THE clamour of the changing room, the brush of the badge against your chest, a heady blend of muscle rub and stale sweat permeating the air; the thrill of pulling on a school sports jersey before a big match is a memory many of us never forget.

Spare a thought, then, for the youngsters of St Bernard’s Catholic High School in Rating Lane, Barrow. For them, where there should be excitement there is only dread at spending another 80-plus minutes in a kit made years before they were even born.

It’s with this in mind that the PE department is offering former pupils the chance to take a trip down Memory Lane and invest in the sporting talent of the future – buying back their old shirt in exchange for a donation towards a new one.

The scheme is the idea of teacher and subject leader Ben Procter, who says the current kit simply isn't fit for purpose. The shirts are so oversized you could fit two players in some of them, and the material is so old it makes them a liability in big games.

Mr Procter told the Evening Mail “We have old kits from the late 80s and early 90s, they’re made of heavy material and the other teams just grab their shirts.

“Modern technology has moved on. If you see rugby players today, their shirts are tight-fitting. The ones are pupils are wearing aren’t appropriate for the level they’re playing at.

“In our last game they scored a lot of tries that were down to shirt-grabbing,” said Rio Corkill, aged 14, captain of the Year Nine RL team.

“They’re really baggy and difficult to play in. They’re really heavy when it rains. Other schools have the proper kits.”

With a limited budget, and the problem of having to buy kits which often start at around £700 each for every year group, Mr Procter saw an opportunity to capitalise on the growing trend for retro shirts.

The appeal was initially publicised via the school’s social media pages and has cultivated a response from ex-pupils, including the former Great Britain and St Helens winger Ade Gardner.

Mr Procter added: “They are pretty retro. I’ve had people who wore the kits contacting me with their own memories of wearing them. People still remember the teams they were in and the competitions they played in.

“I didn’t want to just throw them away because they do mean something.”

So far, however, only a few have come up with the contributions. Mr Procter is today making a fresh appeal for more former pupils to seize the opportunity to ride the wave of nostalgia.

“People are definitely interested, but we just need them to make the donation. All we are asking for is a contribution, but also if any businesses want to sponsor us, it would mean we could give shirts back to our old players.”

And anyone concerned with the effect decades of mud, sweat and tears might have on the ‘aroma’ of said shirts can rest easy.

“Yes, we do wash them,” added Mr Procter.

It’s got to be worth a try.