Historical Football Kits

29 July - 2010-11 additions: Watford (A), Reading (3rd), Manchester City (A, 3rd shorts detailing corrected), Doncaster Rovers (H, A), Nottingham Forest (H), Rochdale (H, A), Hereford United (H, A*), Dagenham & Redbridge (H*, 3rd),

(*unchanged)

26 July - 2010-11 additions: Swindon Town (A, 3rd), Barnsley (A), Albion Rovers (H*), East Fife (H, A), Stranraer (H), Arbroath (H, A, 3rd).

*Unchanged.

25 July - 2010-11 additions: East Stirlingshire (H, A), Aldershot Town (H, A), Manchester City (detailing on A and 3rd kit corrected).

Historical Updates: Rochdale (1993-94 sock detailing added), Portsmouth (1909-11 socks amended, 1934 FA Cup final crest corrected), Motherwell (1913-24 [pictured left], 1985-87, 1989-90 details amended), Huddersfield Town (1913-15 added, 1969-70, 1978-79 badges corrected), Walsall (crest and sponsors logos more accurately rendered on kits 1995-2007), Oldham Athletic (1982-83, 1983-84 added, 1987-88, 1988-89 collar corrected).

23 July - 2010-11 additions: Yeovil Town (A), Wigan Athletic (H sleeve trim corrected), Bolton Wanderers (A), West Ham United (H), Burton Albion (H shorts detailing amended & socks confirmed), Leicester City (details amended), Sheffield United (H, A), Crewe Alexandra (H, A), Bristol City (A), Manchester City (A), Inverness Caledonian Thistle (H), Oldham Athletic (3rd), Dundee United (A).

Scotland's new away kit has been added to the International Section.

20 July - 2010-11 additions: Heart of Midlothian (H, A), Millwall (A), Peterborough United (A), Chesterfield (H, A), Morecambe (H, A), Wigan Athletic (H), Blackpool (H detailing updated).

19 July: Tim Ashmore has kindly given us permission to reproduce his collection of photographs of Manchester United's crests and these have now been added to the club section. You can view large format versions and read Tim's informative commentary at RedCafe.net.

18 July - 2010-11 additions: Rangers (A), Livingston (A), Berwick Rangers (H*, A*), Tottenham Hotspur (Eur), Preston North End (sponsorship updated), Stevenage (H, A), Blackpool (H), Derby County (H), Burton Albion (H), Oxford United (A), Wycombe Wanderers (H*, A).

*Unchanged.

16 July - 2010-11 additions: Liverpool (3rd), Fulham (H), Huddersfield Town (H), Chelsea (A), Brentford (H & A socks now confirmed), Aston Villa (H, A), Manchester United (H socks updated), Crystal Palace (A), Tottenham Hotspur (H, A, 3rd), Queens Park Rangers (A), Bristol City (A).

13 July - 2010-11 additions: Birmingham City (H socks amended), Millwall (short trim amended), Leicester City (3rd shirt logos now placed correctly).

Historical Updates: With the World Cup over we now have time to catch up on some of the historical material that's been sitting in the pending tray for the past couple of months. We start with this fine photograph of Wycombe Wanderers from 1896-97 submitted by Dave Peatey, our Wycombe expert. (1896-97, 1966-67, 1976-77 & crest history added).

Sunderland (1889-90, 1890-91, 1902-04, 1911-12, 1919-21 & crest history added).

12 July - 2010-11 additions: Forfar Athletic (A), Millwall (H), Southampton (A), Ipswich Town (H*), Hartlepool United (H*, 3rd*), Manchester United (H + crest history added), Leicester City (H, A, 3rd).

*Unchanged from 2009-10.

11 July - 2010-11 additions: Reading (H, A), Sunderland (H), West Bromwich Albion (H, A), Charlton Athletic (H), Plymouth Argyle (H), Middlesbrough (H, A), Hull City (H), Swindon Town (H).

10 July - 2010-11 additions: Raith Rovers (H), Queen of the South (Sponsorship added), Partick Thistle (H), West Ham United (A), Shrewsbury Town (H, A), Sunderland (H).

7 July: 2020-11 additions - Bradford City (A), Hull City (A), Oxford United (H + crest history added), Bury (H), Lincoln City (H), Macclesfield Town (H), Scunthorpe United (A), Notts County (H), Kidderminster Harriers (H).

4 July: Those who have been following our World Cup updates may have noticed a few oddities in the the dramatic quarter-final stage. For example, Ghana moved the numbers on the front of their Roy of the Rovers shirts up to the shoulder to make them more visible while most of the Uruguayan team played with the flappy collars on their shirts tucked inside. Inexplicably, both Argentina and Germany wore black shorts in their match, something they are not supposed to do but which certainly did not cause the mass confusion that FIFA seem to think such clashes would create.

