History of THFC: Part 3 - the lilywhites

Why do Tottenham Hotspur play in white shirts?

When Hotspur Football Club first played a competitive match, the famous white shirts were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the players wore a kit of all navy that had a large H emblazoned on the front – in red!

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In 1885, the players went to see the FA Cup final in which Blackburn Rovers won the trophy for the second time in a row. Rovers were early giants of the English game, and the Spurs contingent was so impressed with them that they adopted the Rovers strip of light blue and white halves. Five years later, in a move that will amaze modern fans and has never been satisfactorily explained, Spurs changed to red shirts and navy shorts.


In 1896, to mark turning professional and entering the Southern League, Spurs wore a kit described mouth-wateringly as “chocolate and gold” – although brown and yellow may be a more accurate, if less attractive, description. Those were the colours worn by Wolverhampton Wanderers, another of the English game’s early powers.

It was in 1898 that the famous lilywhite shirts and navy shorts were first worn. Again, the choice was informed by the desire to pay tribute to one of the English game’s great powers, in this case Preston North End, who dominated the game in the later years of the 19th century. 

Since then, the team’s strip has remained virtually unchanged. In the 1960s, when the club began to play in Europe, the players ran out for European games in all white. No one is certain whether this decision, taken by manager Bill Nicholson, was in tribute to the great Real Madrid team that won the first five European Cup competitions, or because all white was showed up more brightly under the floodlights. Whatever the reason, Spurs still always wear the all-white kit in European home games.

The badge on the shirt was originally a large H, for Hotspur, and a Maltese cross was also used in those early years – almost certainly linked to the Christian faith of the early players. The emblem of a cockerel began to be used on club paperwork in the early 190s, and draws on the old and brutal tradition of fighting cocks that were fitted with spurs. In 1921, the cockerel first appeared on the Spurs shirt. 

It remained a plain and distinctive symbol for years, until the arrival of more sophisticated branding and marking in the 1980s. At various stages since then, the club shirt has featured rampant lions – a traditional image from English heraldry – a turreted tower representing Bruce Castle, once home to another of the areas noble families, and the seven elm trees that gave the area of Seven Sisters, to the south of Tottenham’s ground, its name. The club’s latin motto, Audere est facere, also featured.

In 2006, the club redesigned the badge as part of another branding exercise. This resulted in a sleeker, simpler design more in keeping with tradition, featuring a cockerel sporting a pair of spurs and standing on a ball.

• Next, Martin will be writing about some of the early triumphs that established the club’s reputation.

Martin Cloake’s books about Tottenham Hotspur, including ebooks that can be downloaded directly to your computer or mobile device, can be ordered from his bookstore.


About the Author:

Martin Cloake is a writer and editor who lives in London, UK. A Spurs season ticket holder, he has followed the team since 1970, travelling all over the UK and Europe to support them. His latest book, Sound of the crowd, is a look at changing fan culture in England with an emphasis on Spurs supporters. He is a regular contributor to Spurs fansites and podcasts. He also writes more widely on football and the football business for a variety of publications including the New Statesman.

Martin Cloake’s books about Tottenham Hotspur, including ebooks that can be downloaded directly to your computer or mobile device, can be ordered from his bookstore.
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