Watford Shirt History
The yellow and black primary colours of Watford is what motivated their supporters to vote for the nickname of the Hornets back in 1959. Let’s see how they have displayed those colours ever since.
Watford Kit History Checklist - A4 Download
Watford Kit Manufacturing History
2020 – present – Kelme
Kelme’s first ever partnership in English football wasn’t marked with a safe start, with the 2020/21 Watford home jersey catching many eyes with its black spike effect pattern originating from around the club crest and its black and yellow melange effect sleeves. In the same season, the Hornets boasted an all-black strip for only the fourth time in their history via the third strip.
Black was again a prominent colour in 2023/24, with Kelme opting for a concept which was described as a ‘black scratch away effect’ on the home shirt. In contrast, the 2022/23 edition, which had a subtle tonal zigzag pattern, only included black on its collar and sleeve cuffs. However, the colour was again heavily utilised 2021/22.
Before Watford’s yellow and black heritage begun, the club primarily donned a shade of blue from 1927 up until 1959 – the club paid homage to this by using the colour on the 2022/23 away top. The third shirt also paid tribute to the past with its black and white vertical stripe feature referring to the first kit that the Hornets wore at Vicarage Road in 1922 – it had black and white vertical stripes and a polo collar.
Kelme smashed it in 2024/25 with a super impressive home top which included vertical alternating black and red pinstripes.
2017 – 2020 – Adidas
Adidas’ first season with the Hornets was relatively uninspiring but amends were made in the second year through the introduction of a well appreciated vertically striped yellow and black home strip. A retro-inspired print made up of two shades of green was one of the main features of the away shirt in 2018/19 and every fan who attended all of the away games in 2017/18 was sent one for free. Despite a 6-0 Manchester City win in the final breaking Watford hearts, the 2018/19 collection has mostly fond memories attached to it given the club reached only its second ever FA Cup final.
Adidas ended with another popular home strip with its base being split half black and half yellow. Its sleeves were both yellow and it had a number of red touches throughout.
2016 – 2017 – Dryworld
The deal with Dryworld was supposed to run for three campaigns, however it was only in place for one. Each of the shirts had a black polo collar which was detailed with a red trim – the reverse of the collar was also red.
Less personality was in place on the white away jersey, with the home top having red side panels and tonal pinstripes to bring it more to life.
2012 – 2016 – Puma
Albeit not the nicest, the first Puma home shirt is famous for one of the most dramatic goals in football history – courtesy of Manuel Almunia and Troy Deeney.
Puma’s second attempt of a Watford collection in 2013/14 was also not that impressive, however hearts were certainly captured in 2014/15 when a black and white away strip boasting vertical stripes was released in tribute to the very first shirt the club worn in 1914. 12 members of their 1914 squad served in World War I, therefore, to honour their memory, £1 of each sale of the away kit was donated to the Royal British Legion. Making it all the more a collector’s item, Watford earned Premier League promotion in the 2014/15 campaign.
Puma signed off in 2015/16 with a home top that utilised hoops for the first time in the club’s history, albeit the hoops were printed in various sizes throughout.
2010 – 2012 – Burrda
The Burrda era was the last time that a Watford shirt has seen a centralised club crest, with both the home and away top in 2010/11 rocking that concept. The away top paraded red and black stripes, while the home top had just one conjoined red and black stripe running down the left-hand side of its yellow base.
The aforementioned shirts were followed by an unimpressive collection in 2011/12 – the bold neckline on the white, black and yellow away top made that one particularly unattractive.
2009 – 2010 – Joma
The home and the alternate strip followed the same design concept for the campaign under Joma, with yellow and black playing reversing roles on either strip. Each had obvious stitching and unmissable side panelling.
2005 – 2009 – Diadora
The only Diadora collection that didn’t see a strip with a central club crest is the rather bland 2008/09 one.
Instant classics came in Diadora’s first campaign, however this was down to on the pitch success rather than design, given the Hornets earned Premier League promotion after beating Leeds 3-0 in the Championship play off final.
The 2006/07 collection is another historic one, and not only because it was the clubs Premier League return campaign, given that they also celebrated their 125th birthday. Commemorative stitching and a special edition club crest was used to celebrate the landmark.
2001 – 2005 – Kit@
Two home jerseys came within this four-year-period, with each of them used for two seasons. The first edition was a minimal crewneck strip with little to it, while the second had a polo collar which boasted a black central feature and thin red sleeve cuffs.
Kit@ produced four decent alternate jerseys throughout this period, with the two standouts used between 2001 and 2004. From 2001 until 2003, the Hornets had a black away top which was dotted with a number of small yellow and red touches. For the 2003/04 campaign, they switched to a smart white shirt which had black, maroon red and yellow features within its sleeve cuffs and neckline.
1998 – 2001 – Le Coq Sportif
The boldest Le Coq Sportif Watford shirt came in the first year, with the French brand opting for thick blue and silver vertical stripes with red pinstripes separating them – the Le Coq Sportif logo and the club crest was adjusted to match those colours. Another eye-catching feature was the consecutive Le Coq Sportif logo pattern flowing down its sleeves – albeit this was also added to the home top, which had a yellow base but red sleeves.
