Wolves football tops wanted as ‘They Wore The Shirt’ book makes a comeback
Wolves fans are being asked to check their cupboards, lofts and storage units for old football tops that could star in the return of a hugely successful book that is promising to raise another £20,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH).
Lifelong supporter Steve Plant is looking to follow-up last year’s ‘They Wore The Shirt’ publication by producing a second volume to include 60 new pages and a first look at next season’s shirts.
Only 2020 copies are set to be available, whilst there will be a new chapter included to focus on the remarkable three years since Fosun took over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016.
Supporters have until the end of February to dig out replica shirts from the last 142 years so they can be considered for a photoshoot due to be held at the Wolves museum.
“We are still missing a fair few tops so it would be great to find these before we start putting the next book together,” explained Steve, who started collecting football shirts to give his father something to focus on whilst battling cancer.
“They Wore The Shirt was a huge success, selling out quickly and helping to raise over £20,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, a charity very close to my heart.
“Volume 2 will retail at just £25, with all the profits heading to BCH and the excellent work it does. There will be lots of fresh content, the additional chapter on life under Fosun and we’d love to find the oldest shirt out there.
“This currently stands at 1908 after it was discovered in a bric-a-brac shop in Alberta in Canada by its owner, who at first thought it was an old ice hockey shirt. It was later authenticated by the BBC Antique Roadshow and valued at £5000."
In total, 1877 copies of ‘They Wore The Shirt’ were printed to mark the year the club was founded and sold online, at the Wolves Club Shop and at a number of local pubs who stocked a special beer to mark the launch.
The first book took fans through a spectacular 255-pages of history, featuring up-to-date photos of iconic strips, including John Richards’ 1974 League Cup Final top and Roy Swinbourne’s shirt worn in the famous victory over Budapest Honved FC.
It saw 113 shirts found and photographed in total, with supporters voting the Umbro 1977-79 home top as their favourite design.
Steve concluded: “The support I’ve received so far has been overwhelming, from everyone at Wolves, local businesses, fellow supporters and a host of current and former players,” said Steve.
“It shows the unique fabric that makes following Wolverhampton Wanderers so special and hopefully we’ll able to find some of the missing gems and that people will love ‘They Wore The Shirt’ Volume 2 as much as we’re loving putting it together,” he added.
For further information, see www.theyworetheshirt.co.uk or email wolvesandengland@hotmail.co.uk
