Oxford United

Kit History

Headington United

1893

1893 r

1897-1899 o

1913 l r

1921-1922 r

This might be a change kit.

1922-1925 o

1930-1931 o r

1934-1935 o

1935-1936 o r

1938-1949 b o

1949-1950 o r

1950-1951 o r

1952-1953 o r

1953-1954 r

1957-1958 o r

Oxford United

1960

1960-1963 o r

1963-1968 c d o r

1968-1970 n o r

1970-1972 e f o

1972-1973 o

1973-1975 j n o r

Umbro

1975-1977 j n o r

Admiral

1977-1978 q r

Admiral

1978-1980 h m o q r

Adidas

1980-1982 m r

Shirts sponsored from circa January 1982

Spall

1982-1984 n q r

All sponsors owned by Robert Maxwell

Spall

1984-1985 c e r

All sponsors owned by Robert Maxwell

Umbro

1985-1986 c e r

Umbro

1986-1987 e r

Umbro

1987-1988 j

1988-1989 j o r

Scoreline

1989-1991 j r

Matchwinner

1991-1993 e i o p r

Matchwinner

1993-1994 c p r

Manor Leisure

1994-1995 c p r

Manor Leisure

1995-1996 c p r

Own Brand

1996-1998 c r

New Balance

1998-2000 c r

New Balance

2000-2001 c p r

TFG Sports

2001-2003 c p

TFG Sports

2003-2005 c k p

TFG Sports

2005-2006 a p

Carlotti

2006-2007 m

Carlotti

2007-2008 m

Carlotti

2008-2009 m

Background

Headington United, an amateur village side founded in 1893, competed in local leagues until they joined the amateur Spartan League wearing dark blue and orange. Their original name was simply Headington, the United suffix being added in 1894. They led a nomadic existence until 1926, when they moved into the Manor Ground, which would be their home until 2001.

After the Second World War the club adopted a more ambitious attitude. They joined the Southern League in 1949, turned professional and adopted gold and black. A year later they installed floodlights, long before most Football League clubs, and in 1953, they won the Southern League title. In 1954 they reached the FA Cup fourth round proper, disposing of Millwall and Stockport County before losing to Bolton Wanderers, then in the First Division. With their sights set firmly on joining the Football League, Headington invested heavily in ground improvements.

The appointment of former Birmingham City manager, Arthur Turner in 1959 proved to be the key to success. In 1960, in an effort to gain wider recognition, Headington became Oxford United and went on to win two more Southern League championships.

In March 1962, Accrington Stanley resigned from the League. With only the last three Fourth Division clubs required to apply for re-election, there was a guaranteed place for a non-league side available when the League AGM convened in June. No fewer than 26 clubs applied: Oxford were overwhelmingly elected with 39 votes, 24 votes ahead of their nearest rivals who got a mere 5 votes.

After two years consolidating in Division Four, United were promoted and in 1968 they won the Third Division title. After eight seasons in Division Two United, now wearing blue and gold once again, were relegated in 1976. After five years languishing in the lower reaches of the Third Division and with financial problems crippling the club, millionaire publisher, Robert Maxwell bought Oxford United in January 1982 and saved them from bankruptcy. Under Maxwell's ownership, the teams wore a variety of sponsorship logos representing the various companies that were part of his publishing empire.

Two consecutive championships in 1984 and 1985 took Oxford into the First Division for the first time in their history. For three seasons, Oxford managed to stave off relegation and in the process, they won the League Cup in April 1986. Meanwhile, Maxwell was floating the idea of merging United with Reading FC to form a new club to be known as Thames Valley Royals. Naturally the proposals met with hostility from both sets of supporters and were eventually dropped. In 1991 Maxwell was lost at sea, presumed to have fallen from his yacht and drowned. Without his money, United were forced to sell off players and trim their costs. Inevitably they dropped into what was now called Division Two (the old Third Division) in 1994.

In 1995-96 the club was granted permission to build a new stadium to the south of Oxford and they won promotion. Financial problems, exacerbated by the rising costs of the new stadium, led to the club going into administration. A takeover and the sale of the Manor Ground for redevelopment saved the stricken club but the cost was consecutive relegations in 1999 and 2001, which left them in League Two, the lowest tier of the Football League. In 2001 they moved into the Kassam Stadium (named after Firoz Kassam, who had bought the club for £1 and saved them from bankruptcy). Due to the club's reduced circumstances, only three sides of the ground were completed: the building of a fourth stand was postponed until the club's fortunes revive.

Disaster struck in 2006 when they were relegated to the Conference on the last day of the season. By a cruel irony, one of the clubs promoted was the revived Accrington Stanley, whom United had replaced in 1962.

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources