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Product type | Sportswear Apparel Sports Equipment |
---|---|
Owner | Admiral Sportswear Ltd.[1] |
Country | England |
Markets | Worldwide |
Previous owners | Cook and Hurst (1914) |
Tagline | "Worn by Champions" |
Website | admiralsports |
Company | |
Founded | 1914 by Cook & Hurst Ltd.[2] |
Headquarters | Altrincham, Manchester |
Admiral is an English sportswear brand, with a manufacturing emphasis on clothing for association football. Founded in 1914 in Leicester, Admiral is one of the oldest sports brands in the UK and was originally an undergarment brand but switched to the manufacture of apparel for sports that have included cricket, cycling and athletics, as well as football. The Admiral logo was formally registered with the trademark office on 6 September 1922. The company reached the peak of its success in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s through a series of football team sponsorships.
Some of the teams most notably sponsored by Admiral were the England national team, Leeds United, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Kerala Blasters and some teams of the now-defunct NASL.[3]
The Admiral brand was brought back to life by a Manchester firm established by a local entrepreneur,[4] "Admiral Sportswear Ltd.", which in 2011 acquired rights to manufacture and market footwear, clothing and accessories.[1]
History
[edit]Beginning
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Cook_hurst_female_workers.jpg/250px-Cook_hurst_female_workers.jpg)
"Cook & Hurst Ltd.", a Leicester-based manufacturing company of underwear established by Christopher Cook and Harold Hurst in Wigston in 1908, created the 'Admiral' trademark in 1914 to brand their products. When England won the World Cup in 1966, Bert Patrick, the owner of Cook & Hurst Ltd, commenced manufacturing and marketing football kits.[5] The kits sales were aimed at the juvenile market and through selling connections in the sports retail trade. Bert Patrick believed that the advent of coloured television would enable him to persuade football clubs to accept personalised kits which his designers would produce and then register them under the Design Copyright Act. There was stiff opposition to his ideas from all sections of the public.
1970s: Leeds and England
[edit]Through its connection with Leeds United, Admiral pioneered the introduction and development of the replica kit market in the UK.[6] In the 1973–74 season, Leeds United wore the first visibly branded kit in the English top flight.[7]
Realising the potential of the replica kit market, Admiral brokered a deal with the Football Association in 1974 to produce the first commercially available England shirt that featured a sportswear manufacturers logo. They agreed a five-year contract for a starting payment of £15,000 a year or a 10 per cent royalty.
Other clubs
[edit]Admiral signed up other big clubs alongside Leeds United, such as Manchester United,[2] Coventry City, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, and West Ham. It also developed outside England, signing sides Aberdeen, Dundee and Motherwell in Scotland, Yugoslavian club Red Star Belgrade, Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, the Italian clubs Bologna and Monza, the Swiss club Servette, Swedish club Malmö, and the Indian club Kerala Blasters, in addition to the national teams of Belgium, Saudi Arabia and Wales. Admiral also produced kits for many of the NASL teams during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had a replica licensing deal with some clubs, and for two seasons produced the uniforms for every team in the MISL.
1980s: Decline and rebirth
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Admiral_england_shirt.jpg/170px-Admiral_england_shirt.jpg)
Admiral began the decade with the launch of a new England kit in 1980,[8][9] the first new kit in nearly 6 years. This kit was first worn in a 3–1 win over Argentina at Wembley Stadium on 13 May, and lasted until 1983.[10] However, the 1980s marked a period of decline for the Admiral brand, as it began to lose the contracts with the major clubs to domestic rival Umbro and new international entrant Adidas.
Even though Admiral still held the England kit contract, one of the most valuable in the world[citation needed], the company was declared bankrupt in 1982. The brand reappeared on the market for the 1983–84 season producing the same double pinstripe design for both Leicester City and Notts County. Towards the end of the 1980s Bradford City, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Hull City, Swansea City and Wrexham were added to the Admiral roster.
1990s
[edit]Admiral entered the 1990s well placed to build upon its widespread recognition and continued to supply clubs including Dynamo Kyiv, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Charlton Athletic, Wimbledon, Hearts, Motherwell, Rangers, Partizan Belgrade and many more. In 1992 after Leeds United had won the last Football League division One title before the advent of the Premier League they negotiated a deal to make their kits for the following season.
After a period of relative inactivity during the mid-1990s, the Admiral trademark was acquired by Hay & Robertson plc in 1997, and ownership was transferred to International Brand Licensing plc in a demerger in 2002.
2000
[edit]In 2000, Admiral entered the world of cricket and was the official kit supplier to the England cricket team until 2008 (the sponsorship was then taken over by Adidas). By 2001, it had also become the kit supplier to the West Indies and South Africa cricket teams as well as supplying the Canadian team for the 2003 Cricket World Cup held in South Africa. However, Admiral kept its connection with English football by sponsoring Leeds United until the end of the 2007–08 season.
2010
[edit]In the 2010s, Admiral continues to sponsor a number of football teams around the world.[4][11]
In 2011, Admiral Sportswear Limited acquired the rights of the Admiral trademark for most of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, with the intention of revitalizing the heritage sports brand.[1][12][13]
In 2016, Wimbledon won promotion to EFL League One[14] wearing Admiral. This is the highest position the club has held in the football league. In Italy Cisalfa Sport have the exclusive licence to retail Admiral Performance and Essentials.
As part of the regeneration project Admiral started to work and collaborate with different design partners.[15] The first of these was with Represent,[16] shown at the 2019 Milan Fashion Week[17]
2020
[edit]In September 2020, the "Admiral Sporting Goods Co." line was launched. The line, that took inspiration from pre-1966 sportswear, was composed of t-shirts, hoodies, and accessories.[18] the projects first collaboration was with Acme Whistles the inventors of the first ever pea whistle.
Also that year, the company together with Wellgosh made a special common release.[19][20] In the same year Admiral released a special project with The Jam and The Style Council.
In 2022 Admiral entered into a long-term partnership with ProDirect Sport, becoming the exclusive supplier of cricket and football teamwear throughout the UK and Ireland.[21] Following, the deal Admiral launched a teamwear deal with Walthamstow FC and William Morris Gallery.[22] The shirt was widely regarded as one of the best kit launches of the year and eventually won the D&AD Wood Pencil for Printed Graphics [23]
Following the success of multiple Music partnerships Admiral and Bob Marley launched a special release in connection with the Bob Marley: One Love reissuing the iconic tracksuit worn during the Battersea Park football matches.
Sponsorships
[edit]Admiral currently provides kit uniforms for the following teams:
Association football
[edit]National teams
[edit]Leagues
[edit]Club teams
[edit]Dagenham & Redbridge
Walthamstow F.C.
Europa Point
Aigaleo FC
Anagennisi Karditsa F.C.
Apollon Smyrnis F.C.
Volos F.C.
Jubilo Iwata
SCSA Eagles
Gremio FC SD[24]
AC Miracle Hill[25]
Boca Raton
Greater Lowell United
New Orleans Jesters
Sioux Falls Thunder
Inter Nashville
Tyler
Sonoma County Sol
Milwaukee Torrent[26]
Dayton Dynamo
Demize NPSL
Kitsap Pumas
Cleveland
Jersey Express
Tri-Cities
West Virginia Alliance
Harrisburg Heat
Corpus Christi
Austin Bold
Santa Ana Winds
Temecula
Players
[edit]Cricket
[edit]Golf
[edit]Volley Ball
[edit]Tennis
[edit]Music and Showbitz
[edit]Former sponsorships
[edit]National teams
[edit]Club teams
[edit]Beerschot
Bolívar
Vancouver Whitecaps
Whitecaps
Altrincham F.C.
Aldershot Town
Barnsley
Birmingham City
Bolton Wanderers
Bradford City
Brighton & Hove Albion
Bristol City
Carlisle United
Charlton Athletic
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Derby County
Exeter
Grimsby Town
Hereford
Huddersfield
Hull City
Leeds United
Leicester City
Leyton Orient
Luton Town
Manchester United[3]
Middlesbrough
Newcastle United[32]
Notts County
Norwich
Oxford United
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Port Vale
Portsmouth
Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United
Shrewsbury Town
Southend United
Southampton
Stockport County
Stoke
Tottenham Hotspur
Wallsall
West Ham United
AFC Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Wolverhampton Wanderers
York City
Eintracht Frankfurt
Panathinaikos
Almyros F.C.
Kerala Blasters (2017–2018)[33]
Rastakhiz[34]
Beitar Jerusalem
Hapoel Haddera
Maccabi Netanya
Hapoel Haifa
Shamrock Rovers
St Patrick's
Ascoli
CITTA DI SORA
Aprilia
Bologna
Catania
Foggia
Frosinone
Empoli
Siena FC SSD
ASD GC Sora
Avispa Fukuoka
T-Team
Utrecht
Dordrecth
Sparta Rotterdam
Twente
De Graafschap
Portadown F.C.
