Historical Football Kits

 

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Cambridge United

Formed 1919

Elected to Division Four 1970. Relegated to the Conference 2005.

Promoted to League Two 2014.

Kit History

 

 

 

Abbey United

 

1919

1919-1924

1924-1925 a s

1926-1928 a s

1928-1929 a

Black shorts also worn

1930-1933 a s

1933-1936 a s

1938-1939 a s

1947-1948 a s

abbey united 1948-49

1948-1949 l s

abbey united 1949-50

1949-1950 l s

 

 

 

Cambridge United

 

1951

1950-1951 l s

1951-1952 a s

cambridge united 1953-56

Aug 1963 s

Nov-Dec 1953 a l s

March 1954-1956 a s

1956-1957 a s

1957-1960 a l s

cambridge united 1960-61

1960-1962 j l m s

1961-1963 a s

cambridge utd aug-sept 1963

Aug-Sept 1963 s

cambridge united 1963-64

Oct 1963-1964 l s

1964-1965 a

1965-1967 a

1967-1968 a s

cambridge united 1968-69

1968-1969 l p s

1969-1971 a l s

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cambridge united 1971-72

1971-1972 l

Umbro

1972-1974 a d l

1974-1975 a g r

Admiral

1975-1976 g r

Admiral

1976-1977 a g l r

Umbro

1977-1978 a d g l

Umbro
cambridge united 1978-79

1978-1979 l

Umbro

1979-1982 a

Umbro

1982-1983 a

Mileta

1983-Feb 1985 a l

Mileta

Feb-Nov 1985 a l

Umbro

Nov 1985-1986 f k

Nike

1986-1987 a k l

Nike
cambridge united 1987-88

1987-1988 l

Scoreline

1988-1990 a f k l

Home
Scoreline
cambridge united 1988-90 away kit

1988-1990 a f k l

Away
Scoreline
cambridge united 1990-91 home kit

1990-1991 1 f k

Home
Scoreline
cambridge united 1990-91 away

1990-1991 1 f k

Away
Scoreline

1990-1991 2 e f k

Home
Scoreline
cambridge united 1990-91 away kit

1990-1991 2 e f k

Away
Influence

1991-1993 a e

Vandanel

1993-1995 a k n

Vandanel

1995-1996 a

Patrick

1996-1998 a q

Patrick

1998-1999 a k

Home
Patrick
cambridge united 1998-99 away kit

1998-1999 a k

Away
Super League

1999-2001 a i

Home
Super League
cambridge united 1999-2001 away kit

1999-2001 a i

Away
TFG Sports

2001-2003 b f

Home
TFG Sports
cambridge united 2001-03 away kit

2001-2003 b f

Away
Sporta

2003-2005 c f q

Home
Sporta
cambridge united 2003-05 away kit

2003-2005 c f g

Away
Sporta
2005-2007 Cambridge Kit

2005-2007 c

Vandanel
2007-2008 Cambridge Kit

2007-2008 c h

Home
Vandanel
cambridge united 2008-09 home

2008-2009 c

Home
Vandanel
cambridge united 2007-08 away kit

2007-2009 c

Away
Vandanel
cambridge united 2009-10 home kit

Aug-Oct 2009 c

Home
Vandanel
cambridge united october  2009-10 home kit

Oct 2009 c

Home
Vandanel
cambridge united november 2009

Nov 2009-2010 c

Home
cambridge united 2009-10 away kit

2009-2010 c

Away
Errea
cambridge united fc 2010-11 home kit

2010-2012 o

Burrda
cambridge united 2012-13 home kit

2012-2013 c q s

Home
Burrda
cambridge united 2012-13 away kit

2012-2013 c q s

Away
Puma
cambridge united 2013-14

2013-2014 c

Puma
cambridge united 2014-15 1st kit

2014-2015 c

Puma
cambridge united 2015-16 kit

2015-2016 c

Puma
cambridge united 2016-17 1st kit

2016-2017 c

Puma
cambridge utd 2017-18 1st kit

2017-2018 c

Puma
cambridge united 2018-19

2018-2019 c

Hummel
cambridge united 2019-20 1st kit

2019-2020 c

Hummel
cambridge united 2020-21

2020-2021 c

Hummel
cambridge united 2021-22

2021-2022 c

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Hummel
cambridge united 2022-23

