CLUB FOLKLORE

Colours and Jerseys

1929-1932

1932-1934

1934-1956

1956-1962

1962-present

Whilst Derry City FC are famous today for the distinctive Red and White "Candystripes", the Club has gone through a number of different colours of jersey since the club's foundation in 1928.

Our first season in the Irish League (1929) saw Derry City playing in claret and blue jerseys with white shorts - similar to the Aston Villa colour scheme.

The first change of colours came only two seasons later, as the Derry City directors decided to change to white shirts and black shorts for the 1932/33 season.

Once again this particular colour scheme was only to last for two seasons and, at the start of the 1934/35 season, Derry City were to appear in the now famous red and white stripes with black shorts for the first time.

Derry City had just appointed Billy Gillespie as player-manager, to replace Joe McCleery. Donegal-born Gillespie had left Derry Celtic in 1910 and embarked upon a remarkable career in England, making 492 appearances and scoring 137 goals in a 20 year career at Sheffield United. He also captained the Bramall Lane side to victory in the 1925 FA Cup Final and was capped 25 times by Ireland.

He was quite the local celebrity and held in such high regard, that the directors of Derry City changed the club strip to the colours of Sheffield United in tribute to Gillespie.

The change of kit brought a change of luck for City, as they went on to win their first major trophy later that season - the City Cup.

City were to play in red and white for a further 20 years until the 1956/57 season.

Again, the club were to change the colours of the teams strip to that of an English team - this time it was the amber and black colours of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had dominated English football in the Fifties.

The six seasons in amber and black were a lean period for the club, with a IFA Cup final defeat to Glenavon in 1957 the only "success" during that period.

The Candystripes were reintroduced in 1962/63, and once again they brought a change of fortunes for the club, as we entered the most successful period of our time in the Irish League.

We have retained the same colours since, with only minor variations in the early 1970s and in 1985 when the team occasionaly wore white shorts instead of black shorts.