Leeds United

Kit History

1920-1921 a q

1923-1925 a f q

1925-1926 q

1926-1927 q

1929-1930 q

1930-1933 q

1933-1934 b q

Sept 1934-1938 a q

1938-1939 a n q

1944-1945 q

1946-1948 q

October 1948-1950 a

1950-1955 a f q

1954-1955 q

early 1955-1956 a f q

mid 1955-1956

Sept 1956-1959 a

1959-1961 a

1961-1964 a

1964-1971 c

1971-1972 c

1972-1973 c l

Various collar styles worn.

Admiral

1973-1976 c l

Admiral

1976-1977 c l

Admiral

1977-1979 c l

Admiral

1979-1980 l

Occasionally stockings had Admiral trim

Admiral

1980-1981 c m

Umbro

1981-1983 c g m o

Umbro

1983-1984 g m p

Umbro

1984-1985 g j m

Umbro

1985-1986 c m

Umbro

1986-1988 c m

Umbro

1988-1989 c h i m

Umbro

1989-1990 i m

Umbro

1990-1991 c k m

Umbro

1991-1992 c k m

Admiral

1992-1993 c m

Asics

1993-1995 c m

Asics

1995-1996 c m

Puma

1996-1998 c m

Puma

1998-2000 c m

Nike

2000-2002 c m

Nike

2002-2003 d k m

Nike

2003-2004 d k m

Diadora

2004-2005 d m

Admiral

2005-2006 e m

Admiral

2006-2007 e m

Admiral

2007-2008 e

Macron

2008-2009 e

Background

In October 1919 Leeds City was compulsorily wound up by order of a joint FA and Football League commission after the club refused to open its accounts following allegations that it had illegally paid guest players during the Great War. On the same day that City's assets were sold off Leeds United was formed. The new club took over Leeds City Reserves' fixtures in the Midland League and moved into Elland Road.

That might have been the end of the matter when the chairman of Huddersfield Town, J Hilton Crowther, proposed amalgamating the new club with Huddersfield and setting up the new operation at Elland Road. After an outcry in the Huddersfield press and some frantic fund-raising, the board and supporters of Huddersfield bought Hilton Crowther out, allowing him to concentrate on his new club, who adopted the blue and white stripes of Huddersfield. This is a rare example of local rivals wearing identical kits.

There was considerable sympathy among rank and file League clubs for the plight of Leeds City so it came as no surprise when United's application to join the expanded Second Division in 1920 was overwhelmingly supported by the clubs. Ironically, their first fixture was against Burslem Port Vale, who had taken Leeds City's place in the League the previous season. Leeds lost 0-2. In 1924 Leeds United won the Second Division championship and spent three seasons in Division One followed by relegation in 1931. They bounced back immediately and remained an undistinguished First Division side until immediately after the Second World War when they again dropped into Division Two.

In September 1934, United adopted blue and gold as their club colours, similar to those of Leeds City, with whom they shared the nickname of "The Peacocks."

In 1955 the remarkable John Charles led United back into the First Division with 29 goals in 42 games. Charles scored an astonishing 38 goals in 40 games the following season to take Leeds to a creditable eighth position but the club were forced to sell him to Juventus to raise funds after fire destroyed their West Stand in 1956-57. Without his inspiration on the pitch, United struggled and dropped back into Division Two in 1960.

In 1961 the club appointed Don Revie as player/manager. Revie's radical vision was to transform the underachieving club into the Real Madrid of Yorkshire. Out went the old blue and gold and in came an all white strip. Although it seemed an act of arrogance at the time, it was all part of Revie's plan to make everyone believe that Leeds United were not just another make-weight club side. It was perhaps a measure of local cynicism (or "common sense" as they say in Yorkshire) that this radical change of strip was met with indifference.

Revie's regime made Leeds a major club in domestic and European competition. They stormed back into Division One in 1964 with an uncompromisingly physical style that won few friends. He then built sides capable of playing sublime football but which all too often cracked under pressure. In his ten year reign, Leeds won two League championships, one FA Cup and one League Cup. They were runners-up five times in Division One and lost three FA Cup Finals in the same period. When Revie left to manage the national side in 1974, the board appointed Brian Clough as manager but he alienated the players and was forced out after 44 days in the job. Jimmy Armfield took his place, sold off all the players Clough had brought in and took the club to the European Cup Final in 1975.

For the rest of the decade Leeds remained a strong side but did not challenge for honours and in 1982 they were relegated to Division Two. Eight years later United won the Division Two championship. Two seasons later, in 1992, United were crowned League champions for the third time. There followed a succession of high profile management appointments, dubious transfers and board room battles that eventually delivered the club into the hands of Peter Ridsdale. Between 1997 and 2002 the club never finished lower than fifth in the premiership while Ridsdale spent money as if it was water in an effort to secure success in Europe. Leeds came within a whisker of success but ultimately they failed and in 2004 they were relegated. The enormity of the debts run up by Ridsdale was such that creditors were prepared to consider almost any alternative to bankruptcy and after a protracted wrangle the club was sold. In the process Leeds were forced to sell off every player of any value and faced oblivion. In 2005, Ken Bates, the controversial one-time owner of Chelsea, bought the debt-ridden club.

At the end of the 2006-07 season, United were relegated to League One (the third tier) for the first time in their history. In an attempt to clear their debts, the club went into administration just before the end of the season (the ten-point penalty now made no difference - a loop hole promptly removed during the close season) and Bates offered to buy the club back from the administrators, initially offering creditors a paltry 1p in the pound. Despite finding that Leeds had not complied with their strict insolvency policy, the Football League Board allowed the club to continue in membership albeit with a further 15 point penalty applicable in the 2007-08 season. Despite this, Leeds almost overcame the disadvantage and reached the play-off final where they surprisingly lost to Doncaster.

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources