Historical Football Kits

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Tottenham Hotspur

Formed 1882

Elected to Division Two 1908

>>Tottenham Hotspur Away Kits<<

Kit History

Background

In 1882 a group of North London teenagers formed Hotspur FC, named after the combative Henry Percy, "Harry Hotspur" of Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part I) whose descendents owned land in the neighbourhood. There are no records of what the team wore in their first season but, as they played just two matches, is is likely the boys wore whatever they could get hold of. At the club's first AGM in August 1883 it was agreed that navy jerseys (widely available and inexpensive) would become their official colours with the addition of the letter "H" on a red shield.

The name was changed to Tottenham Hotspur in April 1884, possibly to avoid confusion with the older Hotspur FC (formed 1878 and located in Wimbledon by 1886). For a while the lads turned out on Tottenham Marshes and scuffles occasionally broke out with rival teams over the best pitches. In 1885 the club cancelled a fixture to watch the professionals of Blackburn Rovers win the first of three consecutive English Cup finals. So impressed were they that the club adopted Rovers' blue and white halved shirts. In 1885 Spurs entered the London Association Cup and played their first competitive match against St Albans FC, winning 2-0. A photograph taken before this game indicates that a Maltese Cross appeared on the chest. Later a letter "H" was worn on the shoulder.

In 1888 Spurs moved to an enclosed ground at Northumberland Park and charged 3d (1p) admission. In 1890, playing in red shirts and navy shorts, Spurs were a respected side and five years later, they turned professional.

A new chocolate and old gold strip was worn for the first time in October 1895 against Royal Artillery. The following season Tottenham were elected to the Southern League and in 1899 they moved into White Hart Lane.

There is some doubt over when they adopted their now famous white shirts, a homage to the mighty Preston North End. Phil Soar in And the Spurs Go Marching On (1985) states the white shirts appeared in 1900 while Spurs. A History of Tottenham Hotspur, (Julian Holland 1956) and Tottenham Hotspur: An Illustrated History, (Bob Goodwin 1995) suggest September 1899. However, the club's historian, Andy Porter has provided HFK with a copy of an article published in The Golden Penny dated September 1898 which carries a photograph of the Spurs team wearing white shirts and navy knickers. At the time, no other team in the Southern League wore similar colours.

In 1900 Spurs won the Southern League championship and in 1901 the FA Cup. Tottenham are the only non-League side to have won the trophy since the Football League was formed in 1888.

In 1908 Spurs application to join the Football League was rejected but when Stoke FC resigned a second meeting was called. After two tied votes between Spurs and Lincoln City it was the London club who prevailed by decision of the management committee. A year later Spurs won promotion to Division One. A former player, William James Scott, commissioned a copper casting of a cockerel standing on a football, which was placed above the West Stand. This motif was inspired by Harry Hotspur, after whom the club is named, who is reputed to have been a devotee of cock-fighting.

In 1915 the club was relegated but then the League was suspended for the duration of the Great War. When competition resumed in 1919 it was decided that both divisions would be extended by two clubs. Precedent suggested that the relegated clubs would retain their status but the chairman of Woolwich Arsenal, after vigorous lobbying, persuaded members that there should be a vote. Spurs' relegation was confirmed and their place in the First Division given to Woolwich Arsenal. Although Spurs won promotion at the first attempt, the injustice of these machinations is keenly felt to this day.

In 1921, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the second time wearing, for the first time, the cockerel motif mounted on a shield. Due to this success, the crest became a permanent feature on Spurs' shirts from the following season. The crest was possibly inspired (according to John Lovett's research) by a visit to the United States, where the management was impressed by the red bird crest on the St Louis Cardinals baseball team's unforms. This is the first example in England of an "animal crest."

In 1922 Spurs were Division One runners-up. 1928 brought relegation, 1933 promotion and 1935 relegation once more. During this period Spurs' shirts were made from cashmere and seem to have been slightly off-white.

When the League resumed after World War Two Spurs enjoyed a meteoric rise under manager Arthur Rowe who pioneered the "push and run" style. Promoted in 1950, they were League champions in 1951.

In 1951, the famous club crest was given a face lift and now featured a rather less portly cockerel. The old version appeared at least once in the 1951-52 season and both long and short sleeved shirts were worn until the new "continental" strips were adopted in 1956. A fashionable kit made from shiny artificial fabric was sometimes used between 1951 and 1953.

In 1961, Bill Nicholson, a member of the 1951 championship team and now manager, led Spurs to the first League and FA Cup double of the twentieth century. A year later, Spurs won the FA Cup again and in 1963 they became the first British team to take European honours when they won the European Cup-Winners' Cup. Inevitably this glorious side, featuring Jimmy Greaves, Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay broke up. In their European campaigns, Spurs wore all-white strips, a tradition that was extended to FA Cup ties later on.

