 | |
| Product type | SportswearApparelSports 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; 111 years ago (1914) by Cook & Hurst Ltd.[2] |
| Headquarters | Altrincham, Manchester |
Admiral is anEnglishsportswear brand, with a manufacturing emphasis on clothing forassociation football. Founded in 1914 inLeicester, Admiral is one of the oldest sports brands in the UK and was originally anundergarment brand but switched to the manufacture of apparel for sports that have includedcricket,cycling andathletics, as well as football. The Admiral logo was formally registered with thetrademark 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 theEngland national team,Leeds United,Manchester United,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Kerala Blasters and some teams of the now-defunctNASL.[3]
The Admiral brand was brought back to life by aManchester firm established by a localentrepreneur,[4] "Admiral Sportswear Ltd.", which in 2011 acquired rights to manufacture and marketfootwear,clothing and accessories.[1]
"Cook & Hurst Ltd.", aLeicester-basedmanufacturing company ofunderwear established by Christopher Cook and Harold Hurst inWigston in 1908, created the 'Admiral' trademark in 1914 to brand their products. When England won theWorld 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.
Through its connection withLeeds United, Admiral pioneered the introduction and development of thereplica 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 withthe 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.
Admiral signed up other big clubs alongside Leeds United, such asManchester United,[2]Coventry City,Portsmouth,Tottenham Hotspur,Southampton, andWest Ham. It also developed outside England, signing sidesAberdeen,Dundee andMotherwell in Scotland, Yugoslavian clubRed Star Belgrade,Bundesliga outfitEintracht Frankfurt, the Italian clubsBologna andMonza, the Swiss clubServette, Swedish clubMalmö, and the Indian clubKerala Blasters, in addition to the national teams ofBelgium,Saudi Arabia andWales. Admiral also produced kits for many of theNASL 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 theMISL.
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 rivalUmbro and new international entrantAdidas.
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 bothLeicester City andNotts County. Towards the end of the 1980sBradford City,Cardiff City,Crystal Palace,Hull City,Swansea City andWrexham were added to the Admiral roster.
Admiral entered the 1990s well placed to build upon its widespread recognition and continued to supply clubs includingDynamo Kyiv,Southampton,Middlesbrough,Bradford City,Charlton Athletic,Wimbledon,Hearts,Motherwell,Rangers,Partizan Belgrade and many more. In 1992 afterLeeds 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.
In 2000, Admiral entered the world of cricket and was the official kit supplier to theEngland cricket team until 2008 (the sponsorship was then taken over byAdidas). By 2001, it had also become the kit supplier to theWest Indies andSouth Africa cricket teams as well as supplying theCanadian team for the 2003Cricket 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.
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 toEFL League One[14] wearing Admiral. This is the highest position the club has held in the football league. In ItalyCisalfa 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 2019Milan Fashion Week[17]
In September 2020, the "Admiral Sporting Goods Co." line was launched. The line, that took inspiration from pre-1966 sportswear, was composed oft-shirts,hoodies, and accessories.[18] the projects first collaboration was withAcme 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 andWilliam Morris Gallery.[22] The shirt was widely regarded as one of the best kit launches of the year and eventually won theD&AD Wood Pencil for Printed Graphics[23]
Following the success of multiple Music partnerships Admiral andBob Marley launched a special release in connection with theBob Marley: One Love reissuing the iconic tracksuit worn during the Battersea Park football matches.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Admiral inventing the replica football shirt a limited edition book was produced by publisher Halcyon Publishing. The book launch was hosted in London with panelistHayley McQueen hosting the event. The book received widely positive reviews from The Guardian, Hypebeast, FourFourTwo among others.[24]
On the first day of theUEFA Women's Euro 2025 Admiral released a special edition football shirt withthe Spice Girls to celebrate a summer of festivals and football.
