West Ham play in claret and blue because of a lost bet. In 1899, when runner William Dove visited a market in Birmingham, not far from Villa Park, he was challenged to a race by four Aston Villa players. Dove won, but the losing players turned out to have no money to pay the bet. However, one of them was responsible for washing Aston Villa's shirts and offered Dove a full set of match jerseys as compensation. Dove then passed the shirts on to his son, who played as a full-back for Thames Ironworks FC, which later became West Ham. This is the reason why Aston Villa and West Ham still play in very similar match shirts to this day.
West Ham play in claret and blue because of a lost bet. In 1899, when runner William Dove visited a market in Birmingham, not far from Villa Park, he was challenged to a race by four Aston Villa players. Dove won, but the losing players turned out to have no money to pay the bet. However, one of them was responsible for washing Aston Villa's shirts and offered Dove a full set of match jerseys as compensation. Dove then passed the shirts on to his son, who played as a full-back for Thames Ironworks FC, which later became West Ham. This is the reason why Aston Villa and West Ham still play in very similar match shirts to this day.