Poster - The Kits of the 1974 World Cup

It's now over 50 years since FIFA's tenth World Cup finals tournament took place in West Germany. With a new trophy waiting to be won, everyone waited with baited breath to see whether Brazil could continue their brilliant dominance of 1970. A superb, skilful side did emerge to capture the imagination of a worldwide audience, but it wasn't Brazil. That side wore orange, but even they wouldn't go on to win the competition...

Sixteen nations took part. Australia, Zaire and Haiti made their debuts, while the Netherlands and Poland were returning for the first time since 1938. Scotland were the only participants from the United Kingdom, while East Germany made what would become their only appearance and one that saw them play their hosts from over the border.

Fifty-one kits were worn during the tournament (if you include variations), each one providing the alluring sense of colour and design that the World Cup is synonymous with. To create a lasting tribute to those kits and the 1974 World Cup itself, I’ve designed a digital poster which I hope you will purchase to help raise funds for a dear friend who is currently recovering from major surgery.

Many of you will know the name of John Devlin or perhaps know him personally yourself. As the author of three superb books charting the history and development of football kit design, John is rightly respected for his comprehensive knowledge and excellent graphic design skills, both of which regularly combine to bring the subject of kit design to life for visitors to his website and social media channels.

Unfortunately, John has been very unwell recently and had to spend some time in hospital, but thankfully he's now at home, beginning the recovery process. All being well, a period of enforced rest and recuperation will see him return to full strength and health, but in the meantime, John's ability to earn regular income will be limited by his current circumstances.

And that's why I've designed this 1974 World Cup poster. It's available as a digital PDF file that you can hand over to a print service to produce in A0 size. After that, you can frame it and hang it on your wall to make you the envy of all your friends...

All I ask is that you make a donation of any amount - it's entirely up to you. I can ensure that 100% of all money raised will go directly to John to help reduce any worries he might have about paying for medical costs or day-to-day expenses.

To keep things simple and personal, I’m handling the sales directly. Here's what to do:

• Visit ko-fi.com/kitbliss and donate whatever you can, big or small.
• If you have any questions or wish to pay via a different method, please complete my contact form with all the appropriate details.
• Once payment is received, I’ll email you the file.

Your support - whether you buy the poster, share this page, or just send good thoughts - is deeply appreciated. Thank you very much.