Book Review by Mark Nessfield: Get Shirty- The Rise & Fall of Admiral Sportswear. Author

Book Review by Mark Nessfield: Get Shirty- The Rise & Fall of Admiral Sportswear. Author

Andy Wells.

Before describing this publication, I have a confession to make. I’m not really interested in the wearing football shirts aspect of following a team. The last time I wore a shirt was probably down at Filbert Street in the early 80s, and I’ve not followed the shirt scene since. Even at the time of their greatest success I had zero interest in the Admiral brand, even though they were based in Leicester - Wigston to be precise.

I do however like to read nowadays why companies succeed or fail, and given that the replica shirt business changed the whole football industry (to the extent later that huge transfer fees for ‘galaticos’ were justified by potential shirt sales) then there were aspects to this story that piqued my interest. Add in a huge amount of nostalgia (you can guess from my Filbert Days videos I’m really a sucker for that), and the fact that the book is written by an old drinking friend in the 80s, then it became inevitable that I purchase this book.

I’m really glad that I made the decision to obtain this publication. As alluded to earlier, the people at Admiral were responsible for starting a billionpound industry that previously really didn’t exist. Clubs used to buy team kits in a certain colour, without branding, and then wash the same kit week after week. The two main suppliers in British football at that time were Bukta and Umbro, none of those foreign giants like Adidas or Le Coq Sportif.

The book explains how the management at Cook & Hurst (to trade as Admiral) had the idea of supplying branded shirts to top football teams, with the aim of then selling replica shirts at a premium price in retail stores. The initial offer, to Don Revie’s Leeds was to sponsor them for £7,000 (which was then changed to £10,000) to supply officially branded kit. Looking back, that doesn’t seem like a huge amount of money, given the millions that shirt deals bring in now. However it must have been a huge gamble at the time, and even today I’ve known people who allege to be in business who baulk at investing a few hundred pounds in a new concept. Nevertheless the main players at the company, Bert Patrick and John Griffin went ahead with the project, and for several years Admiral had great success, even supplying the official England kit at one stage. Andy describes how the designs were made, the people behind the scenes, and the near-misses and failures encountered along the way.

It’s no secret that the title gives away the decline of the company, which appears to be down to an underperforming England team (in Admiral kit) and restricted credit from banks. Despite having a full order book, the Midland Bank pulled the plug on their overdraft facility. This wasn’t the complete story, as with a Dutch partner they tried to relaunch, but given clubs were scenting trouble and seeking out bigger, more stable kit providers, the end was not far away. Manufacturing generally (and textiles in particular) was struggling in the 80s economy, and banks were not going to risk any money lending to the sector. Andy also describes how Admiral had a reputation for losing stock through the back door, and how bigger competition like Adidas and Umbro were moving in on the sector that Admiral had pioneered.

To summarize, I found this purchase was enjoyable to read, and well laid out. Plenty of graphics and images from years gone by, and I have to praise Conker Editions (another Leicester based outfit) for such a well-made book. I despair sometimes at the poor quality of some paperbacks issued today (are you listening Penguin?) so it’s good to come across a publisher that produces books with good material (in both senses). I loved this book for taking me back in time to the 70s and 80s, and also for giving a glimpse into why a clothing firm from the East Midlands could succeed so well for a while, but then meet the same fate as other manufacturing firms in the 80s. Plenty of shirt photos from the time too, if you’re into that kind of thing! The best part of the book for me was the encounters and dealings with soccer bosses of the era. We learn that Don Revie (often called ‘Don Readies’ at the time) was actually quite straightforward in his commercial dealings, and he made sure that his players received their fair share of any financial deal. Tommy Docherty however was a totally different kind of operator, but you’ll have to read the book to find out the extent of his dodgy antics. This is the type of book that would make a great present for those of us who lived through that era, whether they’re into football shirts or not.

Conker Editions ISBN 9781739 770525.

Bonus comic strip next 2 pages, Cup wins over Burton Albion and Tranmere