Heritage: A kit which represents an enduring legacy
Heritage: A kit which represents an enduring legacy
Athletic Club brings back one of its historic kits to our 125th anniversary
In collaboration with Castore, Athletic Club has released a very special kit to celebrate our 125th anniversary. Launched under the title 'Heritage', the kit represents an enduring legacy which is constantly being passed on from one generation of footballers and fans to the next. It's a strip which symbolises the pride of wearing the badge of a team whose sporting philosophy makes it unique in the world.
With a blue top and shorts, as well as red and white socks, the outfit reflects Athletic Club's century-old essence. The initial half-blue and half-white jersey, in the style of Blackburn Rovers, was our away strip for decades, but at the end of the 1960s, a change took place.
Technological advancements and the popularisation of television sets at home, meant monochrome kits became commonplace, as they made it easier to identify teams during broadcasts.
On 21 September 1969, Athletic Club wore an all-blue uniform for the first time in their visit to Granada FC at the old Los Carmenes stadium. From then on, until 1995, it was firmly established as the club's away kit. This was repeated between 1998 and 2003, as well as in 2008/09, 2013/14, 2017/18 and 2018/19
Periods in these colours accompany some of the high points in the club's history, such as in the first leg of the 1977 UEFA Cup final at Juventus FC's Stadio Comunale. More recently, in 2014, Athletic Club earned a spot in the Champions League with a victory at Vallecas while wearing all blue. For many it will bring back memories of the 94/95 UEFA Cup tie against Newcastle Utd at the old Cathedral.
Athletic players wore these colours in legendary stadiums that now no longer exist, such as Real Sociedad's Atotxa, Turin's Delle Alpi, the old Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, FC Twente's Het Dieckman Stadion, Logroñes' Las Gaunas, Lluís Sitjar in Mallorca and the Vicente Calderón.
It's a history that also extends to football temples that still exist such as Anfield, the new José Zorrilla - inaugurated in a match against Athletic dressed in blue - the Lerkendal stadium in Trondheim, the Maurice Dufrasne in Liege - where we achieved our biggest away victory in Europe- Mestalla, the Metropolitano, El Molinón, The Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, El Sadar, the Sánchez Pizjuán and Charlton's The Valley.
As well as the outfield players, Athletic goalkeepers have also chosen blue on numerous occasions. Many of these kits, both outfield and goalkeepers', can be seen at the Athletic Club Museum.
Between 2001 and 2004, late president Javier Uria came up with the idea of making Bilbao Athletic play entirely in blue as a symbol of the effort and work required to achieve the first team's red-and-white jersey.
All of this connects with Athletic Club's historic legacy and with its constant commitment to look to the future. This is what inspired Athletic and Castore to use this design for the '125 Heritage Kit'.