Queen's Park Rangers
Formed 1882
Founder member of Division Three 1920
Kit History
1886 a
1892 a
1897 a
1901-1902 a
1904-1905 a
1905-1915 a
1920-1922 a
1922-1924 p
1927-1928
1932-1933 a
1936-1937 a
1938-1939 a
1946-1948 a
Nov 1948-49 a g
1949-1950 a
1950-1953 a
1953-1954 a
1955-1959 b
1959-19601 a
1960-1962 f
1962-1963
1963-1974 a
1974-Jan1975 c k o
Feb 1975 late d
August 1975 c k
Nov 1975-76 c
1975-76 late k
1976-1977 k
1977-1978 c k
1978-1980 c
1980-1982 n
1982-1983 a k
1983-1985 a i
1985-1986 a
1986-1987 a
1987-1989 d f
1989-1990 a i
Aug-Dec 1990 a i m
Jan 1991-1992 a h i
1992-1993 a h i l
1993-1994 c
1994-1995 c
1995-1996 c
1996-1997 c
1997-1999 a
1999-2000 c
2000-2001 c
2001-2002 c
2002-2003 c
2003-2005 c
2005-2006 e
2006-2007 e
2009-2010 e
Background
In 1882 a group of former pupils from Droop Street
School formed themselves into a football team named St Jude’s FC after
the Institute where they had their headquarters. In 1886 the club merged
with Christchurch Rangers and adopted the name of Queen’s Park Rangers,
after the Queen’s Park district where most of the members lived.
In 1892 QPR adopted green and white hoops and entered the West London League. In 1894-95 they won the London Cup and entered the FA Cup for the first time. Faced with their top players being poached by other clubs, Rangers decided to turn professional in December 1898 and the following season they were admitted to the Southern League. In 1908 they won the Southern League championship and, in anticipation of being elected to Division Two of the Football League, they resigned. When Tottenham Hotspur were elected instead, Rangers had to go cap in hand to be readmitted. Although they were successful, they had to play all their games in midweek as the fixture list had already been drawn up.
In 1919, having played on no fewer than eleven grounds, Rangers took over the Loftus Road stadium of Shepherds Bush FC and this has remained their home ever since. The following season, Rangers joined the Football League when the old Southern League Division One was incorporated as Division Three. Having finished bottom twice and survived two re-election campaigns (1924 and 1926), a new manager was brought in and the broad blue and white hooped shirts that have become firmly associated with the club were adopted. In 1931 the club moved to the White City but this proved a financial disaster and a year later they were back at Loftus Road.
Success finally arrived in 1948 when Rangers were promoted as champions of Division Three (South). With rationing still in force, the club appealed to fans to donate coupons to replace their kit and in 1948-49 they played in blue shirts with white sleeves as a result. Hoops were restored in 1949-50 but after Rangers were relegated in 1952, they were dropped in favour of plain white shirts. The hoops were reinstated in 1960.
The 1966-67 season was the club’s most successful season to date. They not only won the Third Division championship, but also the League Cup beating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 after trailing 0-2 at half-time. In 1968 they were promoted to Division One but were relegated at the end of the season. In 1973 they were promoted back to the top flight and three years later they finished as runners-up in Division One to qualify for Europe for the first time. 1979 brought relegation once again.
In 1981 Rangers became the first English club to install an artificial playing surface. Having reached the FA Cup final in 1982, they won the Second Division in 1983 but the plastic pitch proved deeply unpopular with visiting sides and in 1988 it was replaced with turf.
In 1996 the club was relegated from what was now the Premier League and at the end of the season Chris Wright, the club’s chairman and owner of Chrysalis Records took a controlling interest in the club. After buying Wasps RUFC and relocating them to Loftus Road, Wright restructured the two clubs under the banner of Loftus Road plc and floated the new company on the stock exchange, realising £12m. On the pitch, however, results were poor and the club was relegated to Nationwide Division Two (the old Third Division) in 2001.
In 2004, Rangers returned to Nationwide Division
One (now The Championship).
Sources
- (a) Queen's Park Rangers FC (Images of Sport: Tony Williamson)
- (b) Southend United FC (Images of Sport)
- (c) empics
- (d) Sporting Heroes
- (e) QPR Official Website
- (f) Football Focus
- (g) Barry Thompkins
- (h) John Lewis
- (i) David King
- (j) Football Shirt Culture
- (k) Alick Milne
- (l) Craig Sully
- (m) Simon Ståål
- (n) Simon Wise
- (o) Steven Browne
- (p) Simon Ståål (Pathe News clip)