It was as recently as 1971 that the FA ended its 50-year ban on women's football. A side in Chelsea's name was soon formed and donned shirts emblazoned with the club badge. However, it would be another two decades until the team was brought under the club's auspices.

As detailed in the newly-released book Blue Is The Colour - The Official History of the Chelsea Shirt, that ensured Chelsea Ladies, as the team was then known, would receive club kit. Yet as outlined by author Nik Yeomans, an expert on Chelsea kits over the years, it was far from perfect.

'Kicking off in the third division of the Greater London Women's League, the team played the 1992/93 season in a set of replica Umbro men's shirts which had the Commodore logo covered by a patch bearing the name of the ARG Group, who sponsored the side.

'Then, during the mid-1990s, Umbro supplied a set of blue shirts with lace-up collars that were a different design from the men's kit, along with the same yellow away kit with black stripes worn by the men – with both sponsored by estate agent Freeman Forster.

'Over the next few years, as they slowly moved up through the leagues despite still being run on a relative shoestring as a completely amateur operation, Chelsea LadIes were provided with the same Umbro kit the men's team wore, although the Freeman Forster sponsorship continued for several seasons.

'While a step in the right direction, the gigantic, baggy men's shirts of the period were often almost comically ill-fitting on the female players.'

It wasn't until 2005 that the club took full control of Chelsea Ladies, a decision which ensured our women's sides across all age groups received the official kit and it was an important step towards equality with the men's team.

In the decade that followed, the Blues became a founding member of the Women's Super League, turned professional, welcomed the arrival of Emma Hayes, and slowly became the dominant force in English women's football.

Our first trophy was secured in 2015 with a victory over Notts County Ladies in the Women's FA Cup final. Two months later, we celebrated a Double after topping the WSL table, finishing two points ahead of Man City, who we face this weekend at Stamford Bridge in yet another top-of-the-table encounter.

An important step for Chelsea arrived in the summer of 2017 as the club announced a record-breaking kit deal with Nike. For the first time, the women's team was on a completely equal footing when it came to kit, as Yeomans explains.

'Nike have pioneered the development of performance-enhancing shirt design and sports fabrics with equal attention paid to the provision for male and female athletes. So, while the shirts worn by both teams may appear outwardly identical, the women's jerseys are specifically tailored to enhance the performance of female players.'

Rebranded as Chelsea Women in 2018, the Blues have gone from strength to strength. A first treble was claimed in 2020/21, with the Women's Super League, FA Cup and League Cup lifted. Pernille Harder's signed shirt from the latter final is showcased above.

In the years since further titles have been won, more trophies have been lifted, and history has continued to be made.

'Around Stamford Bridge, the dynamic branding equally reflects the men's and women's teams, with the likes of Millie Bright and Lauren James standing shoulder to shoulder with Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer as the fresh faces of the Blues,' writes Yeomans in Blue Is The Colour - The Official History of the Chelsea Shirt.

'Unthinkable in the early days of replica kits in the 1980s and 1990s, today the Chelsea Megastore is stocked to the brim with the full range of women-specific kits and training-wear, which represent an ever-increasing slice of the sales.

'Chelsea Women may have come a long way, but the story has only just begun.'

Blue is the Colour is researched and written by Nik Yeomans, the foremost expert on the Chelsea kit over the years. Whether you are also an aficionado, a collecting enthusiast or a fan who simply wants to know more about this fundamental part of the club’s heritage, this book is simply a must-have.

It can be ordered here now and is on sale in-store.