Admiral / Heritage
The trademark 'Admiral" was created in 1914 by ABC Hosiery ltd (later known as Cook & Hurst Ltd) manufacturing good quality English made underwear and, subsequently, items of sportswear.
During the 1970's admiral were pioneers of a new concept producing bespoke football strips for leading professional football clubs, coupling innovative design and fabrics with the use of the Clubs official crest or badge.
Throughout the 1980s Admiral were a major driving force in creating a new sales and marketing opportunity within the sportswear industry, through the availability at retail of "design led" replica football kits.
As Admiral expanded, kit deals were agreed with many famous football teams & clubs to wear Admiral kits. Teams included: England National Team (1974-1984), Welsh National Team (1974-1979), Manchester United (1975-1980), Tottenham
Hotspur (1977-1980), West Ham United (1976-1980), Crystal Palace (1977-1980 & 1987-1988 & 2003-4), Leeds United (1973-1981 & 1991 & 2005-2006), Norwich City (1976-1981), Southampton (1975-1979), Portsmouth (1987-1988 & 1997-1998), Leicester (1975-1979). In addition, many overseas International teams wore Admiral kits including: Eintrach Frankfurt, FC Servette, the Saudi Arabian National Team and the famous New York Cosmos.
Admiral entered the 1990s well placed to build upon its widespread recognition & continued to supply clubs including: Leeds Utd (Football League Champions 1991/2), Dynamo Kiev (USSR Champions), Southampton, Middlesborough, Bradford, Charlton Athletic, Wimbledon, Hearts, Motherwell & many more.
During the mid 1990s, & after a period of relative inactivity, the Admiral Trademarks were acquired in 1997 by Hay & Robertson plc, and ownership was transferred to International Brand Licensing in a demerger in 2002.