2022-2023 c

 

Background

 

abbey united 1924-25The first Cambridge United FC was formed in 1908 followed four years later by a second club known as Abbey United. With the outbreak of the First World War both teams disbanded. When the young men who had survived the fighting returned, Abbey United was re-formed in 1919 and this date is taken as the formation of the modern football club. Until the Second World war, Abbey United were no more than a minor club on a par with a decent village or works side. The major team in the city was Cambridge Town (who became Cambridge City in 1951) and although the two clubs met frequently in local competition, it was not until 1952 that Abbey United recorded their first win over their rivals.

abbey united crest 1947In 1947, Abbey United introduced a crest, a simple black shield with the letters "AU" superimposed in amber, which was used until 1951. After the war the mood of the club changed: United signed their first professional player in 1949 and a more ambitious approach brought a change of name to Cambridge United in 1951. The club now competed in the Eastern Counties League but later moved up to the Southern League. In 1956 they sensationally signed Wilf Mannion after he had been banned from the Football League after making allegations of illicit payments in the newspapers. During the 1960s United forged a reputation as one of the leading non-league sides in England with their sights firmly set on League status.

cambridge united fc crest 1974On 2 May 1970, United won the Southern League championship for the second season running and four weeks later the club was elected to the League at the expense of cambridge united fc crest 1975Bradford Park Avenue. United changed from their traditional amber and black to wear an all-white strip in their inaugural season. After narrowly avoiding re-election, they reverted to amber and black in 1972 and were rewarded with promotion to Division Three. Although they managed to stay only one season before they were back in the basement. The young Ron Atkinson took charge in 1974 and United stormed up to Division Two with successive promotions in 1977 and 1978. Atkinson reintroduced the striped jerseys worn in the club's early days and this certainly appeared to inspire his team. Another innovation was the introduction of a crest, representing the cambridge united crest 1977connection between the club and academia, which appeared in 1974. The "book and ball" badge was dropped in 1977 and for the next nine seasons, a simple cypher (which appeared in several formats) was used.

cambridge united crest 1983After five seasons in the Second Division Cambridge plummeted back into Division Four and had to apply for re-election in 1986. Perhaps the board thought a change of image would help revive the team's fortunes: a new badge was introduced and over the next five seasons United's traditional amber was replaced by a paler shade of yellow. In the Nineties, history repeated itself when United gained successive promotions in 1990 and 1991 to return to Division Two. The following season they even qualified for the play-offs. They could not sustain their achievements, however, and in 1993 they started on the downward path that would take them back to cambridge united crest 1986the lowest division.

cambridge united crest 1996In 1996, Patrick designed quartered shirts inspired by those of Abbey United in the late 1940s. To complement this retro design an old-fashioned crest was designed but this failed to catch on and was replaced by the familiar "football badge" when this strip was retired in 1998.

After thirty-five years of League status, Cambridge United returned to non-league competition in 2005, having finished last in Coca Cola League Two (once the old Fourth Division). Facing debts in excess of £1m, and with relegation inevitable, the club went into administration before the end of the season, taking a ten-point penalty rather than face sanctions in the Conference the following season.

cambridge utd 1998For the clubs centenary in 2012-13, a smart retro strip was introduced while a re-creation of the white outfit worn when they cambridge united centenary crest 2012-13first joined the Football League was used as their change kit. A commemorative crest was comissioned that combined elements from the old Abbey United badge with the modern version. This was worn only on the home strip.

After nine years in the Conference, Cambridge were promoted back to the Football League in 2014. Promotion to League One followed in 2021.

You are welcome to Contact Me with corrections and additions.

Sources

Modern crests are the property of Cambridge United FC.