This Saturday evening, Sligo become the final team to enter the Football Championship, a day short of seven weeks after New York and Galway playing in the curtain raiser. Sligo face Roscommon in Markievicz Park, in a game that will be live on Off the Ball.
As is recent tradition, the Yeats County will take to the field in an all black kit. Fans of a certain generation though,will remember All Stars such as Mickey Kearins and Barnes Murphy play in white and black, so why the change?
When looking at the history of county colours on the GAA's website, they state: "At one time the Sligo jersey was all black. A white band was introduced around 1925. Sligo was the only county to have an all black jersey. Since 1970 the county teams have been using a white jersey with black trim and black shorts but changed to the original All black in 2001."
Sligo's success in winning the Connacht title in 1975, was seen around the country in that famous white jersey. It became ingrained in the consciousness that those were always the county colours.
The return to the black kit, came as a result of a Round 3 Qualifier with Kildare in Croke Park. As both teams wore white, it was decided that Sligo would change kits for the game. The side shocked Kildare to famously win by a point and the moved on to the next round. Dublin awaited Sligo in Round 4 where Sligo would bow out of the Championship.
They returned to the Championship next year continuing in the black kits, before taking the scalp of Tyrone in the Round 4 of the Qualifers and taking eventual champions Armagh to a quarter final replay in Navan.
They were one of the first true underdogs of the Qualifier era. The black kit stood them out from the crowd and gained them neutral fans country wide.
It was eventually decided to make the switch permanent and it has remained that way ever since. We can all wonder if Sligo would be running out of the pitch this Saturday in white, had they not defeated Kildare on that July afternoon in 2001.
Off the Ball will be live in Markievicz Park this Saturday evening for live coverage of Sligo v Roscommon in the Connacht Championship. Throw in is at 7pm.
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