Historical Football Kits

 

Npower League Two 2011 - 2012

npower sponsor of league two at HFKOver the last six season eight of the 12 clubs promoted to League Two from the Conference had never previously played in the Football League. The latest new boys are Crawley Town and AFC Wimbledon, whose elevation completes a ten-year ambition to restore league football to the borough. Members of League Two are constrained to fund their running costs (including players' wages) out of turnover rather than loans.

(Contributors are credited in brackets. Opinions expressed on this page are those of HFK and not contributors.)

Accrington Stanley

accrington stanley fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

accrington stanley fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Samurai

Sponsor: Clever Boxes.com

White shorts and hooped socks, not to mention a flappy collar, give Stanley's new home strip a distinctly retro feel. Despite their name, the kit supplier is a privately-owned English company that supplies a substantial number of rugby clubs with bespoke kits. The away strip is in white and dark grey.

(Arthur Coburn, Colin Russell)

 

Aldershot Town

aldershot town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

aldershot town fc away kit 2011-12

Away

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: EBB Paper

The addition of gold to the new Errea shirts is gilding the lily of what are otherwise very fine strips. The home outfit recalls those worn by the original Aldershot FC in the Eighties.

The coverage of the launch on the club's website is a triumph of misplaced market-speak that Alan Partridge would be proud of. Apparently the excitement from...EBB...is fantastic. They are excited of (sic) being part of us and part of something that we can build on. EBB have sponsored the team's shirts on and off since 2006, stepping aside when a better deal has been available.

(Martin Gooday, Chris Heath)

 

Barnet

barnet fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

barnet fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Surridge

Sponsor: Pulse

After supply problems last year Barnet have switched to Surridge and have their new kits in place in time for the start of the season. At home they will be in familiar deep amber and black while the smart away kit is trimmed in a novel shade of magenta, possibly a reference to the colours worn by the original Barnet FC in the 1880s. The team wore "special edition" strips during the pre-season games.

(Andrew Mihaleff)

 

Bradford City

bradford city afc 2011-12 home kit

Home

bradford city afc 2011-12 away kit

Away

bradford city 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Map Group UK

Although it is good to see City playing once again in stripes, it is a shame they have chosen Nike's new jagged design, which we don't expect will be around for long. The novelty of the "cherry voltage" away kit is rather diminished as Southend unveiled their own version earlier in the summer. Neither set is deemed suitable to wear against teams in red so a plain black strip is also available and was used for the first time against Accrington in August (with claret home shorts).

(Colin Russell, Graham Siddons)

 

Bristol Rovers

bristol rovers 2011-12 home kit

Home

bristol Rovers away kit 2011-12

Away

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: McCarthy Waste Management (Home), ITS Couriers (Away)

The new Rovers home shirt is everything a die-hard supporter could wish for. There are no superfluous design flourishes to detract from the classic quartered design, with a neat blue collar and reversed cuffs. It's such a shame that it is worn with blue shorts, which in my book, never look as good as white with that top. Green and black return (last seen in 2008-09) for the away strip.

Rovers run a lottery for their shirt sponsorship and this season a Bristol waste management company appear on the home top while an Edinburgh-based courier is on the away. ITS' owner, Gary Fyvie Olds, is a Bristolian and lifelong Gashead.

(Andrew Claridge)

 

Burton Albion

burton albion 2011-12 home kit

Home

burton albion 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Tag

Sponsor: Mr Cropper

It is a long time since Albion have worn striped shirts, 15 years in fact, and they have never before turned out in stripes as broad as these. The away kit is unchanged except that the secondary shorts sponsorship is moved to the rear, where it should have been all along.

(Dan Bower)

 

Cheltenham Town

cheltenham town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

cheltenham town fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Mira Showers

The new Cheltenham home strip is in ruby red, the club's original colours, and marks their 125th anniversary. The away strip is unchanged.

 

Crawley Town

crawley town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

crawley town fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

crawley town fc 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Global Freight Solutions

For their first ever season in the Football League, Crawley have dropped their previous supplier, Lotto, in favour of Puma and are wearing variations of their popular King design. The signature double stripe is rendered in white and gold on the home shirt. A new crest has been commissioned and appears for the first time.

