Historical Football Kits

 

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Livingston

Formed 1943

Elected to Scottish Division Two 1974

Kit History

 

 

 

Ferranti Thistle

 

1943

1943-1953 a c e

1953-1957 e

1957-1959 e

1959-1960 e

ferranti thistle 1960

January 1960 h

ferranti thistle 1960-65

April'60-Aug'65 h

ferranti thistle 1968

January 1968 c

ferranti thistle 1971

1971-1972 e

1973-1974 e

 

 

 

Meadowbank Thistle

 

1974

1974-1975 c

1975-1977 c

early 1977-1978 e

Admiral

late 1977-1981 c e g

Admiral

1981-1982 e

Own brand
meadowbank thistle 1982-83

1982-1983 k

Own brand

1983-1984 b c k

Umbro

1984-1985 c

Umbro
meadowbank thistle 1985-86

1985-1986 e m

Umbro

1986-1988 c e k

Umbro

1988-1990 c e k m n

Ribero
meadowbank thistle 1990-91

1990-1991 m

Ribero
meadowbank thistle 1991-92

1991-1992 m

New Olympic

1992-1993 f k m

New Olympic

1993-1995 c k m

 

 

 

Livingston

 

1995

Russell Athletic

1995-1996 c

Russell Athletic

1996-1997 c

Russell Athletic

1997-1998 c

Russell Athletic

1998-1999 c

Russell Athletic

1999-2000 c

Russell Athletic

2000-2001 c

Jerzees

2001-2002 c d

Jerzees

2002-2003 c d n

Jerzees

2003-2004 c d n

Xara

2004-2005 c d n

Xara

2005-2006 c d n

Xara

2006-2007 c d

Nike

2007-2008 c

Macron
livingston 2008-09 home kit

2008-2009 c

Macron
livingston 2009 august

Aug-Sept 2009 i

Umbro
livingston fc 2009-10 home strip

Sept 2009-2010 j c

Errea
livingston fc 2010-11

2010-2011 l

Umbro
linvingston fc 2011-12 home kit

2011-2012 j

Adidas
livingston fc 2012-13 home kit

2012-2013 j

Adidas
livingston fc 2013-4 home kit

2013-2014 j

Joma
livingston fc 2014-15

2014-2015 j n

Joma
livingston fc 2015-16 kit

2015-2016 j

Joma
livingston 2016-17 1st kit

2016-2017 j

FBT
livingston fc 2017-18

2017-2018 j

FBT
livingston 2018-19

2018-2019 j

Nike
livingston fc 2019-20 1st kit

2019-2020 j

Nike
livingston 2020-21

2020-2021 j

Joma
livingston 2021-22

2021-2022 j

Joma
livingston fc 2022-23

2022-2023 j

 

Background

ferranti thistle early 60s teamThe club was originally known as Ferranti Thistle, the works team of the giant Edinburgh based electronics firm, Ferranti. ferranti thistle fc crest 1957

They competed in the Eastern League until they were elected to the Scottish League to even up the numbers prior to the restructuring of the league and introduction of the Premier Division in 1974. (The Second Division had consisted of 19 clubs since the demise of Third Lanark, a situation that meant one club was without a game every weekend.) The little club's elevation caused a storm of protest in the north of Scotland where a number of famous Highland League teams believed they had a better claim than this upstart works team and it was clear that Thistle had been favoured because the teams from central Scotland did not relish the prospect of trips to the far north. The controversy deepened when it became apparent that Ferranti Thistle's City Park ground (once the home of Edinburgh City) did not meet the required standard and, furthermore, objections were made about a top level senior side carrying the name of a commercial company. The problem was solved by hiring the Commonwealth Stadium from Edinburgh City Council for home games and changing the club's name to Meadowbank Thistle. While their new home met modern safety requirements, being an all-purpose stadium, it lacked the atmosphere of a purpose built ground and as tenants, Thistle often had to rearrange their home matches to avoid clashing with other scheduled events. One one occasion, they were forced to postpone a game because a dog show was being held in the rooms below the main stand!

