Luton Town

Kit History

1885 a m

1891 b

1891-1984 b m

1896-1898 m

1900-1901 b

1901-1905 b l

1906-1907 b

1910-1920 b l

1920-circa 1932 b l

1932-1934 l

1934-1935 l

1935-1936 f l

1936-1939 f

1946-1947 l

1947-1948 l

1948-1953 c d f l

1953-1955 l

1955-1956 f l

Aug-Dec 1956 l

Jan 57-March 58 l

Long sleeves worn early 1957-58

April 1958 l

Aug-Dec 1958

Jan-April 1959 c e f g l

1959-1963 l

1963-1966 l

1966-1970 c l

1970-1972 c f h l

1972-1973 p

1973-1974 e l

Admiral

1974-1976 c e l r

Admiral

1976-1977 l r

Admiral

1977-1979 l r

Adidas

1979-1980 j l

Adidas

1980-1981 o

Adidas

1981-1982 f k l

Adidas

1982-1983 f

Adidas

1983-1984 f

Adidas

1984-1987 c f

Adidas

1987-1988 l

Adidas

1988-1989 f l

Umbro

1989-1990 f m

Umbro

1990-1991 f m

Umbro

1991-1992 a m

Sponsors' logo appeared mid-season

DMF

1992-1994 a f m

Hatter

1994-1995 a m o

Pony

1995-1997 f m

Pony

1997-1999 a f m

Olympic Sport

1999-2000 f n o

Olympic Sport

2000-2001 f m

Xara

2001-2003 f

Xara

2003-2005 f

Diadora

2005-2007 i

Puma

2007-2008 i q

Background

At a meeting at Luton Town Hall on April 11 1885 it was resolved to merge The Wanderers (a local side and not the FA Cup Winners based in Battersea) with Excelsior FC and the new outfit would be called Luton Town FC. Their first playing kit would be "navy blue and pink halves for both shirts and caps." A little later they adopted "cochineal red" jerseys and in 1890 they became the first southern club to adopt professionalism.

In 1894, Luton, became founder members of the Southern League. Only three years later they were elected to the Second Division of the Football League at the expense of Burton Wanderers. At the time the majority of members were in the north and midlands and Luton struggled to meet their travel costs so after only three seasons, having finished in 17th place, rather than face re-election they resigned and rejoined the Southern League.

In 1920 Luton rejoined the Football League when the Southern League First Division was incorporated as Division Three. At the time their first choice of colours was still light blue with a change kit of black and white stripes. A directive from the Football League required teams to travel with a set of white shirts in addition so, rather than carry the costs of having three sets of kit, Luton adopted plain white shirts as their first choice. "The Hatters" (Luton was famous for producing straw boaters - still part of the club's badge) were content to be a mid-table side until the mid-1930’s when, after finishing as runners-up in 1936 (only the top club was promoted from the regional divisions), they won the championship of Division Three (South) in 1937.

After the Second World War, the Hatters consolidated in Division Two and thanks to a progressive youth policy, built a side that pushed for promotion in 1953 and 1954 before a tight race in 1955 saw them finish as runners-up for a place in Division One. Having finished eighth in 1958, Luton reached the FA Cup final in 1959 where they lost to a Nottingham Forest side reduced to ten men. The decline that followed was dramatic and saw Luton plunge all the way down to the Fourth Division by 1965.

Faced with an indifferent public and with no money to invest in new players, the future seemed bleak but their canny manager, Allan Brown, used free transfers to bolster the team and in 1968 they won the Fourth Division title and began a long climb back to the top. New money was brought in when Reggie Burr and Tony Hunt, owners of the giant insurance company Vehicle & General joined the board. Brown was controversially sacked after applying for another management job and was replaced by Alec Stock who guided the club back to Division Two in 1970.

The money dried up when Vehicle & General collapsed in March 1970 and suddenly the club was forced to sell players to balance the books. Among those released was Malcolm MacDonald, sold for what was then the huge sum of £180,000 to Newcastle. Stock resigned at the end of the season but despite all these misfortunes, Luton won promotion to Division One in 1974, having made a radical change of strip to orange shirts and navy shorts. Over time the shirts would return to be predominantly white but the orange motif remains.

Many considered that promotion had come too quickly and that the club lacked the resources to remain at the top. They were proved right and the Hatters were relegated the following season. In 1978 David Pleat, the reserve team coach, was appointed manager and he set about building an attacking side that, in 1982 won the Second Division title with considerable flair. Goals flew in at both ends as Luton took on the First Division and only a last minute winner at Manchester City in the final game of the 1982-83 season saved them from relegation. The pictures of an ecstatic Pleat skipping around Maine Road in his naff suit remain one of the enduring images of the period.

Over the next few years, Luton consolidated and were among the first clubs to install an artificial playing surface in 1985. These proved unpopular and grass was restored to Kenilworth Road in 1991. Also controversial was the decision to ban away supporters from Luton’s home matches. Amid considerable acrimony, Pleat left in 1986 to manage Spurs. His replacement, John Moore, who had played for Luton in the Fourth Division, took the team to seventh place in 1987, their highest ever position, but he resigned at the end of the season because he disliked holding such a high profile job.

In April 1988, after the team had been beaten in the FA Cup semi-final, an army of supporters made the short trip to Wembley to witness a dramatic Littlewood’s League Cup final against Arsenal. Having trailed 1-2, the Luton keeper saved a penalty and the team stormed back to win 3-2. Luton had won their first major trophy. They reached the final again the following season but their run of success was coming to an end and in 1992 they were relegated.

In 1999 the club returned to their traditional white shirts and black shorts (albeit with orange trim) but was once again in long term decline and by 2001 they had dropped all the way down to Nationwide Division Three (the old Fourth Division). Remarkably, history appears to be repeating itself as the Hatters clamber their way back up and in 2005 they had reached The Championship (formerly Division Two).

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources