As the England Lionesses gear up for the Euros this summer, The Kitroom Collective takes a closer look at the Three Lions shirt, a symbol loaded with pride, power, but also political complexity.
What does it mean to wear the England shirt in 2025?
With Thomas Tuchel at the helm of the men’s team, public sentiment towards the England team feels more conflicted than ever. Southgate helped restore pride in the national team but can the shirt remain a symbol of unity in an age of political division?
The England shirt holds great significance to many social groups in the country, ranging from a symbol of pride to enable people to feel part of a community. However, despite being a symbol of our country’s pride, that does not necessarily mean it represents everyone equally.
Growing up in Barnet in the late 1990s, Amina Khan was raised on football. Her dad, a devoted Arsenal fan, passed that love down but, for her, supporting England always felt different.
“I’ve never owned an England shirt,” she says.
“But my dad had loads. He never really wore them outside, however.”
For Amina and her family, showing support for the Three Lions wasn’t about a lack of passion.
“It was always awkward, never feeling like we could get involved with celebrations. We would watch the games and celebrate at home as a family. I was lucky to not experience harassment myself, but it was always something we worried about. Wearing an England shirt felt a bit unnatural.
“Arsenal was always more important to me because I felt more accepted as a fan. Going to the Emirates almost feels like a second home. I just don’t see that as a possibility when following England.”
Despite growing diversity in the England squad, racism and bigotry among some fans remain stubborn issues. The backlash aimed at Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho after the Euro 2021 final laid this bare. If even those who wear the badge with pride still face abuse, it begs the question: how can we believe in the shirt as a true symbol of unity and peace?
In 2024, Nike unveiled England’s new kit for the Euros, featuring a subtle tweak to the St George’s Cross.
The backlash on social media was swift and fierce, with politicians and ex-players alike condemning the move. While much of the outrage can be viewed through the lens of an upcoming general election, it was clear that many in the public felt genuinely upset.
Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry told Sky News: “It’s all very peculiar. The England flag is a symbol of unity.” But in the wake of the Southport riots last summer—where the St George’s Cross was brandished as a symbol of hostility and anti-immigration, it’s difficult to ignore the contradiction.
The flag, in that moment, looked less like a unifying emblem and more like a banner of division.
Importantly, this was not the first time the St Georges cross had been altered on the kit, with.
Designer Peter Saville CBE; famous for designing the albums for Factory Records, was tasked with a redesign in 2010.
In an interview with the BBC, he said he felt that the St George’s cross’ meaning had become distorted; he believed the flag had “come to represent a particular type of bloody-minded person” and had become a symbol of “aggressive patriotism”.
Speaking after the controversy of Nike’s new addition, Saville reflected on his choice: “I wanted the shirt to be for everyone because when the national team is playing it is for everyone.”
While the St George’s Cross wasn’t always a fixture on England shirts (it was first added to the 1998 away kit) many fans now view it as a sacred emblem not to be tampered with.
In recent years, the England shirt has been reclaimed, particularly during the successful tenure of Gareth Southgate since his appointment in 2016. Under his leadership, the Three Lions kit has come to symbolise a new era of pride, diversity, and world-class football, embodied by a star-studded and inclusive squad.
However, before this golden chapter, the England shirt had become heavily associated with the rise of far-right extremism. Groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First had co-opted the shirt, giving enthusiastic displays of national pride a more sinister, exclusionary undertone.
Sociologist John Williams, an expert on sport’s role in society, reflects on the evolving symbolism of the England shirt. “When I was young, no person of colour could safely follow England abroad and few women were involved,” he tells the Kitroom Collective.
“I think that has changed quite a bit. I don’t think anything here can be ‘just about football’,
certainly not on the national stage, there is too much at stake symbolically.
“I think, because of the work of Southgate and others, the shirt can now be seen as a more progressive national symbol of a more inclusive England, at a time when the country seemed to be leaning more to the right, given Brexit.”
But this wasn’t always the case and Professor Williams alludes to what the shirt represented when he was growing up.
“The England football shirt was seen as a challenge to the country in decline and was closely tied up with racism and violence abroad, so sadly that was its meaning then.
“But over the years things have improved somewhat, so it is rather more positive now and the Cross of St George has replaced the Union Jack.”
John Williams holds an optimistic view to the meaning and connotations of the England shirt,
he believes that young people today view the famous white kit differently to generations of the past.
Despite the rising extremism, hopefully more success is to come under ThomasTuchel, keeping the shirt in the name of celebration.
So looking at 2025, the England shirt is no longer just about football; if it ever truly was. It carries the weight of history, identity, and conflicting visions of what it means to be ‘English’.
For some, it remains a badge of pride and community; for others, it’s a symbol unsettled by political undertones and exclusionary behaviour
As the country navigates uncertain political and cultural waters, the meaning of the shirt will invariably continue to evolve. The real question isn’t whether football and politics can be separated, it’s whether the shirt we wear can ever stay a symbol of unity.
The England shirt is a mirror. What it reflects depends on who’s wearing it, and what we choose to see.