Swapping shirts at the end of the game

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Is this strictly a football thing? (And even in football less so more recently for reasons clear). Does it or did it ever catch on in other sports? I don't recall it ever being a thing in Rugby, but maybe they do something similar at the post-match joint dinners that I believe used to happen after test matches? Do cricketers swap sweaters?

[elguapo4]

It sometimes happens in Gaelic Football and Hurling

[jwdd27]

I think rugby players still do it, but it doesn't seem as big a thing in football anymore, or it's done behind the scenes. I was never a fan of a player wandering around in the opposition's shirt after the game - Brady, Stapleton and Rix at the 1979 Cup final were a low point

[jwdd27]

[tee rex]

That was a quiz question: "How many winners' medals did Stapleton collect in a Man Utd shirt?". Needs to be phrased carefully though. (The footage shows him wearing it as he climbs the steps).

I have a murky image in my head of a player seen on TV gesturing to an opponent before the final whistle - "can we swap shirts?". In fact there's a montage of shirt-swapping in there, just waiting to be compiled. And ranked, of course, these things must be ranked. Which teams' shirts were collected most enthusiastically by opponents? In 1982 the New Zealand team at the World Cup were tearing them off the Brazilians' backs.

[Satchmo Distel]

Ramsey stopped his players swapping shirts with Argentina in 1966. I don't think it would happen in an international final because of that trophy collection factor.

[caja-dglh]

Ramsey stopped his players swapping shirts with Argentina in 1966. I don't think it would happen in an international final because of that trophy collection factor.

but nowadays they could change their shirt at half-time, no? So they get a played in final shirt + momento.

[tee rex]

Does it or did it ever catch on in other sports? I don't recall it ever being a thing in Rugby ...

Very much a thing in rugby, back in the day (now, I wouldn't know). You saw it at the end of internationals quite often.

Example here, France v Scotland 1983:

Time for an OTF challenge. What is the lowest level of sports that you've seen shirts swapped, or done it yourself? I certainly never would have dared go home and tell my mum that I'd given away my only rugby shirt and now had a useless St Cake's shirt for her to wash instead. She'd have been furious ("But you weren't even in the bloody team!").

[Simon G]

I remember as a kid watch Grandstand and England had just played Scotland in the 5 nations (it was probably 1993). At the end, both Underwood brothers were interviewed and one was wearing a Scotland shirt and one and England shirt. I assumed (in my naivety) that they were brothers who played for different countries.

[G-Man]

For Stapleton, literally a dress rehearsal.

[Jah Womble]

It always looked a bit clunky, players lifting a trophy in the opposition's colours. (This happened to my lot after beating QPR in the 1982 FA Cup final.)

To the best of my knowledge, players don't do this on the pitch anymore.

[Simon G]

I imagine it stems from the online criticism some players received for swapping shirts at half-time once.