Dundee United

Kit History

1909-1910 r s

1910-1913 r

1913-1915 f r s

1919-1922 f r s

Aug-Oct1923 a f r s

Oct 1923-1927 r s

Aug-Oct 1927 r

Nov 1927-1928 r

1927-1928 r

1928-1929 r

1929-1930 f r

1930-Oct 1932 r

Oct 1932-1934 r

1934-1936 r

1936-1940 a f r

1945-1948 r

1948-Dec1949 r

Jan1950-1955 r t

1955-1957 r

1957-1959 r

1959-1960 f

1960-1961 r

1961-1962 r

1962-1964 r

1964-1966 r

1966-1969 c d r

1969-1971 a r

1971-1972 a

1973-1974 alt a r

1973-1976 a r

1977-circa1982 c f

1982-1983 n p

1983-1984 m

1984-1987 p

1987-1988 p

1988-1989 p

1989-1991 p

1991-1993 k n p q

1993-1994 f g p

1994-1996 p

1996-1997 p

1997-1998 o

1998-1999 f p

1999-2000 o p

2000-2001 n

2001-2002 b

2002-2003 j

2003-2004 i

2004-2006 f i

Hummel

2006-2007 f u

Hummel

2007-2008 f v

Hummel

2008-2009 f v

Background

During the late 19th century Irish communities throughout Scotland, inspired by the examples of Hibernian (Edinburgh) and Celtic (Glasgow), had formed their own clubs. It was not until August 1909 that Dundee Hibernian was formed. They moved into Clepington Park, former home of Dundee Wanderers and renamed it Tannadice.

The club played for a single season in the Northern League before the amalgamation of Ayr and Ayr Parkhouse created a gap in the Scottish League and Dundee Hibs were elected to fill the vacancy. They competed at this level without distinction until 1915 when the Second Division was suspended. The member clubs then formed regional competitions and Hibs joined the Eastern League.

The first derby against their near neighbours and arch-rivals Dundee FC was played in 1915, the Dens Park club (who played in the First Division) running out 4-0 winners.

Events immediately after the war are confused. According to the official website, Dundee Hibernian resigned in protest at the failure of the Scottish League to reinstate the Second Division in 1919 and rejoined the Eastern League, which they won in 1920. In June 1920 the club successfully re-applied for Scottish League membership but once again the First Division clubs refused to allow the Second Division to restart and all 16 Second Division members resigned and formed the rebel Central League. Research by Brian McColl, however, suggests that the Second Division clubs were effectively disenfranchised in 1917 and the Second Division formally abandoned the following year (which means that Hibs could not have resigned twice!).

The rebel Central League proved highly successful, not least because members offered higher wages than those permitted in the Scottish League, resulting in a number of players defecting. In 1921 the First Division clubs agreed to reinstate the Second Division by incorporating the Central League and introducing automatic promotion and relegation for the first time.

Unfortunately, Dundee Hibernian finished in 19th position and lost their place. The following season they played in the Scottish Alliance where they performed poorly and in 1922 the club went bust. A consortium of local businessman stepped in with a plan to broaden the club's appeal by abandoning its Irish roots. The reformed club was named Dundee City and the green jerseys were discarded in favour of white and black. A campaign was launched to secure election back into the Second Division, which proved successful but following objections from Dundee FC, the club’s name was changed to Dundee United in October 1923. While this matter was in dispute, the club continued to be known as Dundee Hibernian and their new club crest featured the letters "DH" superimposed on the city's coat of arms. The crest was dropped once the matter was settled.

In 1925 and 1929 the reformed club won the Second Division championship and they were promoted as runners-up in 1931 but their career in the First Division proved brief on each occasion.

In 1959-60, United won promotion after twenty-seven undistinguished seasons in the Second Division but this time they consolidated. During this period they wore predominantly all-white kits. In the mid-1960s United played as the Dallas Tornadoes in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the close season wearing "Columbia blue and burnt orange." In 1969 they adopted orange in the Scottish League but as blue was worn by their rivals Dundee FC, black was substituted instead. The arrival of Jim McLean as manager in 1971 and the introduction of a strong youth policy marked their transition from an average First Division side to one that would challenge the dominance of the Old Firm. In 1979-80, United won the Scottish League Cup, retaining it the following season. In 1983 they won the Premier Division title and were hailed, along with Aberdeen as the “New Firm.” The following season United reached the semi-finals of the European Cup and in 1987 they were beaten finalists in the UEFA Cup.

McLean retired in 1993 after a remarkable 22 years in charge and his place was taken by Ivan Golac who won the Scottish Cup in his first season in charge, United’s sixth final appearance. In 1995 United were relegated to the First Division, but bounced back the following season after a dramatic extra-time win in the play-off against Partick Thistle. The following season they finished third in the Premiership.

Since that success, United have struggled to maintain their status in the top flight and have yet to recapture their previous glory.

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources