Ards FC - The Collection

1990/91

Ards wore a Pro-Star made kit featuring the name of MF Ferguson, the local Ford dealer in traditional narrow red and blue stripes. Blue shorts and socks made up the rest, while a plain white shirt emblazoned with Ferguson was occasionally used.

1991/92

Now here's where things get a little muddy. Ards began this season in the Pro-Star kits they had from the season before awaiting on a new Bukta-made Crystal Palace style skip. A Bukta strip consisting of a blue shirt with red shorts was then put in use, however this quickly disappeared and an old Adidas strip took its place. This too was then replaced by a makeshift Spall shirt minus advertising and club badge. A new Bukta kit featuring the logo of Ferguson and the usual red and blue stripes did eventually take over and bring a hint of professionalism to the club. Too late for many though.

1992/93

The relatively new Bukta kit from last season continued into 92/93 before a brand new set of skips was unveiled for the September Ulster Cup final. Made by Lotto, the red patterned home shirt was universally branded as sickening and did not make too many appearances. In fact it turned into a piece of legend, spawning the description 'the butcher's apron' after which an Ards fanzine was named. The away one carried the same design but in blue and was much nicer on the eye. Neither made it to the end of the season however, as Ards returned to the red and blue Bukta strip and this was worn, albeit minus the Ferguson logo as per the sponsorship of Bass, for the 1993 Cup final. With poorly matching almost navy shorts it must be said.

1993/94

The Pentagon made 1993/94 shirt was probably the first mass produced Ards kit with both shirt and shorts available to buy. It was probably also the poorest quality shirt ever made. The home (or only) shirt featured the Russell's Cellar's logo on broad red and blue stripes and was the first to feature the new crest. It was short sleeved with blue  shorts and red socks. An all white shirt was worn for the County Antrim Shield final of that season and it appeared to be a very quickly made outfit with Russell's Cellars in plain red lettering. The shirt appears to feature the logo of Pro-star and it was worn with the Pentagon shorts and socks.

1994/95

The Pentagon brand continued into 1994/95 with the same design of home shirt but with Russell's Cellars now in plain white lettering (no doubt for better effect). A rather fetching away kit was introduced along with this, reportedly designed by an Ards fan, although it was not liked by everyone, and some compared it to Linfield colours. The shirt was mainly white with a blue top ending in zigzagged pattern just above the crest which was positioned centrally. The Pentagon logo was printed half across the white and half on blue in red lettering on the replica shirts, but was raised entirely onto the blue and printed in white on the actual team shirts. The same shorts were worn with both kits, while the socks varied from blue to red.

 

This Diadora made kit was well produced and displayed for the last time the name of Russell's Cellars. The home shirt had broad red and blue stripes and was the first kit to feature the new club crest in full colour. The kit was finished with red shorts, complete with badge and red-trimmed blue socks. The away kit was a pleasantly different red and black halves combination, with each colour also mirrored on the sleeves. Black shorts and red sock with black trims completed the line-up. The white and blue away strip from the previous season also made a number of outings, presumably because of the habit of the red in both new strips clashing with other clubs' colours.

1996/97

The strip was made by Le Coq Sportif and bore the sponsorship of Downtown Radio. The home shirt was red and blue stripes but with more prominence given over to blue than red. The shorts were red with a white trim on the bottom, while the socks were interestingly hooped red and blue. The away kit was all white with a narrow band of red and white checks trimming both shirt and shorts.

1997/98

The home shirt was far from the best looking Ards kit ever with a very wide central blue stripe flanked by red on each side. The manufacturer was Uhlsport and the sponsor In-Sport. Red socks and shorts completed the kit.

The away offering was a horrid white shirt with a red and black checked design flanking the sponsor's logo, complete with blue shorts and blue socks. Oddly, neither shirt featured the Ards crest.

1998/99

The home shirt was of the same design as the season before, manufactured by Uhlsport but with new sponsor Hughes & Company Insurance.