In 1999/00, the home and away jersey which would remain in place until the end of the partnership was released. It wasn’t an unpopular decision as there isn’t much to fault about the jersey’s appearance.
1995 – 1998 – Mizuno
From 1995 up until the end of the 1996/97 campaign, Watford wore a fairly impressive home strip which paired a yellow base with a fading black sleeve feature that also utilised yellow and black pinstripes. Red sleeve cuffs and a red polo collar, which also included aspects of yellow and black, topped off the strip. In the first campaign, the Hornets also used a remarkable burgundy and teal alternate strip which had tonal features embossed.
The home top which succeeded it also had admirers, despite the fact the design was much more toned down. On this one, Mizuno applied one vertical red stripe and two small black pinstripes on the bases right-hand side.
1993 – 1995 – Hummel
The same shirts were worn for both seasons throughout this partnership, however this doesn’t mean that it was an uneventful era. While the home top certainly has its striking features, the away top takes the crown for the most outrageous with its funky all over navy and white mash up pattern.
1991 – 1993 – Bukta
Bukta also kept the same two shirts in place for both seasons. The home top featured a striking unaligned red and black stripe feature within the middle of its base and across the top of its sleeves – a special sponsor free centenary edition of this was also released. The away shirt was fairly ugly with a mismatch of patterns with white, navy and sky-blue being the key colours.
1974 – 1991 – Umbro
Watford’s first manufacturing partnership was with Umbro and it remarkably lasted for 17 years. Throughout this period, the designs were kept fairly minimal and each shirt was used for numerous seasons. The most classical looks came between 1982 and 1988, with the V-neck 1982 – 1985 concepts being particularly historic because of the clubs deep FA Cup run which ended in a final defeat to Everton. Fittingly, the partnership started and ended with a polo collar.
Watford Shirt Sponsorship History
The Hornets’ front of shirt sponsorship list includes a relatively popular video game, read on to find out who that is...
2023 – present – Mr. Q
Mr Q, which has a Hertfordshire base, is an online gambling site. Their feature is an inflated text display of their URL. It hasn’t been a smooth road since the partnership begun, with multiple gambling regulation fines heading Mr Q’s way.
2021 – 2023 – Stake.com
Ever heard of a sponsorship feature paid for via cryptocurrency? Well, according to the BBC, that his how Stake.com paid for this deal. Stake.com is a crypto casino and an online sports betting platform – their branding consisted of their URL .
2019 – 2021 – Sportsbet.io
Sportsbet.io is yet another betting firm. Unfortunately, their feature wasn’t that pleasant.
2017 – 2019 – FXPro
Forex broker FXPro agreed a deal to see their simple text-based feature take centre stage for two campaigns.
2013 – 2017 – 138.com
138.com is another gambling site. Despite the colours complimenting the Watford colours fairly well, the feature just wasn’t the best looking.
2012 – 2013 – Football Manager
Coolly, football management simulation game, Football Manager, held the slot for one year – much to the delight of their Watford supporting Studio Director Miles Jacobson. The away kit was used to promote the mobile version of the game.
2010 – 2012 – Burrda
For the period that Burrda manufactured the Watford jerseys, they also sponsored them.
2009 – 2010 – Evolution HDTV
Watford’s deal with Evolution HDTV ended a year early due to the club failing to receive any money from the company.
2007 – 2009 – Beko
Beko is a Turkish white goods and electronics company and they had a simple text-based feature.
2005 – 2007 – Loans.co.uk
Loan broker, loans.co.uk, have now closed their doors but they were at one point one of the largest employers in Watford. Their feature simply promoted their URL.
2003 – 2005 – Total
Total is a French petroleum company. The brands logo was included in the feature – it wasn’t ugly, but it was by no means the greatest.
2001 – 2003 – Toshiba
Toshiba is a Japanese electronic company and they used a text-based feature with not much to it at all.
1999 – 2001 – Phones4U
Defunct mobile phone retailer Phones4U simply splattered their logo across the centre. It wasn’t too appealing…
1996 – 1999 – CTX
CTX made their expertise clear in the first two seasons with the phrase ‘computer products’ appearing under the word CTX. This was removed for the 1998/99 campaign.
1993 – 1996 – Blaupunkt
Blaupunkt is a German brand that produced car products and other electronics. Their feature looked fine on the home jerseys, however the sticker like background made it much less appealing on the alternate tops.
1991 – 1994 – RCI
RCI is a leading travel network – a white version of their logo appeared on the Hornets’ jersey.
1989 – 1991 – Herald & Post
The text-based branding of Herald & Post, a free weekly newspaper, had the slot for two years.
1988 – 1989 – Eagle Express
Eagle Express, a courier company, had a broken text-based feature.
1985 – 1988 – Solvite
Wallpaper adhesive brand, Solvite, opted for an all-text feature. The shirt sponsorship deal may have ended in 1988, but the pairs relationship continued.
1982 – 1985 – Iveco
Iveco specialised in industrial vehicles and they were the first ever brand to strike a deal with the club – a text-based feature meant it was a pleasant introduction.
Conclusion
Watford’s kit history wasn’t the most exciting to cover despite there being a few gems within it. It is interesting to see Kelme dive into the English market through the Hornets and their work has been fairly impressive so far – are they the sought-after classic jerseys of the future?