2 July: 2010-11 additions - Gillingham (H, A), Elgin City (H), Dumbarton (H), Forfar Athletic (H).

1 July: 2010-11 additions - Blackburn Rovers (H), Peterborough United (H), Everton (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (H).

28 June: I've had a lot of enquiries about the reasons behind the kit changes we are seeing in South Africa. Sean's e-mail is typical:

Why FIFA is being so anal about change kits these last couple World Cups? Yesterday alone, England were in red shorts when they could wear the usual white. Does FIFA really think that England's white shorts are going to clash with Germany's white shirts and socks and Argentina wore blue shorts when there was no reason they couldn't wear black. I understand, for example, when Italy plays France, it's best to have one of them wear all white and one wear all blue, (because blue-white-blue (or red) v. white-blue-white (or red) could be a problem) but the above examples really annoy me.

FIFA's competition regulations require not only that colours do not clash but also there is a high degree of contrast between teams. In principle this means one should play in a dark strip the other in a light one, but the rules are not consistently interpreted: this is FIFA after all.

So red v blue seems to be OK but green v gold (Mexico v S Africa) is not. But Mexico's green was OK against Uruguay in light blue. I suspect commercial considerations are at work as well. Every team is guaranteed one match at least in their first choice kit but I have the impression they have also been showcasing their second choice strips in matches where they were not strictly necessary.

I have no idea why Argentina wore blue shorts and socks yesterday. As for England, they may have worn all-red because they won in it last time out but more likely FIFA would not register white as their second choice shorts, because these are the same colour as their first choice (another FIFA reg).

I agree it's all very petty and annoying. Everyone wants to see their national teams playing in their recognised first or second choice strips and not these cobbled together mash ups, but FIFA has been interfering in this at least as far back as 1966 and there's no chance that they are going to change their ways. After all if their officials were not busy with this sort of thing, they would have to address less important issues like ensuring match officials do not make almighty cock ups.

27 June: 2010-11 Additions - Stockport County (H, A), Sheffield Wednesday (H), AFC Bournemouth (H socks confirmed), DC United (piping corrected on shirt), Vancouver Whitecaps (2011 MLS kit added).

26 June: Our match-by-match coverage of the FIFA World Cup is now complete for the group stages. FIFA have not published details of the strips to be worn during the knock-out phase so this section will be updated as the tournament progresses.

2010-11 additions: Brighton (A), Colchester United (H, A), Cardiff City (H), Brentford (H, A).

25 June: 2010-11 additions - Hibernian (H), St Johnstone (H, A), Ayr United (H, A, 3rd).

20 July: 2010-11 additions - Swansea City (A), Tranmere Rovers (H), Newcastle United (A, 3rd), Dundee United (H).

15 June: While we are currently focussed on both the serious business of recording World Cup kits and the new English and Scottish club kits for 2010-11, it is nice to be reminded that HFK has a rather more whimsical side. Regular visitors will remember the excellent Dr Stefan Stanimirov who practices at the Medical University of Pleven in northern Bulgaria and whom we featured on 16 April. Dr Stanimirov designs and produces his own ward gowns based on famous football shirts. His latest creation celebrates Leeds United's promotion to the Championship and their win over Manchester United in last season's FA Cup. The instrument he is brandishing is a fibre-optic bronchoscope and not a bull-whip at all so there is no need to be afraid.

2010-11 additions - Liverpool (A), Milton Keynes Dons (H, A, 3rd), Arsenal (A).

13 June: 2010-11 additions - Dundee (H, A), Motherwell (H, A), Swansea City (H), Leeds United (A), Carlisle United (H, A), Southampton (H), Port Vale (H).

Don't forget that our World Cup 2010 section is being updated regularly as the competition progresses.

10 June: On the eve of the grand opening ceremony in Johannesburg, we have today expanded our own FIFA World Cup Finals 2010 section to include a match-by-match record of every kit worn in the tournament. This is now complete for the group stages and as the Knock Out Stages progress, the section will be updated, making HFK the definitive record of World Cup 2010 kits.

8 June: Coming soon - HFK's match by match record of the FIFA World Cup 2010.

Stoke City are, of course, associated with red and white stripes and we have today added a number of previously unrecorded versions and amended other graphics of this famous strip. It is worth remembering that between 1897 and 1908, the original Stoke FC usually wore plain claret jerseys as shown on the left. (1922-23, 1926 added, 1938-45, 1946-49 amended).

Northampton Town (1987-88 added), Burton Albion (2005-06, 2006 special kit added, detailing amended on 1994-2005 strips), West Bromwich Albion (2004-05 socks corrected),

Cardiff City's iconic 1975-77 strip and Plymouth Argyle's all green 1965-67 kit now feature in our Classic Kits section.