(Jordan Knott)

 

Crewe Alexandra

crewe alexandra fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

crewe alexandra fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Carbrini

Sponsor: Mornflake

Bradford kit supplier ABL get the elbow and Crewe have entered the warm embrace of JD Sports' Carbrini brand this season. The broad shadow stripes give the home shirt a distinctly 1980s feel although the trim is very modern. The club have opted for a simple all-black away strip with just a little red trim.

(Andrew Mihaleff)

 

Dagenham & Redbridge

dagenham & redbridge fc home kit 2011-12

Home

dagenham & redbridge fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Vandanel

Sponsor: West & Coe Funeral Directors

The Daggers are wearing a new home strip that is predominantly red with attractive blue and white trim, reversed on the shorts. As usual, their shirt sponsors have tastefully omitted the nature of their business from the logo worn on the shirts although it does appear on advertisements at the club's ground. The away strip is unchanged but is generally worn with green shorts. Apparently the black ones caused players to misplace their passes. Of course they did.

(Ben Palmer)

 

Gillingham

gillingham fc home kit 2011-12

Home

gillingham fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

gillingham fc 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Vandanel

Sponsor: Mems Energy Generation

The Gills have gone for a coordinated wardrobe look with three strips in the same template in blue, black and a very cheeky pink. Although photographs on the club's website appear to show that the blue is a distinctly lighter shade than usual, eye-witness reports confirm it is a conventional mid-blue.

(Chris Matterface, Lee Capeling, Simon Chaplin, Terry Morley)

 

Hereford United

hereford united fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

hereford united 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Admiral

Sponsor: Cargill

Hereford have replaced the bright orange away strip worn last season with an all-black affair with narrow red hoops on the shirt, mirroring the home shirt, which is unchanged. Black shorts are worn with both sets but white ones are available when needed.

(Richard Evans)

 

Macclesfield Town

macclesfield town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

macclesfield town 2011-12 away kit

Away

macclesfield town fc 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Voi Jeans

Macclesfield stick with Adidas and their latest templates. The home strip is all-blue, a style that has frequently turned up in the team's kit history. The reversed seams on the body have three white threads running along them to mirror the Adidas trademark stripes.

White shirts were worn for Macclesfield's final match at Southend because their other choices were both too similar to the home team's navy shirts.

(Alexander Perkin, David Rafelle)

 

Morecambe

morecambe fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

morecambe fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Bench

Smart as it is, I think we're all going to get a little tired of the new Puma King design before the season is finished. Morecambe's away kit does have the spark of originality about it, however.

(Matt Cannon)

 

Northampton Town

northampton town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

northampton town fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

northampton town 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Jackson Grundy

Cobblers' supporters chose the new season's strips and opted to revive the claret shirts with white sleeves that were worn when the team played in the First Division in 1965. This smart outfit has always been popular and has been revived many times. Yellow and claret, another popular combination, is reintroduced on the away kit. Last season's change shirts were worn at Aldershot in August.

(Bill Craven)

 

Oxford United

oxford united fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

oxford united fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Bridle

The stripes worn last season did not, apparently, go down very well with supporters so it's back to predominantly yellow tops. The away shirt can be worn with the home shorts and socks if necessary.

(Jim Brown, Graham Barr)

 

Plymouth Argyle

plymouth argyle home kit august-september 2011

Home

plymouth argyle fc away kit aug-september 2011

Away

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Bond Timber Merchants

Argyle's 125th anniversary has not been a happy one so far. After going into administration in March, the club was relegated with a ten-point penalty and started pre-season with just eleven registered players, who, like the staff, have not received their salaries in full since March. A bid brokered by acting chairman, Peter Ridsdale who joined them as "football consultant" last September eventually fell through. The adminstrators belatedly allowed alternative bids to be considered and in October a consortium led by local hotelier James Brent took over.