The short sleeved shirts worn since 1959 were replaced by long sleeved versions with crew necks for the European Cup Winner's Cup match with Rangers on 31 October 1962 and these became the team's first choice from November 1962.

During the 1960s Bill Nicholson began the tradition of wearing all-white strips in European competition, a tribute to the great Real Madrid team. The white kit was also frequently used in domestic cup games.

In 1966 a new, more modern crest was adopted. A streamlined cockerel now stood upon a football without a surrounding shield. An interesting feature of the design was the old-fashioned football, a reminder of Spurs long history.

While League honours eluded the club, Spurs became formidable cup competitors. The FA Cup was won in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 1973 while the UEFA Cup found its way to White Hart Lane in 1972.

After a brief sojourn in Division Two (1977-1978), Spurs achieved a transfer coup by signing Argentine World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. Villa inspired a dramatic FA Cup win in 1981 and in 1982 the club retained the cup. In the 1982 final the club unveiled their new shadow striped kit, an innovation that was quickly copied by other manufacturers.

To celebrate their centenary in 1982, the club crest was suitably embellished.

To combat the growing threat of illegally made pirate replica kits, the decision was taken to introduce a new crest in 1983. The design was deliberately more complex and now included two lions supporting the club's monogramme as well as the club's Latin motto, which translates as "To dare is to do." This version was used until 1995.

In 1984 Spurs won the UEFA Cup for the second time and in 1987 they were beaten FA Cup finalists.

In 1987 Terry Venables was recruited from CF Barcelona as the new manager. After surviving a financial crisis, Spurs won their seventh FA Cup in 1991 and once again marked the occasion by introducing another innovative strip, featuring long, generously cut shorts. Venables was controversially sacked by Executive Chairman Alan Sugar in 1993, an affair that rumbled through the courts for several years.

In 1995 another new crest was introduced, resembling the one worn in the Fifties but on a rather oddly shaped shield. This appeared for two seasons before it was replaced by a very much more complicated coat of arms. In addition to the usual motifs, this crest featured a castle, alluding to Bruce Castle, a local land mark, and a group of trees, referring to the Seven Sisters of Tottenham after whom Seven Sisters Road is named. This badge was also used for two seasons before the 1983 crest was reintroduced.

In 1999 ex-Arsenal boss George Graham became manager in a move that most fans saw as a betrayal of the club's heritage of open, attacking football but which did bring a League Cup win in 1999. Graham left, also in controversial circumstances a year later and since then a succession of high profile managers have attempted to bring back the glory days but with limited success.

In 2006, as part of an exercise to modernise the club's image, a smart new crest was introduced. To all intents and purpose, this was very similar to the popular badge worn between 1967 and 1982 but with cleaner lines. Although the official crest has the words "Tottenham Hotspur" below the ball, this wording is not present on the players' shirts.

In 2007 Spurs celebrated their 125th anniversary, adopting a special kit for some games modeled on their 1884 halved shirts. For the 2007-08 season the legend "125 Years" was embroidered below the badge. The crowning achievement of the season was the team victory in the League Cup final over Chelsea, a reminder of Spurs long cup-winning tradition.

Of all the Puma kits worn by the team, their last (2011-12) retro-influenced was probably the finest. In 2012 Under Armour, kit suppliers to the Welsh national rugby team, took over with an all-white strip with innovative silver-grey trim.

* The long sleeved shirts also appeared four times in 1962-63 during cold weather.

Sources

• (a) Official Tottenham Hotspur Website
• (b) Sporting Heroes
• (c) True Colours (John Devlin 2005)
• (d) Andy Porter (THFC Historian)
• (e) Pete's Picture Palace
• (f) David King
• (g) Alick Milne
• (h) Steve Czyrko provided details of the badge worn 1920-1965
• (i) Simon Monks
• (j) Dick Waite
• (k) Willie Kay
• (l) football-shirts.co.uk
• (m) Dean Harding
• (n) Tony Sealey
• (o) Jonathon Russell
• (p) Keith Ellis
• (q) The History of Tottenham Hotspur FC 1882-1921 provided by Richard Essen
• (r) Lilywhite & Blue, the 100% Unofficial History of Tottenham Hotspur's Famous Shirt (available on this link)
• (s) Tottenham Weekly Herald 1921 provided by Tony Sealey

Information on Spurs' early crests provided by Andy Porter. Modern crests are the property of Tottenham Hotspur FC.