GET SHIRTY
The Rise & Fall of Admiral Sportswear
By Andy Wells
Paperback: 220 pages     Publisher: Conker Editions (14 September 2022)
sku: C7-ITJ1-IJ9B
asin: 1739770528 
ISBN-13: 978-1739770525     Size: 148 x 210mm     RRP: £16

Full of interviews, anecdotes, long-awaited details and irresistible ’70s/’80s vibes, GET SHIRTY is this year’s must-have for every collector and admirer of vintage football kits.

Be the first kid in your street to own a copy! Now available only from Conker, for the regular RRP of £16 – plus free limited-edition Admiral print.

A long-awaited labour of love from Andy Wells, director of the brilliant ITV documentary. GET SHIRTY is the definitive, lavishly illustrated account of the untold Admiral story, featuring 250 images of rare kits, unseen behind-the-scenes photos, cult collectables and period catalogues.

Back in the 1970s, a small Midlands underwear firm changed football forever when they won the contract as England’s kit supplier. Admiral Sportswear’s bold designs and branding were controversial at the time, but helped pioneer today’s multi-billion-pound sportswear industry. It was Admiral that invented the replica football strip and revolutionised the worlds of football finance and street fashion alike – before their colourful empire finally came crashing down around them.

Drawing on hours of previously unheard interviews and years of research, it reveals the true stories behind Coventry City’s infamous chocolate-brown strip and England’s disastrous kit fiasco at the 1982 World Cup finals. Read about Admiral’s Wales international shirt bonfire, Manchester United’s laundry scandal – and the deals that got away, including the prototype Liverpool kit that saw Bill Shankly clash with directors at Liverpool.

The Author

Andy Wells is the director of many high-profile BBC, ITV and Channel 4 documentaries. Much to his frustration, Andy hasn’t managed to find a photo of himself wearing his first Admiral made replica football shirt. Typically, the image that has surfaced is of him dressed in the detested red tracksuit he first refused to wear. Such compromises over the use of archive material have stood him good stead for a career as a documentary film maker. Having worked in the independent sector for over 25 years, the producer-director’s last few offerings have seen one or two ‘passion projects’ make it on to the small screen, including ITV’s Get Shirty. Andy lives in South-East London with his partner Antonia and their cat Muzzy, but they are slowly gravitating towards living on the South coast, even though this will make journeys to watch Leicester City even harder.