections and appealed to sports enthusiasts and casuals alike. Sergio Tacchini's track jackets with their bold panelling and logo are a must for most retro loving fans.
There is no doubt that Italian sportswear brands have rehabilitated themselves in the eyes of the British public, and are now a wardrobe staple of peace-loving terrace fans and the public alike.
A look back at tabloid headlines from the bad old days:
