119 Replies to “Sheffield Wednesday Kits 1977–2011

  1. Wonderful stuff, John! The first one I remember was the home strip of ’84-87. I also have hazy memories of that rather odd green and white away kit not long after, too!

    Not too fond of the home kits featuring narrow stripes, but I believe it’s a valid design as you’ve got to try something different every once in a while.

  2. Brilliant. I’ll always remember the Bukta kits from the early 80s but my personal favourite is the yellow and black away kit from ’92-93. Didn’t Chelsea nick it the season after we ditched it?

  3. Talking of the 93-94 4th kit, I believe ESPN Classic(UK) have shown that game recently as part of their ‘Season to Remember’ season of Premier League football games.

    Looking at it on tv, I cannot see why Newcastle did not wear their home kit. The Wednesday kit looks very much white with black trim rather than white and black.

  4. Thats it John – straight to the point! The template used on the green shirt was also produced in a similar red and white version for Chelsea which was equally as bad.

    I agree Chris (by the way you were quick off the mark, I was still uploading these when you commented!) I’m not a fan at all of the thin stripes. It happened a lot in the 80s though. When I first got seriously into kits there was so many similar designs around I didn’t realise so many teams used to play in stripes. My personal Owls favs were the first Umbro home and away kits – really elegant and classy.

    Incidentally, I wonder if the club ever played in a third kit during the 80s? Can’t track one down but someone out there might know.

  5. I don’t think they used a third kit in the 80’s from what I can remember. Looking back I don’t think there were any instances that necessitated the use of a third kit.

    I remember that pin-stripe kit of 1987, it was a strange kit and on TV the shirt looked like plain white because the blue pinstripes were too feint from a distance. I think this was the reason behind the change to blue shorts the following season, as Wednesday seemed to look like Leeds in televised matches!

  6. My only wish is that you could make every kit, not only one with MHS-logo, but all four shirts with different logos. Also the Rumbelows shirt with presumable special memorabilia badge or text!

  7. According to the away kit of 2005-2006, Sheffield Wednesday wore the Black away shirt, white shorts and black stockings when they played away to Luton Town, Preston North End, Southampton and Derby County. Away to Crystal Palace and Watford they wore the black shirt, the white shorts and also white stockings!

  8. Yes, bit of ineffective kit really that black one – the official shorts and socks were black (in fact, the same as the home) but quite often, as Bjoern-Terje points out, the shirt was worn with the white change shorts and socks from the home kit. They all seemed to work pretty well together though so no harm done!

  9. Is it me or is the 99/00 home shirt missing from the gallery? That particular kit seemed to start the god-awful trend of striped shirts having plain backs, a problem that made some officials at UEFA’s eyes light up.

  10. Can anyone tell me exactly when the Finlux shirts were used. I can imagine the first one; “Finlux TV was in use during the 1985-1986 season, and the “Finlux TV VIDEO” was in use during the 1986-1987 season! But when did the “COLOUR TV” shirt make their apperances, during both seasons or just at the end of the first or at the start of the second?

  11. I have been wondering why Wednesday wore their 4th kit at St James’ Park in the infamous kit cock up game of 93/94 when the 3rd kit of yellow would have completely negated the need for Newcastle to change as well? Does anyone know why this was?

  12. If I recall the yellow third kit was introduced later in the 93/94 season, not just because of that incident at Newcastle but also for use in the FA Cup, as the FA were still insisting that predominantly black strips were banned from use in the competition due to clashing with the match officials’ black kit.

    If I recall from the Sky TV commentary at the time (going back 15 years this so forgive me if I’m a bit inaccurate!), Wednesday turned up at Newcastle with two sets of away shirts – the regular black away shirt, and the white one, because they didn’t have any other change kits available.

    The referee wasn’t happy with the black kit so he asked them to wear the white one, which was even worse if truth be told, so, as was well within his right, he asked Newcastle to change their kit so that the match could go ahead!

    Funnily enough Newcastle introduced a bog standard green and navy kit for the return fixture at Hillsborough later that season to avoid a repeat of the kit clashing issue!

