Historical Football Kits

Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League 2009 - 2010

The Scottish Premier League (SPL) is the top level club competition in Scotland. Since 1999 12 teams have taken part with the champions of the Scottish Football League First Division replacing the 12th place club each season, provided their ground meets SPL standards. Celtic and Rangers enjoy a complete stranglehold on the championship (it is 24 years since Aberdeen won the title, the last team outside the Old Firm to have done so).

Secondary sponsorship is permitted on the front and back of shorts.

Aberdeen

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Team Recruitment

The Dons qualified for the 2009-10 Europa Cup after finishing in fourth place last season. Their new home strip is the usual plain red with fine horizontal stripes on the shirt the only contrast. An identical third kit in black with yellow pinstripes is introduced. The all-white change kit from last season is used once again.

(Luke Conboy, Andrew Cowan, Steve Turner)

Celtic

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Carling

After missing out to Rangers for the title last season, Celtic parted company with their popular manager, Gordon Strachan. Their home kit is unchanged from last season but a new third kit, with spectacular tartan shorts, has been introduced as a European Champions League change kit (a UEFA requirement). The new away kit is a revival of the popular "bumblebee kit" from 1996 in fluorescent yellow and black, which makes a welcome return thanks to a petition by supporters.

(Barry McKenna)

Dundee United

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Carbrini Sportswear

United have signed a four year contract with Nike whose first kit is typical of their minimalist design. It remains to be seen whether supporters will be prepared to part with £40 for what amounts to an orange T shirt. Since 2009 marks 100 years since the club's formation as Dundee Hibernian, a special badge has been introduced with additional black ribbons and surround, embroidered with 1909 - 2009 - Centenary. Claims on club's website that the all-white away kit has been heavily influenced by the shirts that Dundee United wore from the 1930s to the late 1960s is frankly complete tosh. It is a standard Nike template.

The remarkable special edition kit was commissioned for a friendly match against Dundee, played on 10 November to mark United's new floddlight system and raise funds for the youth academies of both teams. It manages to combine all of the club's previous kits, including the green worn when they played as Dundee Hibernian.

(Adam Balchin, Alexander Perkin)

Falkirk

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Central Demolitions

The Bairns may have held on to their Premier League place by the skin of their teeth but have a European campaign to look forward to in 2009-10, thanks to reaching the final of last season's Scottish Cup where Rangers took the trophy but had already qualified for the Champions League. This allows the club to market its new pale blue change strip as their "away/Euro kit." The new home kit is based on Puma's latest template, with discrete red piping, while the away strip is based on one of Puma's designs from last season.

Last season's away red shorts and socks were used with a plain white shirt for the match at Ibrox (30 January) since the blue home and away shirts would have both clashed with Rangers' tops.

(Megan - the Travelling Bairn, Graeme Mason)

Hamilton Academical

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Reid Furniture (Home), Shoreline Energy International (Away, 3rd)

The Accies have updated their kit slightly but the differences to the Nike strip they wore between 2007 and 2009 are minimal: a red v neck trimmed in white replaces the old crew neck and the hoops are arranged slightly differently at the shoulder. The choice of orange is a curious one as it clashes with red and is may cause problems when Accies play Aberdeen. the away shirts are sponsored by a Nigerian holding company.

The orange shirts were launched on the club's website matched with the white home shorts while last season's blue and white away kit now becomes Accies' third kit.

(Russel Campbell, Duncan Harman)

Heart of Midlothian

Designer: Umbro

Sponsor: Ukio Bankas

Hearts finished third in 2009 to qualify for the new Europa League. Last season's experiment with maroon shorts is ended and traditional white ones reappear this season, with white flashes on the body. The new away kit is an attractive combination in pale blue and navy with white trim. The shirt features vertical stripes embossed into the fabric and fading away towards the top.

The special edition strip was worn in the Edinburgh derby on 3 January and carries a white ribbon in support of the Campaign Against Domestic Violence. Last year's maroon socks were worn in this game and in most matches after that.