meadowbank thistle crest 1974In their early days, Meadowbank were the whipping boys, finishing at or near the bottom of the Second Division (then the third and lowest tier) on a regular basis but by the early 1980s their performances improved and in 1983 Meadowbank were promoted to the First Division (second tier). Two seasons later they were back in the lowest division but in 1987 they won promotion for the second time, this time as Division Two champions, the club's first senior honour. Alas in 1993 they were relegated once more but the following season they finished sufficiently high in the table to retain their place in the Scottish Second Division when another restructuring created a fourth level. In 1995, however, the inevitable happened and Meadowbank were relegated to the Scottish Third Division.

It was clear to everyone that Meadowbank had no future trying to compete with the likes of Hearts and Hibs playing in a stadium built for athletics. The club was then bought by Bill Hunter, who took the bold decision to relocate to the new town of Livingston in West Lothian. In the process the club was completely reinvented livingston fc crest 1995with a smart all-black kit to go with their new name and Almondvale stadium, built by Hunter's construction company. The club crest was updated but retained the basic design of the old Meadowbank Thistle version until 1999.

livingston fc 1999 crestThe transformation was little short of miraculous: within five years Livingston had risen through the divisions to reach the Scottish Premier League and in 2001 they finished in third place, earning themselves a place in the UEFA Cup. Success came at a price, however, and in 2004 the club went into financial administration. Only weeks later, in March 2004, "Livi" met Hibernian at Hampden Park in the CIS Cup Final (formerly the Scottish League Cup), triumphing 2-0 to win their first major trophy. In May 2005 the club emerged from administration under the control of the Lionhearts Consortium, who had stepped in the previous summer to ensure the club's survival, albeit at the expenses of relegation to the Scottish First Division (tier two).

At the end of the 2008-09 season, rumours of another serious financial crisis spread, despite the repeated denials of the club's owner, Italian lawyer Angelo Massone. It emerged that Livingston owed West Lothian Council £330,000 in unpaid rent for Almondvale Stadium. It also emerged that the club's electricity has been cut off because of unpaid bills, the players' wages had been persistently late and a large sum was owed to the Revenue in unpaid taxes. The council offered to waive some of this provided that Massone came up with evidence that the club could meet its outstanding obligations by 30 June. After failing to receive a satisfactory response, West Lothian Council took the matter to court and three weeks later Livi went into administration. On 28 July the administrators' interim manager, Donald MacGruther, issued redundancy notices, the first step in liquidating the club. On the following day, however, the SFL agreed to relax its own rules and allow a new company called Livingston 5 Ltd, formed by former Dumbarton chairman Neil Rankine and ex-Cowdenbeath owner Gordon McDougall, who had previously made separate attempts to take over the club from Massone, who agreed to sell his shares in the club two days later. In a dramatic twist, the SFL then announced that Livi would be demoted to the Third Division, despite having previously appeared to give public assurances that the team would continue in Division One. Livingston's new owners refused to play their opening fixture with East Stirlingshire pending their appeal, risking further sanction. After their appeals were turned down by the SFL and SFA the club's management accepted their fate and livingston fc crest 2014concentrated on the league.

Livi ended the 2009-10 season as Third Division champions and then ran away with the Second Division title to wind up back where they believed they should have been two seasons previously.

In 2014 the crest was updated with the restoration of a traditionally shaped shield.

Livvi finished second in 2017-18 and entered the promotion play-offs where they beat Partick Thistle for a place in the Premiership for the first time since 2006.

With grateful thanks to Alex Horsburgh.

You are welcome to Contact Me with corrections and additions.

Sources

Photograph courtesy of Granton History Group. Crest history provided by Alasdair MacNèill. Crests are the property of Livingston FC.