  13. So that would mean the Yellow kit was the 4th kit and the white a 3rd strip, which would make sense chronologically.

  14. It would do, I’m just wondering if the yellow shirt “replaced” the white one as the designated third choice kit, and that the white kit is included here because it was actually used?

    Hopefully someone can clear that up.

    Come to think of it a repeat performance occurred in the 2000/01 season where Wednesday had that white away kit, but didn’t have a third kit to begin with. I’m sure they had to borrow a kit once for an away fixture, then introduced the green kit for one match, before finally introducing an official third kit in yellow as shown above.

  15. Just checked, they wore the green kit at least twice in 00-01, gainst QPR & Gillingham, both times wearing black shorts. But I’m sure I’ve seen a photo of it with white shorts so that would make it three times.

  16. Sheffield Wednesday has recently had a regime change which has seen the unreasonable (to put it mildly) chairman and chief exec replaced by much more agreeable and popular individuals. Should there be a True Colours 3 produced at some point, I would fully expect the club’s full co-operation this time.

  17. Hello Dave – a few Wednesday fans have emailed to tell me that!! Thanks for the note – I do hope that maybe the Owls kits will see the light of day in print one day – with the blessing of the club. Cheers!

  18. Hi,
    I am MHS sponsor in 1985-86. I am looking for a shirt to buy. In 86 I gave dozens away (fool), now imposable to find. Like to get one for my grandson !!!

  19. Jon, I am sure you have the 200o away top missing as I have it at home. It was a black shirt with white sleeves and down the sides of the shirt it had a red sanderson sponser and was designed by puma. I bought one myself and we wore in a few games in the millinium season http://www.swfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10304~1593755,00.html shows fans wearing it that season. Please let me know if you were aware of this shirt

  20. Hello Gavin, thanks for your message. I certainly wasn’t aware of that kit and can’t find any pictures of the side wearing it in action. Do you know what games it was worn in? Or better still have an image of the full strip? Cheers.

  21. Thank you Mick, I have been looking for images of this all over the net as I bought it off ebay and believed it to be a player top. The best thing is I was adament that I had seen us wear it but obvoiusly not (must be my age).

  22. I don’t think any of the goalkeepers wore it either, well at least in any competitive matches in the 99/00 season.

    It was meant to be the second choice goalie shirt for use with the away strip, as the first choice goalie shirt was yellow with a black back in the same design. However I’d imagine the back was plain white and would have caused clashing problems with some teams, so a plain green shirt in the same design was used instead.

  23. Unbelievable! You wren’t allowed to publish these?
    Did any other clubs refuse permission?
    Its a new regime now. Im sure permission would be granted.

  24. I’m not completely sure about this, but I think I remember seeing a photo from the late ’80s of us wearing a shirt (I’m assuming it was an away shirt) of the same type as the ’87 to ’89 home kits, but with thin purple stripes instead of blue.

    Incidentally, was the sky blue third kit from 2001/2 ever worn? I assumed it was a training kit rather than a match kit.

  25. ‘m thinking the purple on the photographs was due to the printed matter in magazines or something like that, I remember seeing photographs during that era of other blue-shirted teams wearing what seemed like a purple hue in some photographs.

  26. Thanks for your message Tony – the whole Sheff Wed situation was a real shame. You never know, as you say, with a new regime the Owls kits may be published elsewhere yet!

  27. The Green 2000/01 kit was created mid season after Wednesday ended up playing in Tranmere’s (similar green) away kit for the match at Prenton Park. I think it was first used in a league cup match at Oldham the following week.

    1. I was at that game. Wednesday turned up in their home kit, and of course Tranmere Rovers also play in blue & white, so Wednesday had to borrow their previous season’s away kit. Wednesday fans chanted “you’re not fit to wear the shirt”.

  28. I seem to remember an occasion wheen we had to change and wear an opponents’ shirt due to a clash. I think it was a night cup tie away at Bolton Wanderers. We wore a shiny gold shirt of theirs. It would be early to mid-nineties, when they were in the division below us. Anyone else remember that?

  29. Hello Phil, I’m wondering whether that purple striped shirt you mentioned may just have been a bad photo with distorted colour? Incidentally I’d be keen for confirmation on that pale blue third kit – Phil, Andy, was it definitely a training kit? If you could let me know that would be much appreciated.

    Owlin Wolf – I’ve had a dig around and although I can’t find any photo evidence Owls did play at Bolton in the League Cup in the 93-94 season (ended in a 1-1 draw) and in that season Bolton had an amber away kit. You may be right!

  30. The evidence I would’ve had for that pale blue being a training kit would have been a copy of that season’s Owls Superstore catalogue. It’s possible I might still have it knocking around somewhere so I’ll keep my eyes open for it. I think if it had been a match shirt, I would’ve bought it.

  31. Hello Smyrna – I’ve no idea – I never got a straight answer re the refusal only that Mr Walker declined it. I’ve since realised (since being contacted by plenty of Owls fans) that this is not typical of the club.

  32. i do prefer the proper traditional owls badge that puma resurected on the 96-99 shirts – the one used now does look like its stuck in a 1970’s time warp.

  33. Is it possible to get hold of the white shorts and socks which were used for the 05/06 06/07 home kit aswell as the white shorts and socks that went with the 07/08 08/09 home kit. I know they werent sold in the club shop but i was just wondering if anyone has managed to get hold of a pair.

  34. Hello Robbie, I’ve been working tentatively on goalie kits – huge amount of work though and once you get to the 90s a nightmare to illustrate due to all the lairy patterns. Watch this space though…

  35. Re: 37. Matt.

    I don’t understand why they would have “needed” to issue the green fourth kit in 2000/01.

    I mean, they had…

    Home – blue and white.
    Away – white.
    Third – yellow.

    Surely, they can’t have ALL clashed with anybody?

  36. I never understood the green kit either?? if you put sheffield wednesday 2000 into gettyimages.co.uk it shows us playing in it at gillingham and QPR (both in blue and white??)

  37. Hi,

    What a great website. I have a few questions/ comments.

    1993/4 – I think that we also wore a plain white shirt that season making it five in all. The reason being we used to (and may still do) hold the record for the number of different kits being worn in a season. I’m sure Mr Devlin will be able to confirm/correct me on this. I’d have to find a VHS player to play the 1993/4 season review on though.

    I was at the game at Burnden Park when we wore their Gold strip. I’m not sure of the year though (I suppose this could be the 5th strip we wore in 1993/4).

    The light blue strip was definitely a training kit when it was released because I remember not buying it for that reason. The team could have worn it though therefore effectively making it a third kit.

  38. Hello Richard B, thanks for your comments. I wasn’t aware of a plain white shirt as well in 93-94! I will investigate further, it would be quite something to have worn 5 different kits in one season. Any idea what game it was worn in? I have my doubts about my sources for that light blue strip now – can anyone confirm it was ever worn?

  39. Can someone tell how the away kits of Wednesday looked like during the 60-es and the first half of the 70-es?

  40. I haven’t been able to find the old shop catalogue that would’ve had the sky blue shirt in, unfortunately. Recently moving out of the family home hasn’t helped either…

    However, I’m 99% sure it was never worn as a match kit. If it were a match shirt, I’m certain I would’ve bought it myself – I tend to prefer buying the away kits, especially ones that are different to anything we’ve worn previously.

  41. as a wednesday fan i have to say my faves are
    93-95 home
    93-94 away (i have this on my wall it was the first full kit i got i even had the tracksuit top n bottoms too lol its now on my wall as i was 8 at the time)
    94-95 away
    95-97 home (a break from tradition yes but i remember it fondly as the first season i visited hillsbrough (4-1 thumping to notts forest lol) and the year united had that god awfull diamond overlay lol)
    96-98 orange away (this looked smart)
    03-05 home (only the second i own) and both its aways (these looked even more cracking in fifa the year after the championship teams were added)
    05-07 home (the 3rd i own)
    07-08 orange away
    10-11 black and gold away is a great return to my walled fave and i hope to make this only the second wednesday away i ever own (and 4th in total rubbish collection i know but i spent the years in between collectong man utds kits cos i couldnt get hold of swfc ones lol)

  42. I recently obtained in a players collection one of the white 93/94 with black pin stripe shirts. Very nice shirt and Robbie, Mr Sheff Wednesday shirt collector to me!! informs me it was never available as a replica. So quite a rare one to.

