Historical Football Kits

 

Livingston

Formed 1943

Elected to Scottish Division Two 1974

Kit History

1943-1953 a c e

1953-1957 e

1957-1959 e

1959-1960 e

early 1960s c

mid 1960s c

late 1960s c

1973-1974 e

1974-1975 c

1975-1977 c

early 1977-1978 e

Admiral

late 1977-1981 c e g

Admiral

1981-1982 e

1983-1984 b c

Umbro

1984-1985 c

Umbro

1985-1987 c

Umbro

1987-1990 c e

New Olympic

1992-1993 f

New Olympic

1993-1994 c

Russell Athletic

1995-1996 c

Russell Athletic

1996-1997 c

Russell Athletic

1997-1998 c

Russell Athletic

1998-1999 c

Russell Athletic

1999-2000 c

Russell Athletic

2000-2001 c

Jerzees

2001-2002 c d

Jerzees

2002-2003 c d

Jerzees

2003-2004 c d

Xara

2004-2005 c d

Xara

2005-2006 c d

Xara

2006-2007 c d

Nike

2007-2008 c

 

Background

The club was originally known as Ferranti Thistle and were the works team of the giant Edinburgh based electronics firm, Ferranti. They competed in the Eastern League until they were elected to the Scottish League to even up the numbers prior to the restructuring of the league and introduction of the Premier Division in 1974. (The Second Division had consisted of 19 clubs since the demise of Third Lanark, a situation that meant one club was without a game every weekend.) The little club's elevation caused a storm of protest in the north of Scotland where a number of famous Highland League teams believed they had a better claim than this upstart works team and it was clear that Thistle had been favoured because the teams from central Scotland that dominated the Scottish League did not relish the prospect of trips to the far north. The controversy deepened when it became apparent that Ferranti Thistle's City Park ground (once the home of Edinburgh City) did not meet the required standard and, furthermore, objections were made about a top level senior side carrying the name of a commercial company. The problem was solved by hiring the Commonwealth Stadium from Edinburgh City Council for home games and changing the club's name to Meadowbank Thistle. While their new home met modern safety requirements, being an all-purpose stadium, it lacked the atmosphere of a purpose built ground and as tenants, Thistle often had to rearrange their home matches to avoid clashing with other scheduled events. One one occasion, they were forced to postpone a game because a dog show was being held in the rooms below the main stand!

In their early days, Meadowbank were the whipping boys, finishing at or near the bottom of the Second Division (now the third tier) on a regular basis but by the early 1980s their performances improved and in 1983 Meadowbank were promoted to the First Division (second tier). Two seasons later they were back in the lowest division but in 1987 they won promotion for the second time, this time as Division Two champions, the club's first senior honour. Alas in 1993 they were relegated once more but the following season they finished sufficiently high in the table to retain their place in the Scottish Second Division when another restructuring created a fourth level. In 1995, however, the inevitable happened and Meadowbank were relegated to the Scottish Third Division.

It was clear to everyone that Meadowbank had no future trying to compete with the likes of Hearts and Hibs playing in a stadium built for athletics. The club was then bought by Bill Hunter, who took the bold decision to relocate to the new town of Livingston in West Lothian. In the process the club was completely reinvented with a smart all-black kit to go with their new name and Almondvale stadium, built by Hunter's construction company.

The transformation was little short of miraculous: within five years Livingston had risen through the divisions to reach the Scottish Premier League and in 2001 they finished in third place, earning themselves a place in the UEFA Cup. Success came at a price, however, and in 2004 the club went into financial administration. Only weeks later, in March 2004, "Livi" met Hibernian at Hampden Park in the CIS Cup Final (formerly the Scottish League Cup), triumphing 2-0 to win their first major trophy. In May 2005 the club emerged from administration under the control of the Lionhearts Consortium, who had stepped in the previous summer to ensure the club's survival, albeit at the expenses of relegation to the Scottish First Division (tier two).

With grateful thanks to Alex Horsburgh.

Sources