Historical Football Kits

 

classic football shirts at historical kitsfootball nostalgia mobile phone cases

Airdrieonians

Formed 1878. Wound up in 2002

Elected to Scottish Division Two 1894. Resigned 2002

Kit History

 

 

Excelsior

 

1878

airdrieonians 1883

1878-1881 a g

Various collar designs

 

 

Airdrieonians

 

1881

airdrieonians 1883

1881-1885 a g

Various collar designs

1885-1887 g

airdrieonians 1892

1892-1895 g

Navy knickers may have appeared earlier
airdrieonians 1903

1903-1904 a

airdrieonians 1904

1904-1905 a

1907-1908 a g

airdrieonians 1909

1909-1912 a b g m

airdrieonians 1912

1912-1917 a c g

buy football shirts from uk soccer shop
buy airdrieonians 1917 shirt

1917-1920 a g

buy football shirts from uk soccer shop
airdrieonians 1920-21

1920-1921 o

airdrieonians 1923

1923-1929 a g m

airdrieonians 1927-29 away

1927-1929 away g

airdrie 1934-35

1934-1935 b

airdrieonians 1936

1936-1937 a p

airdrieonians 1938

1938 m

1939-1940 a b

1945-1946 a

1946-1950 g

airdrieonians 1950

1950-1951 a g

airdrieonians 1951-52

1951-1952 g

airdrieonians 1952-53

1952-1953 g

airdrieonians 1953

Sept 1953 b n

airdrieonians 1964

Jan-May 1954 n

airdrieonians 1954-55

1954-1955 n

1954-1956 a n

Alternate kit 54-55
airdrie 1956-57

1956-Feb 57 n

airdrie feb-may 1957

Feb-May 1957 n

airdrie 1957-58

1957-1958 1 n

airdrieonians 1956

1957-1958 2 a d

Warm weather kit

Jan-Dec 1958 b n

airdrieonians 1959

Jan-May 1959 a n

airdrieonians 1962

1959-1961 n

buy football shirts from uk soccer shop
airdrieonians 1960-61

Jan 1961 n

Sept-Dec 1961 a m n

airdrieonians 1962

Jan 1962 n

buy football shirts from uk soccer shop
airdrieonians 1961-62

Feb-May 1962 n

airdrieonians 1962

1962-1963 a

Warm weather kit
airdrieonians 1963

1962-Feb 64 d n

airdrieonians 1963-64

Feb-May 64 n

airdrieonians 1963

1964-1965 n

airdrieonians 1966-67

1965-1967 m n

airdrieonians 1969

1967-1971 a b n

1971-Sept 1974 a b g

airdrieonians 1974

Oct 1974-1977 a g n

1973-1976 c d g

Warm weather kit
Bukta
airdrieonians 1977

1977-1980 a c g

Umbro
airdrieonians 1980

1980-1983 a c k

Umbro
airdrieonians 1984

1983-1988 a h k

Ribero

1988-1989 a

Bukta
airdrieonians 1989

1989-1990 a f n

Ribero
airdrieonians 1990-91

1990-1991 n

Ribero
airdrieonians 1991-92

1991-1992 n

Hummel
airdrieonians 1992

1992-1993 a n

Matchwinner
airdrieonians 1993

1993-1995 a f

Le Coq Sportif
airdrieonians 1995

1995-1996 a f l

Le Coq Sportif
airdrieonians 1996-98

1996-1997 l

Avec
airdrieonians 1998-99 kit

1997-1999 k

Avec
airdrieonians 1999

1999-2000 a

Airdrieonians
airdrieonians 2000

2000-2001 a e i k

IMP Sports
airdrieonians 2001

2001-2002 e k

 

Background

airdrieonians 1883The club was originally formed as Excelsior FC in the North Lanarkshire mining town of Airdrie, adopting the title Airdrieonians in 1881. After being admitted to the Scottish Second Division in 1894, they were elected to the top flight in 1903. Records from the late nineteenth century are rather ambiguous but it is thought they switched from their original blue/white jerseys to vertical red and white stripes in 1885.

The club enjoyed its greatest period of success during the 1920s, finishing as runners-up in the Scottish First Division on four consecutive occasions (1923-1926) and appearing in four Scottish FA Cup finals, winning the competition in 1924.

The club's nickname of "The Diamonds" derives from the distinctive design of the club's shirts adopted in 1912. Manchester United had worn similar jerseys in the 1909 English FA Cup Final but there is no evidence to suggest that Airdrie were trying to emulate the English club. (The design extends onto the back of the shirt and is always described as a diamond, never a "V".)

In 1936 the club was relegated to the Second Division and it was not until 1947 that they returned to the top flight, albeit for a single season. Between 1950 and 1954 they were again in Division One before they were relegated once more. After winning the Second Division championship the following season (1955) the club enjoyed a long spell in the top flight, broken only by two short periods in Division Two (1965-66 and 1973-74). In 1975, with the formation of the Scottish Premier League, Airdrie found themselves in the new Division One (now the second tier) and in 1981 they were promoted to the top level where they spent two seasons.

airdrieonians crest 1974The club crest first appeared on the team's shirts in the 1974-75 Scottish Cup final but it did not feature in league games. In 1980 it reappeared, this time embroidered airdrieonians crest 1988in gold and placed on the red diamond. From 1988 it was moved below the diamond and was embroidered in red and black.

In 1992 the Diamonds won promotion back to the Premiership and were losing finalists in the Scottish FA Cup, which qualified them to compete in the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season. Unfortunately they were knocked out by Sparta Prague in the first round, the sum total of their European adventures.

In May 1994 the club sold their Broomfield Park ground, now a valuable town centre site, to Safeway for retail development. The intention was to use the proceeds to finance a new stadium that would meet Scottish Premier League standards, which included all-seat capacity of 10,000. With no site or planning permission, Airdrie shared Clyde's Broadwood stadium in Cumbernauld for the next four years.

airdrieonians crest 1997Despite having no permanent home, Airdrie remained one of the stronger team in the First Division even as their support dwindled. They fell short of the championship, the only route back to the top tier. The crest was modified in 1997: the basic design was not altered but now appeared against yellow and white shields.

Meanwhile a site for the club's new stadium in Airdrie had been identified and work was completed in 1998. Named the Shyberry Excelsior Stadium (Shyberry sponsored the stadium when it opened), the financial burden would prove to be too airdrieonians crest 2000much for the club to carry.

In 2000 the club's kit was marketed under the their own brand and a new crest was adopted. Only the cockerel motif (which comes from the Airdrie coat of arms) was retained while two chevrons referred to the distinctive design of the team shirts. This airdrieonians crest 2001bold design was replaced the following season by the 1997 design without the background shield.

On 1 May 2002, Airdrieonians declared bankruptcy and resigned from the League owing £3 million. Ironically, the club had been doing well on the pitch having finished in second place in Division One and winning the Bell's Scottish Cup in 2000 and 2001. Their final match had to be abandoned when furious fans invaded the pitch and broke a crossbar.

Immediately a new club was formed but Airdrie United's application to fill the vacancy in Division Three was denied in favour of Gretna. In an extraordinary turn of events, the head of the Airdrie consortium, Jim Ballantyne bought out Clydebank FC, then homeless and in administration, and moved them to Airdrie. With the approval of the Scottish Football League, the reformed club took over Clydebank's place in Division Two.

You are welcome to Contact Me with corrections and additions.

Sources

  • (a) Airdrieonians FC - Images of Sport (Brian Bollen 2002)
  • (b) London Hearts
  • (c) Ayr United FC - Images of Sport (Duncan Carmichael 2002)
  • (d) Riccardo Bertani
  • (e) BBC Sport
  • (f) SNSpix
  • (g) Alick Milne (HFK Research Associate)
  • (h) Ralph Pomeroy
  • (i) Robert Reilly
  • (j) Allez Racing
  • (k) Donald Gellatly (HFK Research Associate)
  • (l) Martin Gooday (HFK Research Associate)
  • (m) Keith Ellis
  • (n) Ian McConnel
  • (o) Football & the First World War
  • (p) eBay