NIFG

Graphics of every Northern Ireland goalkeeper jersey... 1908-1971 1908 (colour tbc) 1914 (colours tbc) 1920 (colours tbc) 1921 (colour tbc) 1922-1931 (colour tbc) 1931-1951 1951-1957 1957-1967 1967-1971 1972-1977 (Umbro) 1972-1976 1974-1975 1976-1977 1977-1990 (Adidas) 1977-1982 1980-1981 1982 1984-1986 1984-1985 1986-1990 1986 1989-1990 - 1990-1994 (Umbro) 1990-1994 1992-1993 1992-1994 1994 1993-1994 - 1994-1998 (Asics) 1994-1995 1995-1996 1995-1996 1996-1998 1996-1998 (unkworn) - 1998-1999 (Olympic Sports) 1998-1999 - - 1999-2004 (Patrick) 1999-2001 2002-2004 2002-2004 2002-2004 2004 - 2004-2012 (Umbro) 2004-2007 2004-2006

They say that goalkeepers are a bit different… but that wasn’t always the case! While nowadays the custodian stands out from their teammates by virtue of a bright orange/yellow/pink kit, in the early days it was the norm for ‘keepers to don the same jersey as their outfield colleagues. While some did take the field in  unique colours as early as 1891 , it was  1909 when the English  and Scottish Leagues finally decreed that a goalkeeper had to wear a distinct uniform so that they could be clearly identified during any goalmouth melee. In 1921 the International Football Association Board (IFAB) ruled that goalkeepers should wear deep-yellow jerseys in international matches. Domestic goalkeepers were limited to green, blue, red or white, a rule finally rescinded in the mid-1980s. Photos of Ireland in this era are scarce and, of course, exclusively black and white. The first obvious image of an Irish international keeper wearing a distinct colour comes from 1908, when Billy Scott can be s