My Admiral Leicester City Collection

My brother is eight years older than me and a huge Leicester City fan. I used to read the match programmes he brought home from the match, which only deepened my curiosity. We lived in Wigston, just four miles from the old Filbert Street ground, and I finally got to see Leicester City play on 29 April 1974. That night, we faced Norwich City and won 3-0, with Frank Worthington scoring twice and Steve Earle adding another. I was seven years old and didn’t fully grasp the intricacies of the match, but I was completely captivated by the atmosphere, it was the start of something truly special.

The kits in those days were quite simple: plain blue with a white collar. I remember getting one for Christmas later that year. It was an Admiral shirt, though it lacked any branding apart from the manufacturer’s label in the neckline.

The following season, I managed to attend a few more matches, and I can still recall the team: Wallington, Whitworth, Rofe, Earle, Munro, Cross, Weller, Sammels, Worthington, Birchenall, and Glover. The atmosphere at Filbert Street was electric. As a child of seven or eight, the noise, the smells, and the excitement made it feel utterly magical.

In 1976, there was a pivotal moment for me when Leicester unveiled a new kit for the 1976-77 season. Until then, I’d only known the plain blue design, but this new one had white trim and a unique pattern. From a distance, I thought it featured fox heads, but up close, I realised it was made up of small Admiral badges. For an eight-year-old, it was a game changer. I was desperate to own one, but money was tight. Finally, at Christmas, I received the new Leicester City kit along with an Admiral Manchester United away tracksuit.

It might seem an odd combination, but my mum knew someone at the local Admiral factory in Wigston, and we relied on what we could get from there, as paying full price wasn’t an option. I was so excited that I ended up being physically sick from the anticipation. I remember putting the tracksuit on over my kit and then throwing up everywhere!

From then on, Admiral kits became a fixture in my life. Mum realised they were all I wanted to wear and managed to get them through her friend at the factory. Soon, I was heading to the park dressed in kits for England, Wales, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Spurs, Manchester United, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and California Surf. One of my favourites was a green tracksuit top with a large black Admiral badge on the back.

The best kit I ever got was the England one. The latest Admiral England kit was stunning, and every day after school, I’d rush home to ask Mum if she’d managed to get one. I thought it would never happen until one day I came home, and on my bed was my old tracksuit. As I picked it up, underneath was a brand-new England kit—long-sleeved with a white shirt trimmed in red and blue, blue shorts, and white socks. I was at the park with a football within minutes!

Leicester City Match Worn Collection

I began collecting match-worn shirts in 1991 after Gary Mills promised me his shirt following a game at Ipswich. True to his word, he handed me my first match-worn shirt in the car park at Filbert Street after our next game against Oxford. That shirt was the catalyst for my collection, which now includes some incredible pieces.

My favourite items are those from my early days at Filbert Street, including classic blue shirts with white collars. Interestingly, in those days, the players’ shirts were made by Bukta, while the fans’ versions were Admiral—likely during a transitional period as Admiral took over.

I own some brilliant Admiral player shirts from the seventies, including the famous number 9 worn by my hero, Frank Worthington, and the number 2 worn by Steve Whitworth, which is now on display at the King Power Stadium.

It’s surreal to think how hard it was to get the kits back then, yet I now own the very shirts the players wore. Leicester had three more Admiral designs during that era, and I’ve managed to collect all of them in player versions. One of my prized possessions is a replica Admiral tracksuit top from the 1976-77 season, which I found on eBay after nearly 50 years of searching.

I compiled my collection into a book with the help of the Leicester City team during our Premier League-winning season. It could do with an update now, and I’d love to see it displayed in a museum if the club develops one in the future. For now, the collection stands as a tribute to those magical early days and my lifelong love for Leicester City.

by Rob - Match Worn Leicester Collector