Charlton Athletic Shirt History
Charlton Athletic, founded in 1905, gained their unusual nickname of ‘The Addicks’ from a local fishmonger who would attend matches waving haddock on a stick to advertise his shop. You might be thinking, where is the link? But the word ‘Addicks’ is a South East London slang for haddock fish. Anyway, that is one to keep in mind for the next pub quiz, now let’s get into their kit manufacturer and shirt sponsor history.
Charlton Kit History - Downloadable Checklist
Charlton Athletic Kit Manufacturer History
2022 – present – Castore
At the date of writing this article, Castore have just entered their second season of manufacturing for the Addicks and the clubs claims that it is most valuable commercial partnership in their recent history. Castore has taken over the club’s retail operations, which included a complete revamp of the club shop.
Despite a short period of time in partnership, the Manchester based sportswear brand has already made some meaningful Charlton strips that will no doubt become classics. The first was the 2022/23 away shirt which celebrated 30 years since the clubs return to The Valley and pays tribute to the volunteers and supporters who helped dig out the stadium’s origins in 1919.
As described on the club’s website, the stadium ‘rose from the shell of an abandoned chalk pit, as an army of volunteers helped dig out the area for the pitch, using the materials to build up makeshift stands in what was already a natural bowl’. Because of this, the tribute comes in the form of a white chalk-like patterned design.
In the same campaign, Castore produced a third strip which was also a massive hit. They modernised the clubs 1991/92 away strip which was diagonally striped blue and black. However, it wasn’t just a copy and paste job, as Castore centralised the club crest and also removed the red, black and Charlton Athletic from around it leaving just a white sword – it looked really smart. UTA (Up the Addicks) also appears on the reverse of the jerseys neck.
Bringing it to this season (2023/24), Charlton’s current third and away kit also refers to the club’s past. Their away strip, which features the same style of club crest mentioned in the previous paragraph, is black with purple and green applications, including a cool broken striped diagonal sash. Purple and green was first used by the Addicks in 1995.
Again, the third shirt is another modernised remake of a retro Charlton strip. This time, Castore brought the 1994/95 and 1995/96 away kit back to life but switched the polo collar for a crewneck. It is white, with one red stripe above the sponsor and one black stripe beneath it.
2017 – 2022 – Hummel
Hummel is a Danish brand that was founded in 1923 and they struck a five-year-deal with Charlton in October 2016. Huge pressure was taken on with Hummel’s first release as the campaign marked 25 years since the club returned to The Valley after being criticised by the Football Leagues officials for its safety in the wake of Braford City’s stadium fire.
To mark the occasion, in 2017/18, a lovely home shirt was brought out with a number of features recognising the landmark. The promo was named #HomeSweetHome and it was a traditional Charlton red with Hummel chevrons on its shoulders. It had ‘Back at The Valley’ written on a special scroll underneath the club crest, but not only that, on the front of the jersey towards the lower left, it had the famous Charlton sword embossed. They didn’t stop there, as ‘Back at The Valley’ was also imprinted into the shirt on the back above the hem. Also featuring on the back was a QR code that you could scan and it would take you to the club’s history page. And last, but certainly not least, every player who represented the club during the historic 1992/93 campaign had their name written on the inside of the shirt just below the back of the neck.
Hummel also introduced a couple of shirts with recognition to the club’s past, starting with the 2018/19 home strip. They took supporters right back to the 90’s by incorporating a shadowed chequerboard pattern that featured on the 1989/90 and 1990/91 home kit. To make it a hybrid, they also added white teardrop side panels which can be found on the 1998/99 and 1999/20 home jerseys. Another was the 2019/20 away shirt, Hummel, like Castore, paid tribute to 1995 with thin purple and green hoops going horizontally around its black base.
Finally, the last shirt I am going to talk about for Hummel is the 2021/22 third shirt, which gave its flowers to 100 years of league football. It was a black jersey, with a strip of lighter black around the chest area, it had gold detailing to its neckline and arm trims, and the club crest and sponsorship logos were also gold. For the first time in 47 years, the aforementioned simplified version of the Charlton emblem was used.