Puerto Rico Islanders
Kaizer Chiefs F.C.[35]
Rangers
Motherwell
Aberdeen
Arbroath
East Fife
Dumbarton
Dundee
Forfar Athletic
Hamilton Academical
Queen's Park F.C.
Motherwell
St Johnstone
St Mirren
Inverness Caledonian
Hearts
Hibernian
Malmö
IFK Göteborg
Servette
Fenerbahçe
Trabzonspor
Dynamo Kyiv
Crvena Zvezda
Partizan Belgrade
California Surf[3]
New York Cosmos (1979)[3]
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Los Angeles Aztecs
Seattle Sounders
Houston Hurricanes
Minnesota Kicks
Tacoma Stars
Temecula
Detroit Express
Las Vegas Quicksilvers
Chicago Sting
Atlanta Chiefs
Oklahoma City
Portland Timbers
Edmonton Drillers
Philadelphia Fury
Cardiff
Swansea
Wrexham
Basketball
[edit]Karşıyaka 1997/98
Cycling
[edit]Cricket
[edit]F1
[edit]Golf
[edit]Kabaddi
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Iconic Admiral sports brand to be revived by investors by Adam Jupp on The Manchester Evening News, 14 Mar 2011
- ^ a b History on Admiral website
- ^ a b c d Publicidad retro: el estilo Admiral Por Eugenio Palopoli on Arte y Sport, 24 Jul 2012
- ^ a b Admiral Sportswear to launch retro leisure range on The Manchester Evening News, 14 Feb 2012
- ^ "One man's vision saw a mega money boom and almost changed Liverpool's identity". talkSPORT. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Bert Patrick obituary". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Meet the man who created the replica football shirt market by Theo Merz on The Telegraph, 17 June 2014
- ^ a b Admiral 1980-83 England home
- ^ England's home uniform 1980-83 on England Football Online
- ^ England national team 1980-83 on Historical Football Kits
- ^ "Why Admiral's 'flashy' England strip now commands respect". BBC News. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Revitalizing Admiral - The Story So Far" Archived 18 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. The official Admiral Sportswear website. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ Jupp, Adam (14 March 2011). "Iconic Admiral sports brand to be revived by investors". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ How AFC Wimbledon won promotion on BBC, 30 May 2016
- ^ "Admiral sportswear brand relaunches in the UK". Retro to Go. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Represent
- ^ Represent Links up with Admiral for a Vintage Styled Football Capsule by Sam Cole on Complex UK, Nov 15, 2018
- ^ Introducing... Admiral Sporting Goods by Mark Smith on Proper, 6 Sep 2020
- ^ Jones, Becky; Pegden, Tom (11 January 2021). "Family-run Leicester clothes store bought by JD Sports". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Jones, Becky (17 September 2020). "New sportswear range by Wellgosh and Admiral celebrates city". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Angelucci, Cristina (6 October 2022). "Admiral and Prodirect announce long term strategic licensing deal". Licensing Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Elgueta, Adriana (1 August 2023). "Walthamstow FC to play in William Morris-inspired kit". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2024/238184/william-morris-gallery-x-walthamstow-fc-william-morris-inspired-football-kit-by-admiral/
- ^ Gremio SD uniforms on Admiral website (21 Oct 2020)
- ^ Admiral partners with AC Miracle Hill, 21 Dec 2018
- ^ Admiral on Milwaukee Torrent, 25 Jan 2018
- ^ New sections launched on USA Cricket, 20 Jun 2018
- ^ "Admiral Team up with the Jam & the Style Council for Limited Edition Shirts".
- ^ "The Jam, the Style Council and Admiral". 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Admiral Produce Football Shirt for Australian Band DMA's".
- ^ "Admiral Sports and Bob Marley's New Collaboration Taps into Football History". 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Once worn by Newcastle United, the rise and fall of the Admiral sportswear brand". 27 October 2022.
- ^ Abdul Shekkeer (30 October 2017). "ISL 2017: Kerala Blasters unveil kit partners for upcoming season". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ The Resurrection of Khorramshahr (1357)
- ^ "Chiefs VS Wits 1978 Part 5". YouTube. 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Vintage 70s United States Golf Association USGA Member Jacket Official Sz L Rare".