    Think i know where that will end up!! Also obtained Mark Crossley’s grey Plusnet Broadband sponsored Diadora keepers shirt in which he scored for Wednesday, so another historical one if nothing else.

    You are right John, these Wednesday fans love their shirts!

  43. can i just say shakey
    i worked for sheffield wednesday during the 2000-2001 season (2000-2005 tenure as a training ground security guard) and i saw the green 4th kit once and assumed it was for the goal keepers (an old concept for sutch a young lad as i was 16 then and fresh out of school) but i am pretty sure i helped to load the yellows on the coach for the gillingham game and not the green but i could be getting my years muddled up but i do have some pics of us playing in the yellow against gillingham qpr and coventry so im pretty certain i am right
    and yes we do love our shirts but we do have some classics (tango orange all the way for me)

  44. oh and phill no i dont think the sky blue third was ever worn i only ever saw them use it on the training pitch im 99% sure of that but then again i didnt get to see every game as i mostly worked saturdays

  45. I never understood the green kit either?? if you put sheffield wednesday 2000 into gettyimages.co.uk it shows us playing in it at gillingham and QPR (both in blue and white??)

  46. yeah like i say i could be getting my years mixed up but i do remember playing in yellow against one of them (makes no sence to play in blue and white anyway especialy against qpr)

  47. hi

    i was looking thru them, and i spotted the ecru away strip. That is incorrect. The blue shorts was the normal shorts, and the ecru was the change strip.

  48. it seems wednesday ran out of colour options at bury this week

    was that last seasons home black shorts i spotted or are they supposed to go with that shirt lol

  49. I bought my first Wednesday Shirts home and away in 1984-85 season. For years after I bought them all. Except for the White with Black pinstripes worn against Newcaste in 1993-94 season. I remember phoning the club shop, and was told Puma had promised no kit changes for replica’s for 2 years, yet the yellow with purple pinstripes was available the following summer. There are various kits that I never got that were available commercially. The navy blue from 2002-03 season. The white kit from 2008-09 and the Yellow kit from 2009-10. I am not happy that you can only get the shirts at the club shop only. I live in Gillingham in Kent, so I am not in a position to just go to the club shop. Yes, mail order is available, but not ideal should I need to try the shirt on. I only just got hold of this season’s away Grey shirt, after being told a month into the season, that they not getting anymore.

  50. remember them getting cleaned up at Anfield in the green and white on 8/4/89….one week prior to the tragedy at Hillsboro.No idea why they wore the strip there was no colour clash

  51. Hi Jon. This is truly outstanding can’t believe ive never found it before.
    As i have every programme in this era i created a folder sometime ago with all kits & all different options.
    I dont have that folder anymore as i never saved however i should get round to it again as i do still have the photographic evidence somewhere in the programme collection.
    As far as i can see there is nothing wrong with your shirts but if i may id like to give a few little tweets to add. I will await your say so on this first ofcause

    I am 100% certain first of all the pale blue shirt was a training shirt as i do have the catalogues & i will find these out.

  52. The 1992-93 home & away kits were played without sponsor names for the first months or so of the season as the deals didnt start till then. The sponsor names were sewn on for the initial games (as were MR TOM the season before) with the sanderson logo from above the name placed to the right of the S.
    This was also the case for the VT plastics sponsorship deal. This started with a televised match on ITV V Spurs in the autumn.
    (i will send you photographic evidence Jon)

  53. Wednesday like a few teams opted for a black away kit (this was unusual at the time) in 93-94 because Referees started to wear green however they didnt think that they would still be wearing black in the cup competions and had to wear Bolton’s away kit away in the cup. They then hurrid together the white shirt with the black pin stripe. This should have had the black shorts & socks from the away kit but when it debuted live on sky V Newcastle yellow shorts were worn. This kit was worn 3 times but on the 2nd & 3rd occassion it reverted to the black shorts & socks. On one of the occassions the same shirt had a white collar (will send you evidence Jon).
    Afterall this it meant that the all gold away shirt from the same season was brought into place as wednesday made it to the league cup semis playing & wearing this kit away on the run to the semi V man utd.
    The season after they realised the mistake & brought out the completely differant (to home & away colours) 3rd kit. The yellow & purple number.