This famous picture of a Harrow School team from 1862 is one of the earliest known photographs of a football team. Harrow were one of the public schools from which the modern game evolved and Harrow Rules are still used to this day in the annual inter-house competition, in which each team plays in their own uniquely coloured shirts, which maintain the tradition of narrow stripes. Thanks to Jonathon Russell, we have established that the school team, which would have played once a year against an old boys' team, wore magenta and black, the colours of Harrow School.

7 June: 2010-11 additions - Exeter City (H, 3rd), Rotherham United (H), AFC Bournemouth (A), Scunthorpe United (H, A)

Historical Updates: Stirling Albion (1995-96 socks corrected), Ayr United (1999-2000 detailing amended), Morton (1981-84 sock trim added), Ross County (1998-99 sock trim added), Southampton (1895-96, 1900-01, 1901-02 added, August 1989 socks corrected), Wednesday (1903-04 added), Falkirk (1959-60 added - pictured left), Everton (1992-93 third kit added).

6 June: 2010-11 additions - Watford (H), Brighton & Hove Albion (H, A), Cheltenham Town (H), Southend United (H, A), Leyton Orient (H, A), Oldham Athletic (H), Sheffield Wednesday (A), Accrington Stanley (H,A), AFC Bournemouth (H), Rangers (H), Celtic (H), Aberdeen (H), Queen of the South (H,A).

Northern Ireland (2010-2012 home kit added). Seattle Sounders (2010 third kit added).

3 June: The eagerly awaited 2010-11 galleries for England and Scotland are now open and the annual game of I-Spy can begin. As usual, we are asking visitors to let us know as new kits are released over the summer. Please note that we need full details and not just pictures of shirts and we will only post graphics of kits we can confirm from official sources.

We have been able to track down the details of the strips that North Korea will be wearing in South Africa later this month. They are made by an Italian company, Legea, whose UK base happens to be just a few miles down the road from HFK Towers in South Wales.

23 May: Grimsby Town (1928-29 added, crest history added), Darlington (crest history added), Derby County (crest history added), Airdrieonians (1961-62 socks corrected, crest history added), Morton (1963-64 added, crest history added), Motherwell (1913-24 collar details amended, 1951-52 cuffs corrected, crest history added), St Johnstone (1971-72 added, crest history added).

22 May: Rochdale (1919-20, 1936 added, 1966-67 crest added, 1998-2000 corrected), Brighton (1980-1987 correct Adidas logos applied), Sheffield Wednesday (crest history added), Coventry City (1948-51 socks amended), Notts County (crest history added), Newcastle United (1907-08 added), Manchester City (1960-61 socks amended), Aberdeen (1907-08 added, 1993-94 collar & cuff trim corrected), East Fife (1948-49 added).

21 May: Bolton Wanderers (1958 FA Cup final strip now has the correct commemorative crest), Blackpool (1970-71 corrected), St Mirren (1956-57, 2010-11 added).

19 May: The military gentleman on the left is Bombardier Hannah, captain of the Royal Artillery team with the impressive Army Cup at the end of the 1894-95 season. The team were based in Portsmouth and competed succesfully in the Southern League until they were reported to the authorities after the players spent a week at a health spa at the Army's expense. This was held to be a breach of the strict rules on professionalism. The team were expelled in 1898 and the newly formed Portsmouth FC took their place. RAFC soldiered on (see what I did there?) until 1901 when they disbanded.

The photograph is from Pompey, the History of Portsmouth FC (Neesom, Cooper & Robinson 1984) provided by Richard Essen. Click on the image to view the full size picture: of interest are the medals worn by the players (awarded for the football competitions the team won rather than military campaigns). Bombardier Harms, reclining left, sports a badge on his shirt, suggesting he had been selected for the Hampshire FA. The players are from the ranks, the trainer is the Regimental Sergeant Major and the Treasurer is an officer. That's all you need to know about how amateur football was organised in the late 19th century. This strip now appears in our Eminent Victorians section.

Richard has also uncovered from the same source written evidence that the shade of blue worn by Portsmouth between 1912 and 1933 was paler than we had believed and that shirts of a "darker blue" were adopted from the 1933-34 season.

Wolves (1968-69 added), Blackburn Rovers (1952-55, 1959-60 added and we have established the team wore V necks until 1966), Shrewsbury Town (1978-79 collar corrected, crest history added), Hibernian (1961-64 socks corrected), Wigan Athletic (1967-68 added).

Thanks to Keith Ellis, Christopher Worrall and Rumwold Leigh, more missing detailing has been added to various strips featured in our FA Cup Finalists sections. Pride of place goes to the discovery that both Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers wore strips made from shiny fabric in the 1953 final and hitherto unrecorded details of Newcastle United's 1911 strip, which we believe marked the first occasion that Toon wore a crest on their shirts.

