FOUNDED IN 1914
In Leicester, England
1908
The Birth Of Admiral
Until the 1970s the company had a contract with the Royal Navy to supply rugby shirts, as every sailor was issued with a white and a navy coloured shirt for use in sports. The Admiral trademark was registered in 1922 and the Admiral logo was based on the sleeve of a Naval Admiral’s uniform. During the Second World War, our factory operated around the clock to produce clothing for the troops.
Admiral and football
1966
Admiral secured a contract to supply the British Lions rugby team on their tour of New Zealand.
1972
Admiral At The Olympics
Through its connection with Leeds United, Admiral pioneered the introduction and development of the replica kit market in the UK. In the 1973–1974 season, Leeds United wore the first visibly branded kit in the English top flight.
1974
Admiral And The FA
Admiral signed up other big clubs alongside Leeds United, such as Manchester United F.C., Portsmouth F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Southampton F.C., and West Ham United F.C.. It also developed outside of England, signing up Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt and the A.S.Bari and the Saudi Arabia national team.
Manchester united
1975
Southampton and Manchester United were both FA Cup finalists. Both teams had sponsorship contracts with Admiral. Admiral continued to have FA Cup finalists in 1977, 1979 and 1980.
1977
THE ADMIRAL jersey
Admiral also produced kits for many of the NASL teams during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had a replica licensing deal with all clubs, including the New York Cosmos and for two seasons produced the uniforms for every team in the MISL. In 1978 an audience of 76,000 watched the New York Cosmos beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North America Soccer League Championships in New York. Admiral supplied kit for the New York Cosmos. The kit was designed by Ralph Lauren and made by Admiral.
Christopher Cook and Harold Hurst began manufacturing hosiery in 1908 under the company name of ‘Cook & Hurst Ltd’ in Leicester, United Kingdom. They first created the Admiral trademark in 1914 to brand their ranges of underwear. During the First World War the company manufactured apparel for the troops and it was from this link with the military that the Admiral story began.
1914-1966
Admiral’s Military Connection
The 1966 World Cup brought the company the first taste of sports sponsorship when Admiral produced England jerseys for Gordon Banks, the England and Leicester City goalkeeper. The shirts did not carry the Admiral logo but they were made in our factory. With England winning the 1966 World Cup the popularity and demand for football in the English-speaking world increased. For example, it was as a result of the England win that plans were made to establish the North America Soccer League; many members of which wore Admiral shirts in the 1970s. The success of the England team, coupled with the arrival of color television would have long lasting implications for the design and production of soccer kits. Admiral was the first apparel company to put its brand logo on the outside of a jersey. Admiral was the first company to guarantee replacement garments should there be a complaint within a year of purchase and the first team-wear manufacturer to copyright its designs.
Admiral and The british lions
1971
Admiral supplied the uniforms worn by the British women’s team at the Munich Olympics.
1973
– Leeds United – The First Real Football Club Sponsorship
Realising the potential of the replica kit market, Admiral brokered a deal with the FA in 1974 to produce the first commercially available England shirt that featured a sportswear manufacturers logo. They agreed a five-year contract for a payment of $25,000 a year! The new England kit in 1980, was worn in the 3–1 win over Argentina at Wembley Stadium. The newly designed kit was worn for the first time when England beat Czechoslovakia. Admiral continued to sign up clubs throughout the 1970s and also secured a deal with the Welsh & Scottish FA.
Admiral dominates football
1975
Manchester United's commercial deal with Admiral began at the start of the 1975 season. Their cup final shirt had an embroidered trophy and Wembley 1976 under the club badge but to comply with FA rules the Admiral logo was not on the jersey.
1976
THE ADMIRAL fa cup final
In 1977 United reached the final again, beating Liverpool wearing a red Admiral v-neck jersey with three narrow red hoops on the trim. The white Admiral away kit was very controversial. It featured three black vertical stripes from the left shoulder but after a legal battle with Adidas the jersey was changed to have four stripes (which lasted only a few games). An agreement was reached and United wore the Admiral 3 stripe kit for the next four seasons. A separate blue kit was also designed for the first time for European Cup games.
1978
new york cosmos
admiral kit out the league champions, leeds united
1991
In 2000, Admiral entered the world of cricket and became the official kit supplier to the England cricket team. By 2001, Admiral had also become the kit supplier to the West Indies and South Africa cricket team as well as supplying the Canadian team for the 2003 Cricket World Cup held in South Africa.
Admiral sportswear
2011
2014 Admiral celebrates its 100th Anniversary. To mark this special year, Centenary product collections across the world of Admiral from Japan through to the USA, in a year when football’s global elite meets in Brazil!
Admiral entered the 1990s well placed to build upon its widespread recognition and continued to supply clubs including: Leeds (Football League Champions in 1991–1992), Dynamo Kiev (USSR Champions), Southampton, Middlesbrough, Bradford City, Charlton Athletic, Wimbledon, Hearts, Motherwell, Rangers, FK Partizan, and many more.
Admiral and England Secure The Ashes
2005
In 2011, “Admiral Sportswear” was established, putting the brand back in British ownership and with new impetus, plans to reignite the brand are beginning to gain momentum.
2014
centenary global expansion
RE-ENERGiSING
2015
The re-energising of the Admiral brand with increased exposure in high street stores and on the field of play! New ranges of Admiral footwear will be launched in 2015, together with new sports Performance, Retro and Gold ranges of clothing. The Admiral brand’s reach will continue to extend in 2015, with the famous ensign logo now appearing in new stores in Norway, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal and plans to sign new teams, the future is very exciting for one of Britain’s most famous sporting icons.
The Admiral Gold collection for 2016 will see the brand’s further extension into sports casual fashion. Featuring the now distinct Admiral Gold logo, the new ranges feature new designs of shirting, knitwear, polos, jackets and t-shirts. Admiral also launched new collections for 2016 in Retro & Performance wear, featuring the iconic Admiral Ensign both on and off the pitch.
2016
admiral gold collection
admiral today
2018
The brand has been worn by sports legends Pele, Beckenbauer, Keegan, Best and Moore. Today the brand is once again worn by sports legends in professional teams across the globe from the Tampa Bay Rowdies (Current NASL Soccer Bowl Champions), to the West Indies Cricket team (Current Twenty20 Cricket World Cup Champions). Now of course Admiral is also the proud supplier to New York West Youth Soccer Association and Malaysia Armed Forces Football Association.