  54. The Gold & white with black pin stripe kits from that season were never avaliable for sale to the public & are very rare to get hold off.
    Its also worth noting that untill the sanderson kits of 93-94 onwards you were never able to buy a wednesday shirt with sponsorship names on. I think this was the case for most teams in the 80s & early 90s

  55. in 2000-2001 they made another mistake. It has always baffeld me when a team’s away shirt is one of the prime colours in the home kit. It was in 2000 when the away kit was white. Early in the season at Tranmere wednesday had to wear their green away kit & a few weeks earlier at oldham wednesday had a green away kit which as above was never avaliable for sale. I think they also wore this at Gillingham later that season in the cup.
    In the new year an whole yellow away kit was produced instead.

  56. I don’t mean to be pedantic, Richard, but the 2000-01 yellow change kit was produced before the new year, as I remember going to the Birmingham v Sheffield Wednesday league cup match in December 2000.

    http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/andy-booth-of-sheffield-gets-past-darren-purse-and-danny-news-photo/973524

    I remember being surprised as I was expecting Wednesday to wear white-black-white. They wore the yellow kit again when they turned up at St. Andrews in March for the league game.

  57. yes you are correct. It was the fiest time we wore the kit, i was at both games . they only wore the kit when changing into white still clashed a little. eg Southampton in fa cup in jan etc.

  58. yeah agree maybe but its up the ref i suppose. and it did have blue bits in it.An away shirt should totally differan to your main colours. Evertime we have had a white one it causes problems sometimes & we need a 3rd strip. Evertime a white team comes to hillsboro they usually change & its not always needed.

  59. John – excellent work, a couple of comments…….

    77-83 Bukta yellow away kit – the shorts were white with the same bukta trim as the shirt sleeves (yellow with blue stripes and blue Bukta badges). The alternative shorts were the blue with yellow trim you’ve shown.

    83-84 Bukta yellow away kit – again the shorts were white. Plain white with a blue Bukta badge. The alternative shorts were the blue shorts you’ve illustrated. I saw most Wednesday away games that season, they never wore yellow shorts.

  60. David is correct John, the 77-83 Bukta away kit featured white shorts with the blue as an alternative. Ive looked through every programe from that period & can’t find any record of yellow shorts.
    The white 3 rd shirt from that period had the bukta stripes in blue down the sleeve as in the yellow away shirt.

  61. The 1993-94 4th kit was worn 3/4 times. On one occassion we wore the yellow shorts (live on sky V Newcastle) on an other we wore black & the third time we wore white shorts . The shirt worn with that had white collar & not black.

  62. These 2 kits (93-94 3rd & 4th kits) are probably the other way round as the white one was worn first in september making it the 3rd kit & the yellow on e worn in the league cup run later in the year, ,aking it the 4th. Both kits were worn 3/4 times only & as ive mentioned before we never avaliable to buy in the club shop.

  63. The green 4th kit from 2000-01 season worn once or twice had black shorts & not white.
    As a poster has already said above the ecru away kit from 03-04 had blue shorts with the ecru ones being the alternative.

  64. I’m sure the green kit was used three times, Richard.

    At QPR and Gillingham, as you say with black shorts, which were the home shorts, as QPR and Gillingham had white shorts. But I’m sure the actual shorts were white. And a unique white pair, as John illustrated, and not simply the shorts from the away kit.

    I’m sure these were used in that other game, but I can’t remember who it was against.

  65. Yes i think the 3rd games was oldham in league cup (although this was the firat game we wore it). Gonna check through the programmes to see & it should show white shorts, yeah i think they were the alternate home shorts. We usually always have a white or blue alternate short for home games when required. I wasnt aware of the QPR game as i didnt go to that one but its there in the programmes to see.

    This kit came about because when we played Tranmere early season we actually played in their away kit which was also green.

