Squad number
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In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, or uniform number is the number worn on a player's outfit. The number is typically displayed on the rear of the jersey, often accompanied by the surname, and sometimes it is displayed on the front also. It is used to identify the player to officials, other players, and official scorers; in some sports, it is also indicative of the player's position.
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[edit] Football (soccer)
In football (soccer), the first advent of players wearing numbered shirts came on 25 August 1928, when Arsenal and Chelsea wore numbered shirts in their matches against The Wednesday (renamed Sheffield Wednesday soon after) and Swansea Town, respectively. After a number of experiments with the system - which met with opposition on the basis that numbers on shirts would "spoil club colours", it was decided to make them a permanent feature. The eleven players starting a match would wear shirts numbered from one to eleven, and a player could find himself wearing a range of different numbers over the course of a season.
Although there were no hard and fast rules as to which number represented which position (especially given football's varied formations), a de facto standard emerged over time and was employed by most teams, with few exceptions:
- Goalkeepers generally wore the number 1 shirt. This convention has become almost universal.
- Defenders generally wore numbers between 2 and 6.
- Midfielders most commonly wore numbers 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 (11 and 7 were typically used for the left and right wings, respectively).
- Strikers wore 9 and 10, and less commonly 7, 8 and 11.
- When substitutions were introduced to the game in the 1965, the substitute typically took the number 12; when a second substitute was allowed, they wore 14. Players were not compelled to wear the number 13 if they were superstitious.
The move to a fixed number being assigned to each player in a squad was initiated for the 1954 World Cup where each man in a country's 22-man squad wore a specific number for the duration of the tournament. As a result, the numbers 12 to 22 were assigned to different squad players, with no resemblance to their on-field positions. This meant that a team could start a match not necessarily fielding players wearing numbers one to eleven. Although the numbers one to eleven tended to be given to those players deemed to be the "first choice line-up", this was not always the case for a variety of reasons - a famous example was Johan Cruyff, who insisted on wearing the number 14 shirt.
Argentina defied conventions by numbering their squads for the 1978 and 1982 World Cups alphabetically, resulting in outfield players (not goalkeepers) wearing the number 1 shirt. More recently tournament regulations have stated number 1 must be issued to a goalkeeper.
The first European football association to introduce this squad numbering system for league football was England, which introduced squad numbers (and names printed above the numbers) for the 1993 English League Cup final between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. It became standard in the FA Premier League the following season, and most European top leagues adopted the system over the next five years. Players may now wear any number (as long as it is unique within their squad) between 1 and 99. In 2003, FC Porto goalkeeper Vítor Baía became the first player to wear 99 in the final of a major European competition.
Hicham Zerouali was allowed to wear the number 0 for Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen F.C. after the fans nicknamed him "Zero".
Players are not generally allowed to change their number during a season, although a player may end up with a new number if he changes clubs mid-season and his new club already has a player wearing the number he wore with his former club. Players may change numbers between seasons - a move from a high number to a number in the range one to eleven may be seen as an indication that the club thinks the player is likely to be a regular starter for the coming season.
The typical numbering given above comes from the days when the 2-3-5 formation was used. With the convention of numbering from the back forwards and from right to left across each line the numbering is:
1. Goalkeeeper 2. Right full back (right back) 3. Left full back (left back) 4. Right half back (right half) 5. Centre half back (centre half) 6. Left half back (left half) 7. Outside right (right winger) 8. Inside right 9. Centre Forward 10. Inside left 11. Outside left (left winger)
Early evolutions of formations involved moving specific positions, e.g. moving the centre half back to become a defender rather than a half back. Their numbers went with them, hence central defenders wearing number 5. You can still see the effects of this system in operation. For example, in friendly and championship qualifying matches England, when playing the 4-4-2 formation, general number their players (using the standard right to left system of listing football teams) 4 defenders - 2,5,6,3; 4 midfielders - 7,4,8,11; 2 forwards - 9,10. Similarly the Swedish national team number their players:
1. Goalkeeeper 2. Right back 3. Right centre back 4. Left cenre back 5. Left back 6. Defensive midfield 7. Right midfield 8. Centre midfield 9. Left midfield 10. Striker 11. Striker
[edit] Shirts of special significance
Over the years certain shirt numbers have developed a significance for a football club or national team. This is usually because it was the number of a particularly great player, and it is considered an honour to wear the same shirt that that player wore. (This is a different approach to the practice of retiring numbers.) A prominent example of this is the number 7 shirt at Manchester United, worn by George Best, Bryan Robson, Éric Cantona, David Beckham and, now, Cristiano Ronaldo [1]
[edit] American football
[edit] NFL
A system of assignment of jersey numbers was initiated in American football's NFL in 1952[2]; it was updated and made more rigid in 1973[3]. Numbers are always worn on the front and back of a player's jersey, and so-called "TV numbers" are worn on the sleeve or shoulder. Many uniforms also feature numbers either on the front, back, or sides of the helmet (in pro football, these were most famously worn on the San Diego Chargers "powder-blue" uniforms). Players have often asked the NFL for an exception to the rule. In 2006, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush who wanted to keep the number 5 he wore in college. His request was declined, and he was assigned number 25 by the team. [4]
Below is the numbering system established by the NFL, and in place since 1973[5]:
- Numbers 1 to 19 are worn by quarterbacks, kickers, and punters.
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- Since 2004[6], Wide receivers are also allowed to wear numbers between 10 and 19 if they so choose, even if there's an 80-89 number available.
- Numbers 20 to 49 are worn by running backs, tight ends (when an 80-89 number is unavailable), cornerbacks and safeties.
- Numbers 50 to 59 are worn by linebackers and offensive linemen.
- Numbers 60 to 79 are worn by members of both the offensive line (the tackles, guards and centers) and defensive line (the defensive ends, defensive tackles and nose guard).
- Numbers 80 to 89 are worn by wide receivers and tight ends.
- Numbers 90 to 99 are worn by linebackers and defensive linemen.
- Numbers 0 and 00 are no longer used, though they were issued in the NFL before the number standardization in 1973. George Plimpton famously wore 0 during a brief stint at quarterback for the Detroit Lions. Jim Otto wore number "00" ("aught-oh") during most of his career with the Oakland Raiders. Wide receiver Ken Burrough of the Houston Oilers also wore "00" during his NFL career in the 1970s.
It should be noted that this NFL numbering system is based on a player's primary position. Any player wearing any number may play at any position on the field at any time (though players wearing numbers 50-79 must let the referee know that they are playing out of position by reporting as an "ineligible number in an eligible position"). It is not uncommon for running backs to line up at wide receiver on certain plays, or to have a large lineman play at fullback or tight end in short yardage situations. Also, in preseason games, when teams have expanded rosters, players may wear numbers that are outside of the above rules. When the final 53-player roster is established, they are reissued numbers within the above guidelines.
This numbering system originated in football's past; under the original somewhat informal system, the backs were numbered 1-4, and the line 5-8. Quarterbacks (1-back) was given 10's, halfbacks (2-backs or 3-backs) in the 20's & 30's, fullbacks (4-backs) in the 40's, centers in the 50's, guards in the 60's, tackles in the 70's, and ends in the 80's.
[edit] NCAA and High School
In college football, a less rigid numbering system is employed. The only rule is that members of the offensive line (centers, guards, and tackles) that play in ineligible positions must wear numbers between 50-79. Informally, certain conventions still hold, and players often wear numbers in the ranges similar to their NFL counterparts; though the lowest numbers are often the highest prestige, and thus are often worn by players at any position. Kickers and punters are frequently numbered in the 40's or 90's, which are the least in-demand numbers on a college roster. The increased flexibility in numbering of NCAA rosters is needed since NCAA rules allow 85-player rosters; thus teams would frequently exhaust the availible numbers for a position under the NFL rules.
Individual schools often have superstitions or traditions involving certain numbers. It may be a great honor to be given the number "1" uniform, for example. Perhaps most famously, Syracuse University historically reserves number "44" for its best running backs, including Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and Floyd Little[7].
On high school and other lower youth teams, jerseys with different number ranges are different sizes, and since many of these teams don't reorder jerseys every year, players are often assigned numbers based more on jerseys that fit them rather than specifc position (though the rules on numbering the offensive line still apply).
[edit] Rugby codes
- See main articles: Rugby union positions and Rugby league positions.
When included in the starting lineup, a player's rugby shirt number determines their position rigidly in both codes of the game (except in the Super League, which uses unique squad numbering in the same way as the soccer examples cited above). Indeed rugby union has a position named simply for the shirt worn by that player, the "Number 8".
[edit] Cricket
Cricket introduced player numbering for the Cricket World Cup in 1999, where the captains wore the number 1 jersey and the rest of the squad was numbered between 2 and 14. The rules have since been relaxed to allow any player to wear a number between 1 and 99 in one-day cricket and other short forms of the game.
In Test cricket, a player making his debut is given a number along with his Test cap. The number is in the order a player makes his Test debut. If two or more players make their debut in the same match, they are given numbers alphabetically based on surname. For example, Thomas Armitage is Test player #1 for England. He made his debut in the very first Test Match, against Australia, on March 15, 1877, and was first in alphabetical order amongst that England XI. Jon Lewis is the most recent debutant for England, making his debut on June 2, 2006 against Sri Lanka. He is Test player #634 for England. This number can be found on a player's Test uniform, but it is usually in small type on the front, rather than displayed prominently on his back.
[edit] Basketball
American basketball leagues at all levels traditionally use single and double digits between 0 and 5 (i.e. 0, 00, 1-5, 10-15, 20-25, 30-35, 40-45, and 50-55), and many high school and college level leagues mandate that only these numbers be used. This eases non-verbal communication between referees and the official scorer. The National Basketball Association has always allowed other numbers between 0 and 99, but numbers outside the traditional ranges are somewhat unusual. Customarily, especially at high school and lower levels, uniform numbers are higher on physically larger uniforms, so centers and power forwards, typically the tallest players on their teams, tend to wear higher uniform numbers, but this is by no means an infallible rule. Players in FIBA-sanctioned contests, including the Olympic Games wear numbers between 4 and 15, inclusive.
