Retro Billericay Town Shirt – Essex's FA Vase Legends

Billericay Town Football Club was founded in 1880, making it one of the older non-league sides in Essex, though its greatest chapter arrived nearly a century after its formation. The club's defining era came in the late 1970s when they etched their name permanently into FA Vase folklore. The FA Vase, introduced in 1974 to provide a prestigious knockout competition for clubs below the Football League and FA Trophy level, quickly became the holy grail of non-league ambition – and Billericay seized it with extraordinary conviction.

In 1976, Billericay Town lifted the FA Vase at Wembley for the first time, defeating Stamford 1-0 in front of a jubilant crowd. Remarkably, they returned the following year in 1977 and successfully defended the trophy, beating Sheffield FC in the final. That back-to-back achievement was stunning enough, but the club went one further. In 1979, they claimed a third FA Vase title, this time defeating Almondsbury Greenway, cementing their status as the competition's most successful club of that era. No club had won the Vase three times in such a concentrated period, and only one club in the entire history of the competition has matched their three victories. That legacy makes Billericay Town genuinely historic within the English non-league landscape.

The club spent subsequent decades navigating the complex pyramid of Essex and Southern football, experiencing promotions and relegations while maintaining a loyal fanbase. A remarkable chapter opened in 2017 when businessman Glenn Tamplin took over as owner-manager, injecting significant funds and attracting a string of higher-profile signings including former Premier League players. The project generated enormous national media attention and briefly propelled Billericay into the National League South. However, the experiment ended as quickly as it began, and the club returned to more modest but sustainable ambitions, eventually settling back in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Through all these swings of fortune, the club's community identity and the memory of those three Wembley triumphs have remained the bedrock of what it means to support Billericay Town.

Billericay Town's player history spans two very different eras – the gritty, amateur-spirit heroes of the FA Vase years and the more recent signings of the Tamplin era who brought celebrity footballers to New Lodge.

The late 1970s squads that won those three FA Vase titles were built on local commitment and team cohesion. These were men who held down jobs in the week and played football for the love of it on weekends. Their names may not ring bells beyond Essex, but within non-league circles they are revered. The goalscorers and organisers of those Wembley trips represent the soul of Billericay Town.

The Tamplin era from 2017 onwards introduced an entirely different cast. Former Premier League players including Paul Konchesky, Jermaine Pennant, and Simon Cox pulled on the Billericay shirt, drawing eyes from across the country and generating headlines that most National League clubs would envy. Jamie O'Hara, a former Tottenham midfielder, was another high-profile arrival. These signings were polarising – some fans loved the attention, others felt it undermined the club's character – but there is no denying the period produced some extraordinary moments.

Managerially, Glenn Tamplin himself was a notable if unconventional figure in the dugout. His social media presence and outspoken style made him a media phenomenon. Before and after that era, the club has relied on grounded non-league managers who understood the culture of Essex football.

The Billericay Town retro shirt collection reflects the evolution of non-league kit design across several decades. The club's traditional colours are blue and white, and their classic home strips carry the honest, no-frills aesthetic of lower-league English football at its most authentic.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Billericay wore simple, clean designs – broad blue and white stripes or solid blue shirts with white trim – that captured the era's utilitarian approach to kit design. There were no elaborate sponsor logos or synthetic fabrics; just cotton shirts that feel incredibly tactile and nostalgic to modern collectors.

As the 1990s arrived, kit designs began to incorporate bolder patterns and sponsor branding, and Billericay's shirts reflected that wider shift. These transitional-era shirts occupy an interesting place in collector markets – unpretentious and often undervalued.

The high-profile Tamplin era in 2017–2019 brought more polished, modern kit designs with premium finishes, including some visually striking away strips. A retro Billericay Town shirt from this period captures a uniquely surreal chapter in English non-league history. With nine options available in our shop, there is a genuine range for collectors to explore.