Editing Sporting colours

{{Short description|Sports awards at schools and universities in the UK}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
[[File:Christ's Hospital Colours for Cricket..jpg|alt=christ's-hospital-cricket-colours|thumb|Pupils who are awarded Colours at [[Christ's Hospital]] school, receive a tie, and in the case of sporting colours awarded for cricket, they also receive a cricket cap with the school crest and cricket 'XI' embroidered at the front.]]
'''Sporting colours''' or just '''colours'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/colour|title=colour Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|language=en|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> (sometimes with a modifier, e.g. '''club colours''' or '''school colours''') are awarded to members of a university or school who have excelled in a sport. Many schools do not limit their use to sport but may also give colours for academic excellence or non-sporting extra-curricular activities,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wokinghigh.surrey.sch.uk/School-Colours|title=School Colours|publisher=[[Woking High School]]|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://stirlinghigh.co.uk/colours-awards|title=Colours Awards|publisher=[[Stirling High School]]|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marr.sayr.sch.uk/school-colours.html|title=School Colours|publisher=[[Marr College]]|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref> Colours are traditionally indicated by the wearing of a special tie or blazer.

Many university colours are known by the name of the colour used, which is usually the colour worn by the university's sports teams, e.g. [[Blue (university sport)|Blue]] at Oxford and Cambridge, [[Palatinate (colour)|Palatinate]] at Durham, [[Pink]] at Trinity College Dublin or [[Red]] at Bristol. These are similar to the [[varsity letter]]s awarded by American universities.

The level of representation required for the award of a colour varies between the different schemes. A full Palatinate at Durham, a Royal Blue at Liverpool or Full Colours at Cardiff require a student to have represented their country,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.palatinate.org.uk/palatinate-ball-signs-off-a-record-breaking-year-for-team-durham/|date=23 June 2014|author=Dominic Thurlow-Wood|newspaper=[[Palatinate (newspaper)|Palatinate]]|title=Palatinate Ball signs off a record-breaking year for Team Durham}}</ref><ref name=Liverpool>{{cite web|url=https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/sports/docs/Athletic,Union,Constitution,2018.pdf|pages=17–18|title=The University of Liverpool Athletic Union: Constitution & Guiding processes|publisher=University of Liverpool|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=Cardiff>{{cite web|url=https://www.cardiffstudents.com/pageassets/Athletic-Union-Awards-Criteria.pdf|title=Athletic Union Awards Criteria|publisher=Cardiff University Students' Union |accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref> while at Oxford the requirement for a full Blue is to have represented the university in a [[List of British and Irish varsity matches|varsity match]] against Cambridge in an eligible sport.<ref>{{cite web|title=Varsity and Blues Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425232520/https://www.sport.ox.ac.uk/sports-clubs/varsity/|url=https://www.sport.ox.ac.uk/sports-clubs/varsity/|archive-date=25 April 2018|publisher=University of Oxford|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref> In many colour award schemes, it is possible to receive a half colour. These are normally given for lower levels of achievement than a full colour.

==History==
University colours were first introduced in the second [[University Boat Race]] between Oxford and Cambridge in 1836.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefield.co.uk/country-house/oxbridge-blue-21962|title=Oxbridge Blue. How to win the varsity match.|work=The Field |date= 7 April 2015|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref> Durham adopted [[Palatinate (colour)|palatinate purple]] for its [[Academic dress of Durham University|degree hoods]] at about the same time. At Cambridge, teams would seek permission of the boat club to use their  blue colour; by the 1860s the established sports with full blue status were rowing, cricket and athletics. In 1884, the rugby and football clubs awarded themselves blues following their varsity matches (against Oxford), leading to a debate at the [[Cambridge Union]] that was decisively lost by the boat club. The hockey club also gained full blue status (in 1894) before the system was formalised by the establishment of the blues committee in 1912.<ref name=cam>{{cite web|url=http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/documents/en/his/history.pdf |title=Blues and the Blues Committee: Some historical notes |publisher=Cambridge University Blues Committee |author=Christopher Thorne |date=10 July 1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716024827/http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/documents/en/his/history.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref>
The award of Palatinates for sports at Durham dates to at least 1883, when the cricket "Eleven" were permitted to wear the "university coat" (i.e. blazer) of palatinate purple rather than the claret coat of the club,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WAoIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA108|journal=Durham University Journal|publisher=Durham University|volume=5|issue=9|page=108|date=26 May 1883|title=Cricket}}</ref> and the award of both Palatinates and half Palatinates was well established by the end of the century.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VcjAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA83|journal=Durham University Journal|publisher=Durham University|volume=13|issue=4|page=83|date=14 May 1898|title=The Palatinate}}</ref> Manchester adopted maroon in 1905.<ref name=Manchester>{{cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb133-aua|title=University of Manchester, Athletic Union Archive|publisher=Jisc|work=Archives Hub|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref> Trinity College Dublin adopted Pink in 1950.<ref name=Trinity>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcd.ie/Sport/student-sport/awards/|title= Trinity College Dublin Sports Awards|publisher=TCD|work=Archives Hub|accessdate=21 April 2021}}</ref>

