The history of Umbro

Sunday, 05 November 2006

The company was founded in 1920, in Wilmslow,Manchester, as Humphrey Brothers Clothing; in 1924, the company changed its name to Umbro, a contraction of its previous name, Humphrey Brothers.

As one of the earliest kit suppliers to professional clubs, Umbro's early successes included the kitting out of the Manchester City team which won the FA Cup in 1934 and from the 1950's, Umbro were official kit suppliers to a growing number of national and club sides including the Brazil World Cup winning teams or 1958, 62 and 1970.

In 1966, all but one of the 16 teams wore Umbro, with England lifting the trophy in their famous red Umbro kit! In 1985, in Brazil, Umbro introduced its first football boot, which went into production two years later.

Umbro also manufactured a popular style of shorts, which reached its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were made of nylon, had a drawstring waistband, and often came in bright colors

These shorts, nicknamed "Umbros", are football shorts, intended to be part of a football strip. With the growth of youth soccer leagues in the United States in the 1980s, many youths, teens, and young adults began wearing them as everyday clothing. Like football itself, they were equally popular among both genders. At the height of the fashion, other brands of football shorts, such as Adidas, Diadora, Hummel, Lotto, Mitre, and Xara, also became popular. However, by the mid 1990s, Umbros began to lose their appeal among youth to other styles, such as cargo shorts.

In the 1990s, the company relocated from its central Manchester facility to brand-new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Cheadle, on the outskirts of Manchester.

In 2004/5, Umbro is official kit supplier to national sides such as England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden, and also to a host of top club sides including Chelsea, Celtic, Lyon and Everton. In 2004, Umbro signed a 15-year deal with Real Madrid and England star Michael Owen. A host of other current England stars use and endorse Umbro boots including Alan Shearer, John Terry and David James

Umbro is one the English Football Association's five "FA Partners". Umbro currently are the official sports manufacturer of the English FA Cup and official sponsor of the new Wembley Stadium .Umbro will partner The FA in the further development of the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton–upon–Trent, becoming the title sponsor of the Centre. Umbro is also the exclusive supplier of footballs to The FA at all levels of the game

Umbro have also manufactured kits for Athletics and rugby league.

Umbro has produced kits for many notable football teams since establishment; its first kit was produced in 1934, for Manchester City, which won the FA Cup that year.

Over the years Umbro have also produced kits for major teams including: Arsenal, Club Bolivar, Cruz Azul, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, C.A.Independiente , Liverpool, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Everton, Rangers, Deportivo La Coruña, Olympique Lyonnais, La U, Colo-Colo, Santos, Vasco, Atlético Nacional, Inter Milan, Ajax, Universitario de Deportes, Liga Deportiva Universitaria, Celta Vigo, FC Twente, Málaga CF, CSKA Moscow, Hajduk Split , Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo Moscow, FC Moscow, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest. From the 2007/2008 season onwards, Birmingham City, Hull City, Sunderland, West Ham United and Heart of Midlothian will also be wearing Umbro kits.

In addition to club teams, Umbro also produced kits for international teams, including Brazil, England, Ireland, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden. During the 1966 World Cup, all but one of the 16 participating teams wore Umbro uniforms.

Umbro currently are the official sports manufacturer of the English FA Cup and official sponsor of the new Wembley Stadium. Umbro will partner The FA in the further development of the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton–upon–Trent, becoming the title sponsor of the Centre. Umbro is also the exclusive supplier of footballs to The FA at all levels of the game

Umbro have also manufactured kits for Rugby Union (the Irish National team and London Irish), Athletics and rugby league.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup Sweden and England wore Umbro kits.

Umbro Today

The company today specialises in football kits, clothing, and other football apparel, like boots and training kits, and is registered on the London Stock Exchange as UMB.

Its major competitors include Adidas, Lotto, Nike, Puma, and fellow North West England maker Reebok.

UMBRO currently supplies playing and training kit to the England National Team and UMBRO's relevant international licensees currently supply playing and training kit to the national teams of the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Norway. UMBRO and its relevant international licensees currently supply kit to leading professional clubs worldwide, including Olympique Lyonnais (France), FC Santos (Brazil), Olympiakos (Greece), Shanghai Shenhua (China) and Chelsea (England). The UMBRO brand is also endorsed by high profile individual players including Michael Owen, Michel Salgado, Deco and Alan Shearer.

Internationally, the Group operates principally through a network of 47 licensees who source and distribute products to sports retail customers. The Group works closely with its international licensees to maintain a global and uniform UMBRO brand identity.

Football is the central theme around which all the Group's apparel, footwear and equipment products are developed. UMBRO seeks to capitalise on growth in the worldwide popularity and visibility of football through continued association of its performance product lines with national teams, clubs and players.

Umbro history

1920 - Harold C.Humphrey's starts a small workshop in Wilmslow, Cheshire
1924 - Humphrey Brothers becomes UMBRO - The birth of the Double Diamond
1934 - Manchester City win the FA Cup Final in UMBRO
1935 - Sheffield Wednesday follow the success of Manchester City in UMBRO
1940's - During the war UMBRO switches to shirt production for the armed Forces
1958 - Brazil wins the World Cup wearing UMBRO
1962 - Brazil wins the World Cup wearing UMBRO
1966 - 15 out of the 16 participating teams wear UMBRO
1966 - England win the World Cup wearing UMBRO
1970 - Brazil wins the World Cup in UMBRO
1985 - First UMBRO boot introduced in Brazil
1987 - First UMBRO boot manufactured in Brazil
1992 - Introduction of Pro Training apparel range
1992 - First Speciali introduced
1994 - Brazil wins the World Cup in UMBRO
1999 - Renaissance of UMBRO - new ownership, new vision "UMBRO The Football Authority"
1999 - Manchester United wins the treble in UMBRO
1999 - UMBRO holds 60% stake in USL (United Soccer League)
2000 - UMBRO introduces revolutionary new Sportswool material
2000 - Launch of XAI football boot technology
2001 – Michael Owen wins European Footballer of the Year
2001 – Celtic win Scottish Treble
2002 - Launch of Premier Pro Training
2002 - UMBRO sign a new contract with The English FA extending the relationship until 2010.
2002 - UMBRO develop the first reversible jersey for an international team.
2002 - UMBRO sign the Swedish National Federation
2003 – Olympique Lyonnaise win the French Championships wearing UMBRO
2003 – Playa de Castellon are European Champions for third time
2003 – UMBRO sign the Kenyan National Team
2003 – Brazil win the World Beach Soccer Championships in UMBRO
2003 – Santos, Galatasaray and Olympiakos all win their domestic titles in UMBRO
2003 – UMBRO sign CSKA, Spartak Moscow and Atletico Nacional
2004 – UMBRO celebrate 80 years of footballing history
2004 – UMBRO launch its new brand mission, to inspire & excite the world of Football
2004 – UMBRO launch the X-static technology in kits and technical product.
2005 - Chelsea, Olympique Lyonnais, CSKA Moscow, F.C. Haka, Penerol ans LDU all win their domestic league titles wearing Umbro.
2005 - CSKA Moscow win the UEAFA Cup wearing Umbro.