Historical Football Kits

 

Bristol City

Formed 1894

Elected to Division Two 1901

Kit History

 

 

 

Bedminster

 

Formed as Southville in 1887. Merged with Bristol City in 1900.

1892-1898 a

1898-1899 a

1899-1900 a

 

 

 

Bristol City

 

Formed as Bristol South End in 1894. Changed name to Bristol City in 1897.

 

Merged with Bedminster in 1900.

1894-1895 a

1897-1898 a

1898-1899 a

1901-1903 a

1903-1905 a

1905-1908 a

1908-1915 a

1919-1924 a

1926-1932 a

1932-1939 a

1945-1947 a

1947-1951 a

1951-1952 f

1952-1954 a

1954-1955 a

1955-1957 a

Buy shirt from TOFFS

1957-1958 a

1958-1961 a

Aug-Dec 1961 a

Dec-March 1962 a f

April 1962 a

1962-1963 early a

1962-1963 late a

1963-1965 a

1965-1969 b

1969-1971 b f i

1971-1972 d i

1972-1973 b i

Buy shirt from TOFFS

Aug-Oct 1973 b i

Oct 1973-Aug 1974 b i

1974-1976 b i

Buy shirt from TOFFS
Umbro

1976-1981 b i

Coffer Sports

1981-1982 b g k

Coffer Sports

Feb 1982 b g k

Lynx

1982-1983 b

Umbro

Aug-Dec 1983 b

Bukta

Dec 1983-1986 b

Bukta

1986-1988 b j

Bukta

1988-1990 b j l

Bukta

1990-1992 b j

Bukta

1992-1993 b h

Bukta

1993-1994 b

Nibor

1994-1996 b

Lotto

1996-1997 b

Lotto

1997-1998 b

Uhlsport

1998-1999 b

Uhlsport

1999-2000 b

Admiral

2000-2001 h

Admiral

2001-2002 b h

TFG Sports

2002-2003 c h

TFG Sports

2003-2004 c

TFG Sports

2004-2005 c

TFG Sports

2005-2006 c

Puma

2006-2007 c j

Puma

2007-2008 c

Puma

2008-2009 c

 

Background

On 12 April, 1894, Bristol South End FC was formed. Three years later, the club turned professional and joined the Southern League, changing their name to Bristol City in the process. In 1900, after a disappointing campaign, the club merged with neighbours Bedminster FC, also a professional side. For a while the club used both City's St John's Lane and Bedminster's Ashton Gate grounds alternately for home matches. In 1901, the club finished runners up in the Southern League and succesfully applied to join the Football League, replacing Walsall.

After four solid campaigns, City were promoted in 1906 having won the Second Division championship. The following year they narrowly missed winning the League title itself, finshing in second place three points behind champions Newcastle. In 1909, there was another near-miss when City reached the FA Cup Final only to lose to Manchester United 0-1. Two years later, City were relegated on the last day of the season: they would not return to the top flight for 66 years.

In 1922, City were relegated to Division Three (South), returned the following season as champions only to be relegated for a second time the year after that. In 1928 they were promoted once more but in 1932 it was back to the basement. Their next promotion did not come until 1955 when they spent five years in the Second Division before being relegated once more. In 1965, City were promoted again and this time succeeded in consolidating and holding on to their place.

In 1976, City finished in runners-up position and were promoted to the First Division. To mark the occasion, a new badge replaced the city's coat of arms on players' shirts, featuring a robin (the club's nickname) and the Clifton suspension bridge. Predictably they struggled to survive at this level, narrowly avoiding relegation twice before finishing a respectable 13th in 1979. The following year, however, City were relegated and in successive seasons plunged all the way down to Division Four and bankruptcy. A new company was formed (Bristol City 1982 Ltd) and closure was narrowly avoided. In 1984, The Robins began the long climb back up the league, gaining promotion in fourth position and by the early Nineties, they were back in the Second Division. Since then, City have moved fairly regularly between the second and third tiers of the League as it is now structured.

Sources