The white jersey in the history of SD Eibar
After the presentation of the Retro line, we review the origin and evolution of the white jersey, a garment that for decades has accompanied the team as a second kit and is part of the club's visual memory.
The first football match in Eibar was played in 1914, and from then until the start of the Civil War in 1936, several teams represented the city, including Izarra, Unión Deportiva Eibarresa, and El Gallo. Of the three, El Gallo was the only one that used an entirely white kit as its primary uniform. In contrast, Izarra, with green and black colors, and UD Eibarresa, with a blue and red jersey, used white as their secondary kit, as shown in various images preserved in the photographic archive of the SD Eibar Foundation. Specifically, El Gallo and UD Eibarresa were the clubs that, starting in 1940, would drive the creation of the current SD Eibar.
The material difficulties of the time also explain the presence of white in many teams. Before the Civil War, numerous youth football teams participating in the Chanchazelay championship, as well as other short-lived clubs, used completely white kits due to the ease of obtaining them.
When SD Eibar was founded in 1940, the city was still dealing with the consequences of the Civil War. After seven months of siege, twenty-nine air bombings, and constant shelling from the surrounding hills, Eibar had been deeply affected. In that context of resource scarcity, the team played its first season in completely white kits.
The following year, the team adopted a kit similar to the red and white of other clubs in the area, and since 1943, the blue and claret colors became the definitive ones for the club, inherited from one of its founders, UD Eibarresa. Since then, and as a reminder of those early times, the white jersey remained as the usual second kit, combined with dark blue shorts and socks of the same color.
For decades, that was the reference when Eibar needed to change colors. At the end of the 1970s, a slight variation in the design appeared: the white jersey was adorned with narrow horizontal blue and claret stripes at chest level. With the arrival of sponsors in the 1982-83 season, the kits began to modernize, although white continued to be maintained as a classic alternative.
Over the years and with the evolution of sports design, especially since the late 20th century, small variations began to appear: blue and claret stripes on the sleeves, details on the back, or slightly more elaborate designs introduced by the brand Astore, which for years had maintained a very sober style in the kits.
By the 21st century, the presence of third kits became widespread. Green was one of the first colors to become established, to the point that in the 2001-02 season, with futvol.com as the sponsor, the team's second kit was not white but green. For several seasons, that green jersey was frequently used as an alternative, although the white one remained present at different times.
One of the most memorable designs came in the 2004-05 season when Astore introduced the green-and-white jersey with horizontal stripes. That kit, debuted during the campaign that nearly saw promotion to the First Division with José Luis Mendilibar as coach, became one of the most popular among fans and has had various iterations over the years.
In more recent times, the increasing commercialization of kits has led the club to have three different uniforms each season. In this context, colors such as yellow, orange, black, gray, or sky blue have appeared. However, for practical reasons, the white jersey has continued to be a regular presence, as it provides an effective alternative when the opponent uses dark colors similar to blue and red.
Among the kits most cherished by fans is the one used in the 2020-21 season. That white jersey with a blurred diagonal blue and red stripe was designed as a tribute to the defunct Juventud Deportiva Arrate, a club founded in 1948 and closely linked to sports in Eibar, especially handball. Its design and symbolism have made it one of the most memorable second kits in the club's recent history.
Thus, more than a century after the first football matches in the city, the white jersey continues to be part of the imagination of S.D. Eibar: a garment born out of necessity, preserved by tradition, and present, in various forms and designs, throughout the entire history of the blue and red team.