On 21 November 1885 a group of young men from the parish of St Mary's in Southampton played their first match and laid the foundations of a club that today celebrates 141 years. Southampton did not begin as a professional outfit or a works team, but as an activity of a church young men's association. That is where its nickname comes from, and its first kit too. Let's see how a white top with a red sash became one of the most recognisable striped shirts in England.

A young men's meeting and a 5-1 on Northlands Road

In early November 1885 members of the St Mary's Church Young Men's Association met in the Grove Street schoolrooms, chaired by the curate Arthur Baron Sole. No minutes of that meeting survive, so the club's birthday is recorded as the date of its first match, 21 November. The team, named St. Mary's Y.M.A., beat Freemantle 5-1 on a pitch next to the County Ground. Charles Bromley scored three and A. A. Fry two. Several name changes followed until, in 1897, the club became a company and kept simply the name Southampton F.C.

From the sash to red and white stripes

The first players wore white tops with a red sash across the chest, white shorts and black socks. Old photographs show that everyone wore the sash as he pleased, sometimes from the right shoulder and sometimes from the left. Around 1889 red and white quartered shirts appeared, and a little later halved ones. Vertical stripes arrived around 1896, when the club began paying professionals. Shorts were navy until 1950, when black took their place. In 2010, for the 125th anniversary, the team wore a shirt inspired by the original 1885 kit.

A shirt that travelled to Madrid

One story links Southampton with Spanish football. In 1909 a representative of Athletic Bilbao, looking for shirts for his own club and its "sister" side in Madrid, bought red and white Southampton shirts. According to this account, that explains the shared stripes of Bilbao and Atlético Madrid. Back in Southampton, the shirt passed through many makers, including Admiral, Hummel, Umbro and Adidas, while the first chest sponsor, Rank Xerox, appeared in 1980.

The Saints and the halo on the badge

The nickname The Saints recalls the club's church origins. For decades the club used the city's coat of arms, which was not worn on the shirts. In 1974 supporters were invited to a competition and the winner was Rolland Parris. His badge features a halo for the Saints, a scarf for the fans, a tree for the New Forest, water for the city's maritime tradition and Southampton's white rose. In the mid-1990s only the ball was changed, to protect the badge against counterfeits.

Wembley 1976: Bobby Stokes' year

Ted Bates took the team into the top flight in 1966, and Lawrie McMenemy, who arrived in 1973, delivered its greatest moment. In 1976, while playing in the Second Division, Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final, with a goal from Bobby Stokes. In 1984 they finished second in the league, behind only Liverpool. This shirt was worn by Terry Paine, who holds the record of 815 appearances, Mick Channon, the record scorer with 228 goals, and Kevin Keegan.

Le Tissier and the return to the church's neighbourhood

For a whole generation, Southampton means Matt Le Tissier. The forward from Guernsey turned down offers from bigger clubs and stayed loyal to the Saints. In 2001 he also scored the last goal at The Dell, the ground that had been the team's home for 103 years. The move to St Mary's Stadium was seen as a return to the roots, as the new ground stands near the church where the club was born.

Happy birthday to the Saints of the south coast. From the red sash of 1885 to today's stripes, their shirt carries a story worth remembering.

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Photo: St Mary's – Dan Kerins, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.