History

1966

It wasn't until England’s 1966 World Cup success that they began to manufacture sportswear.

1970's

Capitalising on the advent of colour television and the heightened excitement in English football, the then owner of Cook & Hurst, Mr. T. H. Patrick, persuaded football clubs to accept individually personalised kits, which his designers would then produce and register under the Design Copyright and Patents Act.

Mr Patrick then manufactured and marketed football kits, targeting young fans who wished to emulate their football idols. In doing so, Admiral became the original pioneers in the development of the replica kit market, supplying clubs and their fans with individually designed home and away kits, featuring distinctive colours, the Admiral logo and club crests.

1973

In the 1973/74 season, Leeds United became the first English top flight club to wear visibly branded kit - the Admiral logo was positioned proudly on the shirt and shorts. The kit was also made of a new lighter material, rather than cotton, which had been the norm for football clubs for many years. A further feature was that the socks had tags, which identified each player's number.

1974

Fans and in particular, children, loved being able to buy and wear the same style and colour kit as their heroes and the market grew rapidly.

Building on the domestic market success, Admiral agreed a ground-breaking five-year contract with the English FA in 1974, to produce the first commercially available England shirt. The new shirt was first worn in a 3-0 victory over Czechoslovakia on 30th October 1974. The Admiral logo was positioned alongside the Three Lions of England, the first time any manufacture had been given such a prestigious honour.

1977

Manchester United reached successive FA Cup finals in the late 70's, losing to Southampton in 1976, but beating Liverpool 2-1 a year later.

1978

Further afield, Admiral had also grown to produce kits for many NASL teams in the US during the late 70's and had a replica licensing deal with all clubs, including the New York Cosmos.

1980

Admiral continued its rapid expansion into the 1980's, and although the sector became very competitive, the brand continued to be worn by many clubs including; Leicester City, Derby County, Hull City, Crystal Palace and Bradford City.

1980's

Admiral continued as the official kit suppliers to the England National team into the earlier 80's. The team wore the now famous Admiral white home and red away strip in the 1982 World Cup Finals held in Spain.

The team wore the white kit for three games during the finals: with wins over Czechoslovakia (2-0) and Kuwait (1-0), along with a 0-0 draw with Spain in the second stage.

The red away kit was worn in a superb 3-1 win over France, included Bryan Robson's 27 second goal - one of the fastest in World Cup history.

1990's

Admiral entered the 1990's well placed to build upon its widespread recognition and continued to supply clubs including; Leeds United, Dynamo Kiev, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Charlton Athletic, Wimbledon, Hearts, Motherwell and Glasgow Rangers.

1991

Leeds United won their 3rd, First Division Football League title in the 1991-92 season. Beating their nearest challengers, Manchester United to the coveted award.

2000's

In 2000, Admiral became the official kit supplier to the England Cricket Team. Admiral also produced kits for the South African and West Indies cricket teams.

2005

The England cricket team, managed one of the biggest sporting conquests in recent times - winning a thrilling ashes series in 2005 after 18 years of hurt.

2011

In 2011 “Admiral Sportswear” was established, putting the brand back in British ownership and with new impetus, plans to reignite the brand are beginning to gain momentum.

2012

In January 2012, Admiral launch their brand new menswear collection, Admiral Gold.  This collection will be delivered into store for Autumn/Winter in late 2012.