The Unofficial Football World Championships has seen some shock results over the years, but this one – played out 30 years ago today – is up there with the best of them. Many football fans hadn’t even heard of the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago of San Serrife before its national side defeated the mighty Brazil. In fact, the country had been on the world football stage since 1922, but this was its first foray into the UFWC competition.
The differences of scale between the two nations was staggering. San Serrife had a population of just 1.8 million – more than a hundred times smaller than that of Brazil. Brazil, the reigning UFWC champions, lined up with the likes of Zico, Socrates, Oscar, Junior and Batista. San Serrife had no such star names to call upon, but an incredible display of teamwork took them to victory…
Why do Newcastle United play in black and white stripes? And did they really play in red and white? In the third (and last?) trawl through the club’s history, here’s a look at NUFC’s early kits. Previous posts covered the original grounds of NUFC, and the history of St James’ Park. Kit illustrations are courtesy of David Moor at the excellent Historical Football Kits.
There’s no record of the colours worn by Stanley FC, the original club that later became Newcastle United. But Stanley changed its name to East End in October 1882, and we know that from at least 1883 East End wore navy blue jerseys and white knickerbockers. So the club that became Newcastle United probably started out wearing blue and white.
For fashionistas, the long-sleeved jerseys were most likely fairly heavy knitted affairs, and knickerbockers were baggy knee-length trousers. Most teams wore solid colours, or ‘halved’ shirts, and few wore stripes, as they were too difficult to manufacture. Read more…
Last time out I visited the original grounds of the club that became Newcastle United. This time I had a traipse around and inside Newcastle’s home since 1892 – St James’ Park:
I’m biased, of course, but I reckon that this place is a bit special. Packed with believers and full of noise, illuminated by floodlights and bursting with passion, it’s a thrilling place to be on a matchday. But even empty and silent on a cold winter’s morning like this one, St James’ Park retains a special ambience and splendour that make it deserving of its place in the hearts of the Toon Army and at the heart of this great city.
St James’ Park, February 2011. Grounds staff use forks and grass lamps to repair the pitch.
I’ve been to St James’ hundreds of times, and I feel completely at home here, so much so that I think I probably take it for granted. I think a lot of us probably do. Unfortunately, the ongoing Sports Direct-sponsored desecration of the stadium has sullied the image of SJP in the eyes of many fans. But a wander around and inside the ground serves as a quick reminder of what a magnificent place it is. Read more…
Last week, I set out with photographer Paul J White to locate all four football grounds used by the club that became Newcastle United. This is what we found:
This is where it all started for Newcastle United, in a car park behind a tile warehouse, a couple of miles east of St James’ Park. We’re just off Walker Road, some say the A186, which runs east from Newcastle city centre, past Byker and St Peter’s. Back in the 1880s, this particular stretch of Walker Road, at the bottom of Raby Street, was known as Stanley Street. It was here, in November 1881, that Stanley FC was formed, a precursor of the club we now know as Newcastle United.
Former location of Stanley FC football ground (1881), Raby Street, Byker
The football team was formed to give the players of Stanley Cricket Club something to do in the winter months. They played on open space behind a Methodist chapel. The chapel no longer exists, and the site is now occupied by St Peter’s Social Club. Next to the club is the tile warehouse, and behind that is the car park, which represents a best estimate of the location of the Stanley FC pitch. Read more…
