A school in Merseyside has a strong connection to FC Barcelona that has lasted over 134 years
Two brothers spent time in Crosby and Barcelona
The famous blue and garnet colours have been synonymous with Spanish football side FC Barcelona for over 130 years. The distinct colours have always been used on the team kit, especially the shirt. The shorts were white for the first ten years of the club's history, then black and since the 1920s, blue.
Very few clubs anywhere in the world have won as many titles as Barcelona. Accolades include 28 La Liga titles, 32 Copa Del Rey trophies and of course, among the club's greatest achievements are the five European Cup titles won in Wembley (1992, 2011), Paris (2006), Rome (2009) and Berlin (2015).
Football fans of a certain age can all picture Barcelona's greats wearing the classic club strips, from record scorer Messi netting 672 goals with the side to the the legendary skills of Ronaldinho on display with the memorable elastico and the rainbow flick. What some people may not realise is that Barcelona and its kit colours may have had humble beginnings right here on Merseyside.
For many years, there has been much speculation over the origin of Barcelona’s colours. It is known that at the foundational meeting that the name of the new club had been decided but not the colours of the jersey.
At the second meeting between members, on December 13 1899, the blaugrana (blue and red) was chosen. Manel Gamper, grandson of the founder, Joan Gamper, always regretted not having asked his dad Joan-Ricard Gamper, who was the club’s director in the 1970s, more about its history.
Michael Witty, grandson of player Frederick Arthur Witty, was lucky that his dad lived until 89 years of age and was able to speak at length about Barca.
According to the official Barcelona FC website, Michael was always told that the club’s colours came from the school at which his grandad had studied, which was Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby.
After the 75th anniversary of the club, many stories were recollected about the history of the institution. It was then that Frederick Witty, son of Frederick Arthur and dad of Michael, decided to write to Liverpool FC to ask them if blue and red were the colours of the school.
The answer received was that the blue and maroon was the strip of the school’s rugby team in the late nineteenth century, in which the two brothers had competed while doing their studies. The response seemed significant, but it went unnoticed and no one spoke of it again for many years.
The official Barcelona account writes: "Years passed, and the story of the origins of the club’s colours returned to the conversations between the Wittys and the Gampers, who were forging a possible hypothesis."
This was explained to the club, first at the Centre of Documentation and then to president Bartomeu. A photograph from the late nineteenth century of the Merchant Taylors' rugby team was shown, featuring red and blue stripes and with the records from the two families.
Michael Witty wanted to clarify that a more feasible version is as follows: In the meeting in which the club’s colours were decided, the Witty brothers must have proposed the colours of their school team, and Gamper, who was the 'alma mater' of the club, must have been warm to the idea as he had already worn a similar strip with Basel in 1896, even though he played with them for a short time.
Joan Gamper's own grandson, Manel Gamper, spoke about the theory of Merchant Taylors' School influencing Barcelona's kit colours, he said: "It is convenient that we make the authenticity of this fact official, because this will prevent anyone from promoting the most far-fetched theories. We should talk more about it, because this will be the official version of the Club."
Michael Witty added: "My father always told me what my grandfather told him. And I myself, as a young man, had come to speak with my grandfather Frederick Arthur of this subject and he confirmed to me the validity of this theory of the Merchant Taylors', but being a very modest man he did not give it too much attention."
The Club says: "After all, with a lack of written documentation, oral testimony seems key. Thus, the version proposed by the families who were linked with the club’s foundation appears now to be the most likely theory on the origins of the club’s colours, and is supported by the club.
"Maybe someday, in the most unlikely of circumstances, a document will appear that will confirm this theory. Until that day, we will continue to state that this is the most feasible claim."
Founded in 1620 by John Harrison, a distinguished member of the Merchant Taylors’ Company of London, Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby has a rich and enduring legacy.
The Merchant Taylors’ Company, one of the twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London, has played a vital role in shaping education, commerce, and philanthropy since medieval times.
In its "timeline", Merchant Taylors' School states on its website for 1899: "Former pupils Frederick & Ernest Witty help to found FC Barcelona and the colours of Merchant Taylors’ become the famous 'blaugrana'."