18 May: It has been announced on Stevenage Borough's official website that the club will revert to their original name, Stevenage FC, from 1 June. Thanks to Lloyd Briscoe we have further updates for the club (1976-80 added, 1985-86, 1990-91, 1991-92 amended).

The 1980-89 FA Cup Finalists section has had several amendments to detailing, mainly commemorative embroidery; thanks to Chris Worrall.

Historical updates: Berwick Rangers (1994-95 added), Ross County (1990-93 corrected), Montrose (1992-94 corrected), Newcastle United (1995-2000 shirts now show the correct Newcastle Brown sponsorship, 1969 Fairs Cup Final kit added, crest history added).

17 May: This has been a thoroughly difficult season for followers of Portsmouth so I thought it might be some small compensation to reproduce this photograph of the 1902-03 team, wearing the pink and maroon shirts that provided the inspiration behind the strip worn in Saturday's FA Cup Final. The trophies on display are the Southern and Western League Championships and the Portsmouth Cup. We have received a good deal of material on the club recently and have now posted this in the Portsmouth section along with a crest history. (1902-13, 1906-17, 1912-13, 1955-56 alternate, 1961-62 alternate, 1962-63 alternate, 1966-67 added).

I'm grateful to Lloyd Briscoe of the Stevenage Borough Supporters' Association for offering to research missing strips for our new Stevenage Borough section. The first fruits of his work have been posted today. (1983-84, 1985-86 x 2, 1988-90, 1992-93 added, missing sponsors now added to 1989-90 and 1991-92 shirts).

2010-11 additions: Burnley, Brighton.

15 May: The strips worn in yesterday's FA Cup final have been added as has Fulham's strip, worn in the Europa League final last week.

2010-11 additions: Northampton Town*, Leeds United*, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

*Crest history added.

14 May: Intriguing evidence from a rare match programme, spotted by Roy Cathcart and supplied by Jonny Dewart, has come to light that Ireland wore green shirts rather than their usual St Patrick's blue when they met England in 1903. In addition, the crest worn between 1952 and 1957 by Northern Ireland is now more accurately rendered. George Chilvers, meanwhile, offers this technical information that may well explain why early Irish shirts appeared pale blue: I saw your comments about the tone of blue in the Irish shirts and wonder if something I came across many years ago may be relevant. Victorian or Edwardian camera processes meant that the plates were very receptive to red light but not to blue. This means that blue, even quite a dark blue, produces quite a light grey image on a black and white (negative) plate. This photograph of the union flag taken shortly after the First World War illustrates the point.

12 May: Congratulations to Stevenage Borough, who will take their place in the Football League next season for the first time, having won the Blue Square National Conference last month. Their kit history has now been added to the site.

8 May: Due to stock availablity and changes to the sites of Subside Sports and Kitbag, a large number of links we provide for visitors wishing to buy replica kits have become broken. These have now been repaired for English Premier League clubs and we will progressively renew or remove these for other clubs.

FIFA World Cup 2010: Second choice strips for Chile, Honduras and Slovakia have been added.

Historical Updates: Brighton & Hove Albion (Sept-Nov 1973, Nov 1973-Jan 1974, Jan-March 1974 added).

5 May: While the Norfolk Ancestors website is primarily a local history resource, it includes a splendid section devoted to Norwich City from which we have been able to capture a considerable amount of new detail on the team's early strips (1907-08, 1920-21 added, 1908-09, 1910-11, 1912-13, 1913-14, 1921-23, 1923-25, 1959-60 amended).

2009-10 additions: Crystal Palace (Supporters' Trust shirt), Liverpool (Chinese logo).

2010-11 additions: Preston North End, Crystal Palace, Queen's Park Rangers, Bradford City, Coventry City.

3 May: Notts County (1937-38 added), Fulham (1945-46 added), New Brighton (1937-38 added), Southampton (socks redrawn 1957-1967), Everton (1930-31 crest added).

2 May: Motherwell (2006-07 cuffs corrected), Liverpool (1933-34 added), Blackpool (1938-39 added), Charlton Athletic (1964-65, 1965-66 cuffs corrected), Notts County (1953-54 added), Dundee United (2001-02, 2002-03 sponsorship corrected), Sheffield Wednesday (1933-34, 1953-54 added), Plymouth Argyle (1962-63 added), Stoke City (1957-58 added), Huddersfield Town (1951-52 added), Bradford Park Avenue (1926-31 detailing amended), South Shields (1920-21 added), West Ham United (1961-62 added), Scotland (2008-10 third kit details amended), Chelsea (1929-30 added), York City (1948-50 cuffs corrected).

Uruguay's second choice strip has been added to the FIFA World Cup 2010 section.

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