History of football scarves part 1 – from a simple accessory to a symbol of passion

Football scarves are an inseparable element of stadium culture, especially in football. They are not only practical protection against the cold, but above all a hallmark of the fans and a symbol of loyalty and belonging to the club.

Their history dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and the evolution of the scarf from a simple item of clothing into one of the most important stadium symbols reflects the development of the entire supporter movement.

Where did football scarves come from? Who was the first person to start wearing a scarf in their team's colours? How did they make their way onto Polish stadiums? Here is the story of an item that, over time, became one of the most recognisable symbols of football fandom.

The beginnings of football scarves

The history of football scarves begins in Great Britain, where football gained mass popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

With the growth of clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton, supporters began looking for ways to stand out and show support for their team. Club colours, often inspired by local traditions, crests or university colours, became a fundamental element of identification.

Scarves were a common item of clothing during that period, so they were naturally adopted by football fans.

The first football scarves

Early football scarves, appearing in England even before the First World War, were very simple. Most often they were single-coloured or had stripes made in the club's colours.

Many of them were made by hand. The scarves were crafted by family members of the supporters – often mums and grandmas.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the so-called... striped pyjamas, meaning two-coloured scarves with alternating stripes. Over time, they became one of the most characteristic elements of British terraces.

There is no definitive evidence to indicate which club was the first to introduce scarves in its colours. However, fans of teams from London, Manchester and Liverpool are considered the pioneers.

From handmade scarves to larger-scale production

Initially, the production of scarves was primarily amateur, which is why their availability remained limited.

The situation began to change after the Second World War. In the 1950s and 1960s, clubs and companies began to realise the commercial potential of club merchandise.

The development of larger-scale production allowed for the standardisation of designs and increased the availability of scarves. Custom football scarves began to reach a growing number of fans, cementing their position in stadiums.

Over time, the scarf ceased to be merely an item protecting against the cold. It became primarily a carrier of club colours and a symbol of a fan's belonging to their team.

Football fan scarves in Poland

The history of Polish football fans is closely linked to the development of football itself.

Polish football was born in Lwów, where the first exhibition match was played in 1894. Interest in football grew slowly at first. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the first football clubs began to emerge.

From the very beginning, matches were accompanied by spectators and fans, and as the clubs developed, the number of people appearing in stadiums also increased.

Fans in Polish stadiums before World War II

Before the Second World War, the number of fans was much smaller than it is today. The average attendance was around 3,000 people.

Tickets were expensive, and the stands were dominated by gentlemen dressed in suits. However, this does not mean that the audience at the time was always well-behaved.

There were riots and disturbances at the stadiums, during which people were injured and even killed. The police were not always able to get the situation under control. There were even matches during which the referee carried a personal defence pistol.

Even back then, fans at matches were capable of very strongly expressing their attachment to the team, as well as their national and political views.

The development of the football fan movement after the Second World War

After the Second World War, the communist authorities recognised football as a mass sport. Tickets were cheap or given away to workers, as a result of which attendances at stadiums began to rise.

However organised Polish fan culture it only began to develop in the early 1970s.

This was the period of the Polish People's Republic, when Poland remained behind the Iron Curtain and access to Western culture was limited.

So where did Polish fans get their inspiration from?

One of the important factors was the development of television. Broadcasts of foreign cup matches allowed viewers to observe the style of supporting characteristic of English stadiums.

1971 – the beginnings of the organised football fan movement

All the evidence suggests that the pioneers of the football scarf movement appeared simultaneously around 1971 in four cities:

Łódź, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Bytom.

It was precisely in these centres that the first well-organised football fan groups began to develop.

ŁKS Łódź fans

At that time, ŁKS had one of the strongest fan groups. From the spring of 1971, the fans provided passionate vocal support and took part in their team's away matches.

Organising doping and regular away trips were becoming an increasingly important element of supporter activity.

Legia Warsaw and Feyenoord fans

An interesting event was the arrival in Warsaw of organised Feyenoord fans in 1970.

Dutch fans had club scarves, flags and led vocal and energetic support.

Their way of supporting the team made a big impression on Legia's fans. Fascinated by the Dutch style, the fans from Warsaw began organising their own chanting from the following season.

Lechia Gdańsk fans

In 1971, Lechia Gdańsk fans were already travelling to away matches in organised groups and loudly cheering on their team at their home stadium.

It was a strong and numerous group, some of whose participants had experience of the December clashes with the milicia on the streets of the Tricity.

Polonia Bytom fans

Polonia Bytom fans were also among the pioneers of the organised movement.

In the spring of 1971 they appeared in Zabrze as a well-organised group. They led the chanting and had flags and scarves.

First flags and headscarves, then scarves

Interestingly, the scarf was not immediately a basic accessory of the Polish football fan.

Initially, particular importance was attached flags, scarves and caps. It was they who accompanied the first organised groups and were important symbols of club affiliation.

It was only in the mid-1970s that the first appeared in Polish stadiums football scarves.

The supporter movement subsequently developed rapidly in other cities, and the scarf gradually became one of the most characteristic elements of Polish stands.

From the striped jersey to the modern club scarf

The first scarves were simple. Club colours and characteristic stripes were enough for a supporter to show which team they identified with.

That is precisely why the classic hooped scarves to this day they remain one of the most characteristic patterns associated with stadium culture.

However, the technology used to make them has changed. Contemporary custom scarf production gives clubs and supporter groups significantly greater opportunities to prepare individual designs than in the early period of the supporter movement.

Despite these changes, the scarf's primary function has remained the same: it continues to be a way of showing colours, attachment to a club and belonging to a specific community.