2012 – 2017 – Nike
Traditionally, the Addicks have predominately red home shirts with just touches of white, so Nike’s 2014/15 home jersey could be considered as somewhat of a risk. Admittedly, the shirt is still mostly red, but it does have more white features to it to what we’re used to, at least in more recent times. The fun that campaign didn’t stop there for Nike though, as they introduced a third strip that was very similar to FC Barcelona’s 2013/14 away kit. It was solid orange at the top, before gradients kicked in and it ended up yellow at the bottom. It was the first time that Charlton had gone ‘tropical’ since 2005.
The 2016/17 third shirt that the popular sportswear brand put up was made in recognition of a blue and black striped kit that was never made available for purchase for supporters back in 2000/01. A replica was also created by Charlton’s suppliers in 2009/10. Although for Nike, the blue and black stripes phased out towards the top of the jersey, making its chest and arms just black.
2010 – 2012 – Macron
Initially, Charlton and Macron penned a four-year-deal, however it only ended up lasting two. Their time together was pretty uneventful though, in terms of shirt design.
The same home shirt was worn in both campaigns and the template was copied in light blue for the 2010/11 away strip. The away did get switched in 2011/12 though, as a white polo strip was manufactured with red side panels and a triangular red patch on its shoulders.
2003 – 2010 – Joma
Joma is a Spanish brand and it saw some Premier League exposure up until the Addicks’ relegation in 2006/07. In 2005, they had the opportunity to produce a special anniversary strip marking the club’s 100th birthday. It was a red crewneck centre badge design with one large vertical white stripe towards the left-hand side. Engraved in the stripe was 1905 – 2005 vertically. The players played in this kit for the whole month of October. Interestingly, the Spanish manufacturer opted for a similar design, but in polo form and without the engravement, for the 2009/10 home jersey.
As alluded to in a previous segment, the 2009/10 blue and black striped away jersey was a replica of a popular shirt supporters never had the chance to own in 2000/01, but, in my opinion, this isn’t the best blue striped jersey of Joma’s tenure. The centre badged, V-neck, vertically striped light and dark blue kit from 2007/08 takes that particular accolade, for me. It just has a retro feel about it.
1998 – 2003 – Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif and Charlton enjoyed a jubilant time together and for that reason many of the shirts from this era go down as classics. This article may make it seem that 2000/01 was famous for the aforementioned blue and black striped third shirt, but in actual fact the whole of that particular collection is recognisable given it was the Addicks’ first campaign back as a Premier League outfit.
That means that the South East London club won promotion, as champions, in 1999/00 and, in my opinion, they did so in style with their superb home shirt which was also on display in 1998/99. The red polo had a white collar and button area, while Le Coq Sportif logos were joined up running from the shoulders and down its arms. In 1998/99, this same concept was followed in beige, with black applications, for the away jersey.
1994 – 1998 – Quaser
Yep, the retro vibes here are immaculate. If you want a marmite football shirt, then this collection might be for you.
1995/96 seen the birth of purple and green Charlton Athletic strips and they certainly emerged with quite a bang. It was striped green, purple and white and it had ‘Addicks’ stitched into its polo collar. Not only did it have the emblem centralised in the typical central spot, but it was also unmissably embossed on the stomach area. Also imprinted was ‘Charlton Athletic’ running several times diagonally. The embossed Charlton crests didn’t stop there though, as on all of the home, away and third shirts from there on in they appeared multiple times.
I feel obliged to give the 1996 – 1998 away shirt a shout-out before this section closes. It was a buttoned crew neck design with Quaser written on the neckline, it was then half white with two green stripes split by a blue one on the other side. It sounds crazy, but I actually think it is a hit.
1992 – 1994 – Ribero
Ribero has been the creators of some sublime retro football shirts in the past, but I wouldn’t say that Charlton Athletic is the home of any.
The 1992/93 third shirt, which was kept on as the away for 1993/94, actually gave inspiration for the 1993/94 home jersey. The same concept was followed, but one was red with white detailing and one was white with red detailing.
The polo design had a chevron pattern stitched into the arm line and collar, while the shirt base also had an imprinted patterned background.
1988 – 1992 – Admiral
The 1991/92 away strip has already had a shout-out in a previous section and it is definitely a memorable Charlton outfit, but in my opinion, this isn’t the only classic that Admiral produced.
The subtly chequered home (red), away (blue) and third (grey) collection in 1989/90 deserves a mention. Each strip featured a white, black and red hooped crewneck like neckline with one button in the middle.