[edit] Baseball
At one time, a baseball player's number was specifically related to his place in the batting lineup. The regular starting eight wore numbers 1 through 8, while the backup catcher wore number 9. Starting pitchers generally took numbers 10, 11, 12, and 14, (avoiding the superstitious #13, although some pitchers tried it, perhaps most notably the star-crossed pitcher Ralph Branca), while reserve pitchers and position players took the remaining numbers, 15 through 26.
Even to this day, low numbers are generally associated with being an everyday player, and many players try to get one, no matter what it is. This is also due to the fact that in Spring Training, minor league players unlikely to make the roster are usually given very high numbers, and many players feel that the higher the number, the less likely you are to make the team after Spring Training.
Other players have become attached to a specific number, for whatever reason (including superstition), try to acquire it as they go from club to club, sometimes needing to "bribe" the number's current owner on his new team. Sometimes they will use a variant. Carlton Fisk wore number 27 when he was a catcher with the Boston Red Sox, and upon being traded to the Chicago White Sox, switched his number to the highly-unusual baseball uniform number 72.
Lou Gehrig was the first player in Major League Baseball to have his number, 4, retired.
[edit] Ice hockey
Ice hockey does not have any formalized uniform numbering rules, but traditionally, number 1 and any number in the 30's are reserved for goaltenders. A quick view of any NHL roster shows that almost invariably, this rule holds. There are some notable exceptions: The retired Dale Hunter, a skater, wore #32; current goaltender Kevin Weekes wears #88. Unlike other sports, where low numbers are coveted as being in higher demand, hockey numbers tend to run the entire range from 1-99; players pick their own favorites for any number of reasons.
[edit] Auto Racing
In most auto racing leagues, cars are assigned numbers. The configuration of stock cars, however, makes the numbers much more prominent. (Aerodynamic open-wheel cars don't have nearly the amount of flat surface that a stock car has). Numbers are often synonymous with the drivers that carry them. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. will always be #3 in the hearts of his fans; Richard Petty is forever associated with #43.
In NASCAR, numbers are assigned to owners and not specific drivers. Drivers that spend a long time on a single race team often keep their numbers as long as they drive for the same owners. When drivers change teams, however, they take a new number that is owned by that team. Jeff Burton, for example, has raced for 3 different teams, and had 4 different numbers in that time. In 1994 and 1995 he raced the #8 car, then owned by the Stavola Brothers. From 1996 to mid 2004 he raced for Roush Racing, and drove the #99 car. After leaving Roush Racing for Richard Childress Racing, he changed to car #30 (for the rest of the 2004 season) and now races #31 (also an RCR car). The #99 car he used to drive for Roush is now driven by Carl Edwards.
Formula One car numbers are assigned to constructors sequentially according to their position in the previous season's Constructors' Championship. As constructors are limited to two cars, this means the top-placed team gets numbers 1 and 2, second-placed 3 and 4, and so on (skipping 13 with the seventh-placed team using 14 and 15). The only stipulation is that the World Drivers' Champion is entitled to the number 1 car regardless of the constructor's results; this is relevant when the winning driver's team failed to win the Constructors Championship, or if the winning driver changes teams after winning the championship (for example, when Damon Hill moved to the Arrows team for the 1996 season).
[edit] Other sports
Other sports which feature players with numbered shirts, but where the number that may be worn is not relevant to the player's position and role are:
[edit] Retired numbers
Retiring a player's number is an award bestowed on a successful player, usually after the player has left the team or quit the game. It honors a player who has meant so much to his team that he has "given it the shirt off his back." Their club or franchise will retire the shirt number that the player wore during their time there, meaning no other player is permitted to use that number in the future.
It is also a common practice for teams to take certain numbers out of circulation without formally retiring them. However, it is generally understood in these cases that these numbers will not be worn again.
Although the practice originated in, and is still mostly restricted to US sports, some football (soccer) clubs have started doing this as squad numbers have become common. A.S. Roma, A.C. Milan, Napoli, Manchester City and Olympique Lyonnais have all recently retired shirt numbers. The international teams of Argentina and Cameroon attempted to retire the numbers of Diego Maradona and Marc-Vivien Foé respectively but were prevented from doing so by FIFA.
Jackie Robinson, the first African American player in Major League Baseball, had his number retired for every franchise (although those players who were wearing the number at the time were permitted to retain it for the duration of their careers — as of the 2006 season, Mariano Rivera is the only remaining active player wearing the number). In 1999 Wayne Gretzky's number 99 was likewise retired by the National Hockey League on his retirement from the game.
See also:
- Retired numbers in football (soccer)
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- List of the National Hockey League retired numbers