  66. I still don’t understand where the yellow kit came from.

    A blue and white home, white away, and green third kit would have solved all problems, surely!?

    By the way, was that Tranmere kit the green and orange one? Although I remember them using it as their away kit in 98-99, so them still having it 2000-01 is unlikely.

  67. does anyone elsethink that wednesday look better in blue shorts rather than black

    i loved the 2012 return and got narked that puma reverted last season

  68. Totally agree Tony – Wednesday in blue shorts seems to look much cleaner in my view. Similarly I always like seeing Watford in red shorts rather than black, more individual.

  69. Yeah I hate the new Watford kit, no red at all!

    My own preference for Wednesday is black shorts and socks, I don’t like when there are black shorts and blue socks.

  70. heres another idea mates,

    since its the last year of the puma deal we should revert to umbro …..we had some classics from them and i dont want to see the brand die to be fair

  71. Puma should have given Watford the King Template (same as Leicester) . With a black/Red collar. Much cleaner than what they have at the moment

  72. their is something i need to know about the puma numbering on sheffield wednesday shirts in 1992-1993/94 ish

    these and the asics numbers on blackburn shirts from the same era

    i have the premier league archives on dvd and in matches from the same season both sheffield wednesday and blackburn seem to have numbering inconsistancys ….in some they have numbers that sit flush to the kit so you can see the kit striping/halving in the small gap between the number and its outline, in other matches the gap is replaced by a solid white block, also shelfield wednesday seem to use two styles of font, one block red (matching the numbers) and another yellow and blue ….they also seem to have a habit of either placing the yellow/blue font flush on the shirt or on a blue rectangle with a white outline

    these seem to change at will …………i was wondering if anyone can shed any light on this, …perhaps they simply phased out the old ones as the season went on but im not sure ….nor am i sure what order they are in or if they were from a seperate season and its the online photos that are wrong

    arsenal seem to do the same in 97, a numberset with a nuke logo and one without

  73. Not sure re Wednesday Tony, but I know that Blackburn did change in 93-94. Initially, they had the numbers flush like you say, then on a white background in ‘plain’ Asics style (as Newcastle had) before reverting to the squarer style they had had, but this time outlined in white to aid visibility.

    Not sure re Wednesday, unfortunately.

    Re Arsenal, would the set without the Nike logo have been used in Europe perhaps?

  74. Possibly …its also possible that the wednesday numbers evolved the samr as the blackburn ones

    But the arsenal ones in photos they tend to have the logos but i cant remember if the logos are on the dvd or just those photos since the photos are usually of replicas with the numbers added ….im going to have to find images to confirm

    I also have some pro set cards from 92 …where one player on the derby team has the ram and the umbro logo switched round to the wrong side of the shirt with the maxwell logo looking like its been ironed on slopily ……and where a lot of umbro teams have uhlsport make their goalkeeper shirt ……..but thats a question for another time lol

  75. Oh and when i say flush and not im not talking about the square they sometimes put on the back for visibility

    Im talking about having a slight gap between the edge of the number and the center that you can see the shirt through

    Then having some numbers where this gap is filled in like this
    http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mCefLGBV_kdFUO1uLxUQ_OA.jpg

    You see im not talking about a physical outline its kind of set in on the number but what i mean is on some numbers from the same season this white line and sometimes the puma logo are clear so you can see the stripes through them

    I just thought i would clarify because i didnt feel i was clear this is what i was talking about

  76. i had thought that tbh, but i found it interesting because the two teams in question are Derby County and Newcastle United,

    Newcastle used the half thin stripes and half thick stripes concoction that umbro made that year (with greenalls sponsor) and according to true colours 2 derby wore the same design as an away shirt that year (black and grey with red shorts and socks) so i thought that might have something to do with it,

    but personal choice is a idea i had entertained, but i did think it strange that clubs would allow that

  77. Your missing an away kit jon, (yellow with double black pinstripes …..1993-94 i believe it was) did it disapear from the site?

  78. Your also missing the 93-94 black with gold pinstripes number

    I am assuming they have gine missing because i know they have been seen before

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