Today I want to talk about genuine Dutch football shirt history.
Robey Sportswear is an iconic Dutch sports brand founded in 1947 in Rotterdam by Pieter Bey. The brand enjoyed its greatest glory days from the 1960s through the 1980s, then disappeared following a bankruptcy, but made an impressive comeback in 2012. Today, Robey is an indispensable part of Dutch football. The Founding (1947) Shortly after the Second World War, during the reconstruction of Rotterdam, Pieter Bey started a sports brand from a small apartment in the Blijdorp neighbourhood. The brand name is a clever combination: the first letters of Rotterdam combined with the surname Bey formed Robey. Bey's goal was to become the best football brand in the Netherlands. In its earliest years, the brand also focused heavily on the world of tennis. The '60s - '80s Between 1960 and 1990, Robey grew into one of the country's largest sports brands. The brand expanded into football, tennis and volleyball. One well-known shirt is the Sparta shirt featuring the Efteling sponsorship. But De Graafschap, FC Groningen and Vitesse also played in Robey during that era. The absolute crowning achievement was that the Dutch national team wore Robey clothing during these decades. Great football icons wore the leisurewear, including Ronald Koeman, Danny Blind, Louis van Gaal and Willem van Hanegem. In the 1990s, the brand faced tough times due to the rise of giant foreign brands (Nike, Adidas and Puma). Robey eventually went bankrupt and sadly disappeared from the sports fields for many years.
In 2012, however, the brand was brought back to life. With a generous dose of Rotterdam boldness and a focus on nostalgia, quality and a recognisable four-leaf clover on the shoulder (for a little luck), Robey began an unprecedented comeback. Since its return, Robey has grown into one of the largest kit suppliers in Dutch football. The brand is known for its unique, stylish shirts and its strong bond with club culture. Robey kits no fewer than 10 Dutch professional clubs, including Eredivisie clubs such as Sparta, NEC, NAC and Telstar, as well as foreign clubs such as KVC Westerlo and Fortuna Köln. More than 400 amateur clubs across the Netherlands play weekly in Robey kits. The brand secretly dreams of one day seeing the Dutch national team take to the pitch in their shirts — wouldn't that be something, a Dutch national team in a truly homegrown Dutch brand. Written by Jesse Rabbeljee.