The 1988/89 home shirt also earns its place in this article. Its neckline matched the above without the button and this shirt didn’t have the chequered patterning either. What made it for me, though, was the admiral logos filled in red featuring consecutively on a white shoulder strip.
1986 – 1988 – Adidas
This was Adidas’ second stint with Charlton and the V-necked Adidas Original collection, which they wore for consecutive seasons, certainly popped off. Simple, but effective, could be the best phrase to describe them.
They had the famous three Adidas stripes on the shoulder section, while being subtly diagonally striped a different version of its base colour (lighter or darker). The third kit collaboration of white and light grey is a personal favourite of mine.
1983 – 1986 – Osca
Osca broken up the two Adidas era’s and it saw the Addicks wear the same home and away shirt for three consecutive seasons. Is this something that you would like to see again in the future?
White and red had reverse roles on both of the jerseys as V-neck strips with thin vertical stripes were donned. The home kit looked very similar to Adidas’ from the previous year but with a different neckline.
1980 – 1983 – Adidas
Is it just me or does the Adidas Original logo just make football shirts look better? Adidas didn’t even do much in terms of design during these years and the kits still look wonderful.
For the first two seasons Charlton wore a plain polo red home shirt with a white collar and arm trims, the away shirt was the same concept but in yellow and blue. For the third campaign, the famous sportswear brand simply decided to add thin vertical stripes in white for the home kit and in blue for the away.
Charlton Athletic Shirt Sponsor History
The Addicks have had one of those shirt sponsor history’s where they have had different shirt sponsors for different kits throughout certain seasons. Let’s get right into it…
2022 – Present – RSK
Since 2022, RSK has appeared on the front of the home and third kit. The RSK Group is a ‘global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions’ and as you may predict, they are officially the club’s sustainability partner with a five-year-deal that was penned in 2022. Within the statement announcing the partnership, Charlton pledged to make changes to improve the impact that they have on the environment.
As for the groups feature on the shirts, it is simply RSK in a large font written horizontally. There isn’t much to it, but for shirt sponsors, that is often a good thing. It gets a thumbs up from me.
2022 – Present – University of Greenwich
Perhaps not as appealing of a sponsor as RSK, but the University of Greenwich deal is an important partnership for South London’s community. The University’s website claims that ‘both organisations believe strongly in the power of sport and through their partnership, they share expertise and facilities, as well as give students employment and research opportunities and enhancing the staff and student experience’.
2020 – 2022 – The Wisdom Family
The Wisdom family, who are long-standing Charlton fans, had four of their businesses feature on the club’s shirt within this time frame.
KW Holdings, which took the central spot on the Addicks’ 2020/21 home shirt, was formed to oversee the family’s other business interests. I love it when a fan gets the opportunity to be involved with their childhood club, however, while I do think that the ‘KW’ looked good, the word ‘holdings’ was pretty difficult to read making it unclear of the businesses exact name. That said, given the family has three other businesses using those initials, it could have been an intentional move.
Joining KW Holdings in 2020/21 was Vitech Services, the company, which is part of the construction and refurbishing industry, was placed on the third and away jerseys. The away shirt was grey with red features and their third kit was blue, meaning the red and light blue logo fitted in fairly nicely. As a further plus, their text was much more visible than on the KW Holdings strip.
KW Consulting, a comprehensive advice and support service on technical design projects, featured on the 2021/22 home and third strip. For the home shirt, it suffered the same issue as the 2020/21 home strip, but on the third kit, its change to gold as a nod to Charlton’s 100 years in the Football League improved it hugely.
Finally, Walker Mower, the family’s consulting engineering practice, had the honours on the 2021/22 third shirt and for me, it could be the pick of the lot. It looked good, no daft colours were used and it was readable.
2019 – 2020 – Children with Cancer UK
BETDAQ, who featured on the kits for three seasons prior to this, donated the slot for the 2019/20 campaign to Children with Cancer UK.
Children with Cancer UK is a ‘leading national children’s cancer charity dedicated to research into the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer in children and young people – helping to improve the lives of young patients both today and for future generations’. Hats off to BETDAQ for their incredible generosity for such an important cause.
In the statement announcing this agreement, Charlton pledged not only to raise awareness for the charity by being a shirt sponsor for a Championship club, but to also raise funds. They did just that by hosting events such as ‘Sleepout at The Valley’.
2016 – 2019 – BETDAQ
BETDAQ, the company that shown the incredible act of kindness, is an Irish gambling company founded in 2000.
