Sports Jerseys

The word jersey was first used to describe a tightly knitted pullover sweater worn by fisherman from the Channel Islands which are a small group of islands owned by Great Britain off of the coast of France.

Unlike normal wool sweaters, jerseys were not stripped of the natural oils of the material and were therefore more waterproof.

In Great Britain, some types of sweaters unaffiliated with sports are also called jerseys.

Until recently, hockey jerseys were more often referred to as "sweaters", although, arguably, traditional hockey sweaters more closely matched against the original Channel Island fishermens' jerseys in composition.

Interestingly, in Australia, the team pullovers worn by footballers are called "guernseys". Guernsey is another Channel Island.