The team started the season wearing training kit from Puma's basic catalogue (Powercat 5.10 as it happens) with replacements due to be delivered in September. These were cancelled after the BIL bid collapsed.

(Craig Morris, Jon Rosevear, Bill Craven)

 

Port Vale

port vale 2010-12 home kit

Home

port vale fc 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Vandanel

Sponsor: Harlequin Property

The new asymmetrical away kit is one of the smarter of the grey outfits to have appeared this year. Black and amber trim is included as a reference to Vale's traditional colours but we are not at all sure about the off-centre collar. The home strip is unchanged.

(Lee Capeling, Martin Gooday)

 

Rotherham United

rotherham united 2011-12 home kit

Home

rotherham united 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Parkgate Shopping Centre (H), One Town One Community (A)

Puma's King template is the basis of the Millers' new strips. Both home and away outfits are new this season because of the change of supplier. The logo on the away strip promotes a council initiative to bring people from different ethnic and cultural communities together.

 

Shrewsbury Town

shrewsbury town fc 2011-12 home kit

Home

shrewsbury town fc away kit 2010-12

Away

shrewsbury town fc 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Joma

Sponsor: Greenhous

The striped shirts worn in the late-Seventies are fondly remembered at Gay Meadow so it comes as no surprise that fans voted overwhelmingly in favour of their return in a poll last year. Last season's change kit is retained and the blue anniversary strip will have another outing, with blue shorts, at Bradford City. A fourth kit is rumoured for use at Dagenham & Redbridge.

(Matt Cannon, Danny Davies)

 

Southend United

southend united 2011-12

Home

southend united 2011-12 away kit

Away

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Insure And Go

Nike's chevron shirt looks extremely smart in navy and white and, for the first time since the club reverted to navy blue a decade ago, is worn with white shorts and socks. In fact the last time they teamed navy shirts with white shorts was in 1968.

Southend unveiled their new away strip in their final match of last season. White shorts and socks can be worn when necessary. The shirt colour is "cherry voltage" - electric fruit then.

(Dave Hennell)

 

Swindon Town

swindon town 2011-12 home kit

Home

swindon town fc fa cup strip 2011-12

FA Cup

swindon town fc away kit 2011-12

Away

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Samsung (Home), EA Games FIFA 12 (Away), Sunday People (FA Cup)

Once again Swindon, who were relegated last season, are wearing standard Adidas templates. It seems a little odd
not to choose the same design for home and away strips but perhaps that would be a bit anal.

The FA Cup strip was worn in Swindon's famous third round victory against Wigan Athletic.

(Al Gordon, Neil Rawlings)

 

Torquay United

torquay united 2011-12 home kit

Home

torquay united away kit 2010-12

Away

torquay united 2011-12 third kit

Third

Designer: Vandanel

Sponsor: Spark World

It would be hard to beat the terrific all-yellow strip with gold and blue trim Torquay have worn for the past two seasons but Vandanel have come close with a new strip with vertical blue stripes down the left hand side. The brilliant black change strip with yellow gull-wing motifs is retained from last season. The third strip made several appearances late in the season and is simply a white version of the previous home strip.

(Matt Cannon, Bill Craven, David Watson)

 

AFC Wimbledon

afc wimbledon 2011-12 home kit

Home

afc wimbledon 2010-12 away kit

Away

afc wimbledon 2011-13 third kit

Third

afc wimbledon 2011 commemorative kit

Special

Designer: Tempest Sports

Sponsor: Sports Interactive (H), Football Manager (A, 3rd)

A mere ten years after the club was formed by supporters infuriated by the announcement that their team would move to Milton Keynes, AFC Wimbledon are in the Football League. Many of their supporters would say they are back in the Football League. The club retain their strips for two seasons so the home and away are unchanged while the new third strip, chosen by supporters, will be kept until 2013. In July the club announced that a special commemorative shirt, based on that worn by the original Wimbledon FC when they were elected to the Football League would be worn in their first match. For copyright reasons, a single blue stripe replaces the three stripes of the Adidas original.

(Mark Randall, James Clyde)