A club badge had also made an appearance. Red socks and shorts completed the kit, while the print of the sponsors name was of very poor quality. The away shirt was a great improvement on the previous year with a mainly white shirt well trimmed with red and black on the sleeves. This came complete with red shorts and blue socks.

1999/00

The Avec made and Downtown Radio sponsored strip of 1999 remains one of the best quality outfits Ards have ever had. In a break with tradition the home shirt was in a rather nice red with a white horizontal bar at the midway point on the front to display the sponsors logo. This was somewhat poorly matched with blue shorts and socks. The numbers on the back were similarly poorly thought through: a sky blue that was illegible at times. The away shirt was of identical design with white and black being the replacement colours. Black shorts and socks completed the outfit.

2000/01

Ards had this Pro-Star strip for 2000/01 which featured joint sponsors Downtown Radio (for the second time) and In-Sport (for the umteenth time). The home shirt returned to red and blue stripes with blue shorts and red socks. The away shirt was predominantly white with a navy horizontal bar housing the only the name of In-Sport. This was finished with navy shorts and white socks. The mainly red shirt from the previous season continued to make numerous appearances right up to final match of the season.

2001/02

Ards stuck with the same manufacturers and sponsors as the previous season. The home shirt was as the season before but featured 'Centenary 1902-2002' embroidered around the crest. Blue shorts and red socks finished the strip. The away shirt featured the same centenary embroidery but only the name of In-Sport. The shirt was as the previous season with the addition of several navy pencil lines running horizontally along the bottom. This was finished with navy shorts and white socks.

2002/03

This offering from Canadian company ACS was of very high quality and probably deserved more of a tenure than the single season it survived. This however was determined by the withdrawal of sponsor AES after only one season. The home shirt was the usual red and blue stripes, in broad format this time, with blue shorts and red socks.

The away strip  seemed a pleasant orange and navy combination similar to a Rangers kit of the time. However the colours seemed to fade very badly to the point where the navy resembled a weak violet at times. Orange shorts were complimented with slightly darker than royal blue socks. The away shirt was oddly short-sleeved while the home shirt was long-sleeved. The sponsor's logo was very difficult to read and caused a change in policy for the following season.

2003/04

Ards made the move into professionally manufactured, yet still mass produced, branded kits with this UMBRO number. The kits feature the name of Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors and were the first to be printed with squad numbers (the initial order ran with numbers 1-22, minus number 13). The home shirt has very narrow red and blue stripes with a white insert around the neck. Blue shorts and socks complete the strip. The change outfit was a very plain white shirt with the sponsors name in sky blue lettering. This comes complete with navy shorts and white socks.

2004/05

Ards returned to a catalogue Pro-Star kit for 2004/05 and this was the first kit to features squad names as well as numbers. This had its advantages and disadvantages... Worthington Solicitors are the sponsors for the first time. The home shirt has broad red and blue stripes with a plain blue space on the back for the numbering. This kit has blue shorts and socks, while the away has navy shorts and white socks. The away shirt is mainly white (as per the Ards tradition of recent times) with a navy trim along each side. The home shirt has a collar, while the away does not. Several additional shirts were purchased in the second half of the season without player names printed. Goalkeeper Stephen Robertson got through the season without an official shirt, when an error saw his No.18 printed onto an outfield shirt.

2005/06

The current season kit was launched in July and for the first time in recent memory, the new strip was ready for the friendly programme. It bears the Nike logo, although is actually a catalogue strip and features Worthingtons Solicitors as sponsors. The home strip is narrow red and blue stripes, but the stripes only continue two-thirds of the way down the back. Blue shorts and socks complete the strip. The away shirt is mainly white with a black pinstripe and is finished with black shorts and socks. The club crest is featured on the shorts for the first time in three years. The away shirt has a collar, but the home shirt does not. No less than three goalkeeper shirts were commissioned; the green below, a mainly yellow with orange top third and a grey/black shirt of the same design.