In 2018/19, BETDAQ also sponsored Sunderland, meaning for that campaign there was a BETDAQ derby in League One. Their text font looks smart across the jersey – I like it.
2014 – 2016 – University of Greenwich
The already discussed University of Greenwich is now on their second stint across a Charlton strip, as they have a previous feature in 2014/15 and 2015/16. That time, though, the University featured across all of the Charlton kits for those campaigns.
To give an idea of the importance of a relationship between the pair, below is a quote from the University’s website.
“Having the opportunity to take a graphic design internship at Charlton Athletic FC not only gave me invaluable experience but I got my dream job out of it too!”
2012 – 2014 – The Andrew Sykes Group
The Andrew Sykes Group had two of their company’s take the slots for 2012/13 and 2013/14. Andrew’s Air Conditioning, an air conditioning service provider, had the home shirt, while Andrews Heat for Hire, a specialist heating hire company, had the away and third strips.
Off the pitch, the group teamed up with Charlton Athletic Community Trust and contributed towards a ‘Stay Warm, Stay Safe’ campaign – a scheme aimed at supporting residents throughout the Royal Borough of Greenwich who may be at risk during the colder months.
2009 – 2012 – KRBS.com
KRBS stands for Kent Reliance Building Society and I am somewhat relieved that they opted for the abbreviated version on the shirt.
At the time of the partnership, research suggested that two thirds of Charlton’s season ticket holders lived within the Kent postcode, so the club already had links to the county.
But how did it look? Fine. It wasn’t the best shirt sponsorship that I have ever seen, but it was far, far from the worst.
2008 – 2009 – Carbrini Sportswear
Carbrini Sportswear was a brand owned by JD Sports, but it ceased production in 2019. Within their short 13-year history, Carbrini even had a dabble at manufacturing themselves.
This time though, it was simply a shirt sponsor and I have seen it look a lot more elegant on other shirts, such as Rochdale’s. I was not a fan of the black sticker print route that they went down.
2005 – 2009 – Llanera
Llanera was a Spanish property developer that sold many holiday-homes to Britons. As per Spanish Property Insight, there were many British victims when the company closed down in 2013.
Their appearance on the Addicks’ strips was a fairly decent one. The Spanish business was flexible with the colouring of their logo to suit the shirt. I much prefer this than a print with a coloured background to make it visible.
2002 – 2005 – All: Sports
All: Sports was a sporting-goods retailer and according to the Marketing Week, the deal didn’t particularly end on good terms as the retailers financial difficulties scuppered relationships.
Their feature was simply white text reading ‘All: Sports’ with a black outline. If I am being nit-picky, I think it would have looked better without the black.
2000 – 2002 – Redbus
Redbus is an investment company which was set up by internet entrepreneur Cliff Stanford.
Their feature on the shirt is a good one, in my opinion. The letters D and B made for an interesting feature, as they were made longer than the rest of the text.
1998 – 2000 – Mesh Computers
Mesh Computers builds top end custom PCs and they are still trading to this day. Their slot on the South East London club’s jerseys looked smart.
It was simply MESH, but the E was fancy without the vertical line, and it had computers plc under it in a smaller font.
1993 – 1998 – Viglen Computers
Mesh, who we discussed in the previous section, would have no doubt felt quite smug when they took the feature off fellow IT company Viglen.
Viglen, though, focuses on storage systems, servers, workstations and data/voice communications equipment.
Their appearance for the most part was simply Viglen with a creative G, E and N. I really liked the company’s feature up until they added personal computers underneath it in 1996/97.
1988 – 1992 – The Woolwich
Because the shirts from this era have gone down in Charlton folklore, I don’t think you would be too far wrong to say this is arguably the clubs most famous shirt sponsor, albeit very simplistic.
The Woolwich is an equitable building society and its parent company is Barclay’s.
1981 – 1982 – FADS
FADS featured on two lovely Adidas Originals jerseys during the partnership and their feature blended into the kits nicely. The text was white on the red and white shirt and blue on the yellow and blue strip.
Conclusion
A conclusion that I can draw from delving into Charlton Athletics’ kit manufacturer history is that they love a modern remake of an old shirt. To be fair, when it is done properly, I love it too!
Their shirt sponsor history has been fairly solid and there hasn’t yet been any ugly disasters, in my opinion.