== University colours==

Different universities award different colours, often based on the colour worn by their athletes. Sometimes these are known by the colour used, but they may also simply be known as "colours". These include:

* Aberdeen: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/7320/|title=University celebrates top Athletes at 2015 Sports Ball|date=13 February 2015|publisher=University of Aberdeen|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Bath: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thesubath.com/sport/bluesawards/winners2018/|title=Blues 2018|publisher=Bath Students' Union|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Birmingham: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportandfitness.bham.ac.uk/student-sport/sport-awards/|title=Sports Awards|publisher=University of Birmingham|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Bristol: Red<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bristol.ac.uk/sport/news/2018/reds-winners-2018.html|title=Students win prestigious sporting awards|date=7 June 2018 |publisher=University of Bristol|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Cambridge: [[Cambridge Blue|Blue]]
* Cardiff: Colours<ref name=Cardiff/>
* Dublin: Pink or Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcd.ie/students/orientation/jargon/|title=Jargon Buster|publisher=Trinity College Dublin|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Dundee: Blue (with Colours as a lower-level below Half Blue)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dundee.ac.uk/stories/blues-and-colours-awards-ceremony|title=Blues and Colours Awards Ceremony|date=28 March 2024|website=University of Dundee|access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref>
* Durham: Palatinate<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8318053/The-quirks-of-Oxford-and-Cambridge.html|title=The quirks of Oxford and Cambridge|author=Nick Collins|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=12 February 2011}}</ref>
* Edinburgh: Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ed.ac.uk/sports-union/alumni/awards/colours|title=Colours|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Glasgow: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_615103_en.docx|title=Constitution|publisher=Glasgow University Sports Association|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Heriot-Watt: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hw.ac.uk/students/studies/graduation/edinburgh/dress-code.htm|title=Dress code|publisher=Heriot-Watt University|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Leeds: Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sport.leeds.ac.uk/leeds-sport/sports-colours-awards-2018/|title=Sports Colours Awards 2018|publisher=University of Leeds|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Liverpool: Blue or Colours{{refn|A five-tier system of Royal Blue, University Blue, Full Colours, Half Colours and Club Colours<ref name=Liverpool/>}}
* London: Purple<ref name=Telegraph/>
* Loughborough: AU Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auwiki.lsu.co.uk/index.php/AU_Colours|title=AU Colours|publisher=Loughborough Students' Union|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* Manchester (pre-2004): Maroon<ref name=Manchester/>{{efn|The present-day [[University of Manchester]] was created following the merger of [[UMIST]] and the [[Victoria University of Manchester]] in 2004. Before this point the VUM awarded Maroons and Half Maroons, having adopted the sporting colours of maroon and white in 1905. Since 2004 the university has not used maroon and white for sports kit, instead having kit in the university colours of purple and yellow. In recent years the university has awarded 'Performance Colours'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=23913|title=Performance Colours Nomination Form|publisher=University of Manchester}}</ref>}}
* Nottingham Trent: Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntu.ac.uk/sport/news/2024/ntu-sport-awards-2024|title=NTU Sport Awards 2024|date=7 March 2024|access-date=14 May 2024|website=Nottingham Trent University}}</ref>
* Oxford: [[Oxford Blue|Blue]]
* Robert Gordon: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rguunion.co.uk/getinvolved/awards/blues/|title=Sports Awards |publisher= RGU:Union| accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>
* St Andrews: Blue or Colours{{refn|A three-tier system of Full Blue, Half Blue and Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=http://squash.saints-sport.com/blues-and-colours-requirements|title=Blues and Colours|website=Saints Sport|publisher=University of St Andrewsaccessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>}}
* St Mary's: Blue<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stmaryssu.co.uk/blues-awards|title=Blues Awards|publisher=St Mary's Students' Union|accessdate=4 April 2022}}</ref>
* Sheffield: Colours 
* Stirling: Blue or Colours{{refn|A three-tier system of Full Blue, Half Blue and Colours<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/pageassets/sportsunion/sportsunionball/Blues-and-Colours-Code.doc|title=Blues and Colours Code|publisher=Stirling Students' Union|accessdate=11 June 2019}}</ref>}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Oxford-half-blue-blazer.jpg|[[Oxford University]], Oxford University Rifle Club Half Blue blazer and tie.
File:Cambridge-half-blue-blazer.jpg|[[Cambridge University]] Half Blue blazer and bow tie.
File:Carey Pocket.jpg|An example of a blazer pocket from [[Carey Baptist Grammar School]] with school colours in umpiring and musical theatre, as well as house colours and music insignia. Pockets are a common method of displaying awards.
</gallery>
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
*[[School colors]]
==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sporting Colours}}
[[Category:Sports terminology]]
[[Category:Sports colors]]