(Justin Newell, Adam Balchin, David Reynolds)

Hibernian

Designer: Le Coq Sportif

Sponsor: McEwan Fraser

Remarkably this is the eleventh consecutive season that Le Coq Sportif have been Hibs' kit partner. Their new offering eschews the green shorts worn in recent campaigns and returns to a classic, 1960s look. The dark green motif that recall the original shade of the team shirts appears once again on the, shirts stockings and on the shorts trim (which is reversed on the back). The white away kit is styled "an interchangeable kit system" and is worn with the home shorts. The all-black third kit (which is similar to the regular goalkeeper's outfit) appeared for the first time in the away game with Hamilton Academical and was also worn at Celtic.

The special edition strip worn in the Edinburgh derby on 3 January carries a white ribbon in support of the Campaign Against Domestic Violence.

(Fergus Callen, David Reynolds)

Kilmarnock

Designer: Killie 69

Sponsor: Small World

Kilmarnock's kits, designed and marketed under the club's own Killie69 brand, have proved popular with supporters. This year traditional white shorts replace the blue ones worn last season. The metallic gold trim on the shirt marks the club's 140th anniversary. The away strip consists of a white shirt with blue and gold trim and blue shorts and stockings. These are interchangeable so the home shirt can be worn with blue shorts and/or socks and the away shirt with white shorts/socks if needed. Officially the club have retained last season's purple outfit as their third kit but the players consider it unlucky. The kit manager proposed they combine their blue training tops with their away shorts and socks for the match against Celtic in Glasgow at the end of October.

(Martin Le Roy, Russel Campbell. Barry McKenna provided the background to the third strip)

Motherwell

Designer: Canterbury

Sponsor: JAXX

Motherwell enjoy a European campaign this season after qualifying for the Europa Cup due to Scotland being awarded an extra place for finishing in the top three of the Respect Fair Play League last season.

Despite having another year to run on their contract with Bukta, Motherwell have switched to the New Zealand supplier, Canterbury. In recent years the claret band has appeared only on the front of the shirt but now extends around the back of the shirt, a tradition that dates back to 1928. The shirt is worn with with amber shorts, a combination first seen in 1968. Replica shirts sold in junior and infant sizes carry the letters "WELL" in accordance with industry guidelines introduced last season. Despite Canterbury's financial difficulties, an all-claret away kit was delivered to the club in mid-August.

(Willie Kay, Jamie Hunter)

Rangers

Designer: Umbro

Sponsor: Carling

Rangers pipped Celtic for the 2009 championship with a 3-0 win on the final day of the season, breaking a sequence of three successive titles for their rivals. As usual, 'Gers have introduced a new strip (they do not observe the voluntary agreement adopted by most big English clubs to rotate their kits every two seasons) and have gone for a firmly traditional look. The blue shirts feature a chequered pattern embossed into the fabric reminiscent of the 1980s, with red, white and blue trimmings. Various stockings were used including an old Diadora set (ordered for 2003-05 but never used) and white ones with blue Umbro logos.

The away kit is very similar in design, with red shirts and blue shorts and socks.

The third kit, launched in October is in "polar white" with a "brilliant white diagonal stripe". That's all-white then.

(Todd Prisk, Adam Balchin, Willie Kay, David reynolds))

St Johnstone

Designer: Surridge

Sponsor: Taylor Wimpey

The Perth club return to the SPL after a seven-year absence and celebrate their 125th anniversary in the top flight of Scottish football. To mark this special occasion, an all-blue strip has been introduced with metallic gold trim. (Is it just me or is metallic gold trim becoming a cliche for anniversary kits?) The badge is modified and has St. Johnstone F.C. - Celebrating 125 Years embroidered around the traditional double-headed eagle.

The away kit harks back to the club's earliest maroon colours. (The players who formed the club in 1885 had earlier played in the black and white jerseys of St Johnstone Cricket Club, before the football club was formally constituted.)

(Paul Smith)

St Mirren

Designer: Hummel

Sponsor: Braehead Shopping Centre

The new Buddies' strip reverts to white shorts and features white raglan sleeves. The reverse of the shirt is also predominantly white, which makes the choice of an all-black away kit a practical decision. Both outfits are trimmed in metallic gold. Last season's red away strip returns as third choice.

(Alan, Luke Conboy)