Hi,
I'm after some help. I was wondering what colour kit, Leeds wore in the late 1890-1900's. I'm doing a project involving Northern Rugby Union teams.
Many thanks and appreciation.

Jeff

Im pretty sure in 1890s Leeds wore Terracota and green before turning to Blue and Amber.

Thanks for that.

Jeff

Terracotta and green my a***. Next thing you’ll be telling us you love Leeds United.

Jeff Leeds played in white shirts in those days, I’ve got an old one in the loft. Google Fred Webster and see a photo.

I've heard the terracotta and green thing before but never seen any photo that looks like it could be.

The original Leeds club was Leeds St Johns (1870-90) who played in blue and amber - the colours of the City of Leeds. They moved to become Leeds in 1890. From 1890-95 they played either in red shirts with black shorts, or red and white hooped shirts. Following the split from Rugby Union in 1895 they reverted to blue and amber, but from some point in the late 1890s they also started wearing white shirts.

Over the coming years they wore a number of kits - often white through to the 1930s, but also blue and amber and later light blue shirts with navy shorts, and something that looked very similar to the modern blue and amber irregular hooped kit. Post-war they also wore a blue and amber kit which was blue with an amber V but from the 50s generally wore the most recognised kit with the irregular amber hoops on a blue shirt.

PM me if you'd like any photos. Although they're mostly black and white I have pictures of some colour cigarette cards. Alternatively I've set up a FB page 'Leeds RLFC History" where I've posted team pictures from 1880s onwards amongst other things.

Fred Webster didnt play in the 1890s. The 1st couple of years was terracotta and green which sounds awful.

Jeff if you google "Leeds RL Terracotta" it will send you to a link of a modern day green and grey kit and says on there about the 1st couple of years being terracotta and green.

The article reads -

First Utility Super League Champions Leeds Rhinos have revealed their new look away kit tonight which takes inspiration from the original colours of the club 120 years ago. 

Back in 1895, Leeds wore a terracotta and green kit before adopting their famous blue and amber colours at the turn of the 20th century. However, green is set to make a return to the Rhinos kit in 2016 with a new look design. 

Leeds definitely wore white before 1900 (they also wore white sometimes 1890-1895). There are some references to Leeds wearing green before 1895 (in a fixture list from 1892/93 the club colours are said to be 'green' but in the only photos I've seen from then they wore white), but I haven't seen a kit that really looks terracotta and green in any photo. Having said that there are a lot of gaps - I only recently saw a photo from 1895-96 for the first time and the colours might be terracotta and green or blue and amber. One thing's for sure, blue and amber were the original colours of St Johns, and if Leeds did wear terracotta and green at some stage it wasn't for very long.

I believe that the first Leeds shirt was terracotta and green opposing quarters shirt.

Sounds worse than brown and orange.

As seen here, I believe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8Ykiuotfg

As seen here, I believe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8Ykiuotfg

Thanks guys,
Appreciate all the info.

Cheers
Jeff

Thanks for posting that Clearwing. Ive never seen that before. Remarkable footage.

It's brilliant film but the audio commentary sucks. Also a shame that its from one of the worst periods in the club's history, and that particular team was missing the few decent players they had. The Leeds team that day was: Jagger, Chadwick, J.Coleman, Bentley, Willey, Daltry, Jackson, Crowther, Malins, Hanson, Ross, Horner, Phillips, T.Taylor, Laycock.