Watford currently play in the Championship where they play their home games at Vicarage Road, Watford. Nicknamed the ‘Hornets’ Watford wear yellow home shirts with red and black detailing. Their shirts are currently manufactured by Kelme and sponsored by MrQ, an online casino platform. Watford have had several kit manufacturers in the past decade including Diadora, Puma, Joma, Mizuno, Hummel, Umbro and adidas. Watford have had yellow, red and black shirts for over 30 years since the early 1970s.
Watford 23/24 Kits
Watford 23/24 Home Kit
Watford’s 2023/24 Kelme home utilised the traditional colours of yellow and black to produce a diagonally-oriented streaking graphic, with the bespoke design intended to showcase as if the black base was scratched away to allow yellow to shine through. I drew inspiration from the ‘ray graphics’ of the 2020/21 Kelme home kit. The black raglan sleeves were partnered with sloping yellow panels toward the sleeve edges, as well as a clear back side (also in yellow). Alternating around the collar neckline, the stylised collar had yellow through the sides and black on the front. A small hornet logo at the back below the collar signed off the look of the shirt.
Watford 23/24 Away Kit
Watford Home Kits
2022/23 Watford Home Shirt
A predominantly yellow Kelme shirt was the Hornets’ home outfit for the 2022/23 season. The jersey contained an abstract zigzag pattern in a matching shade and angular side inserts of black and red. The half-and-half striped look of the collar with front-end overlap and the opposing colour dynamic of the sleeve cuffs took their cue from the said secondary details, completing the influence of the crest colours on this primary Watford outfit.
2021/22 Watford Home Shirt
The best of Vicarage Road wore their black and yellow colours with their 2021/22 Kelme home shirt. Yellow formed the base, while black comprised the horizontal bands with a blocked design. Black also coloured the curving collar with yellow piping.
Watford Away Kits
2022/23 Watford Away Shirt
With its home shirts from 1927 to 1959 in mind, Watford opted for a blue Kelme jersey for its 2022/23 secondary kit. The outfit used an alternating pattern of light and deep tones with grassy horizontal graphics and intense bar visuals, producing a lightning-like flow. Narrow white lightning overlay aesthetics underscored the abovementioned backdrop. The white collar and sleeve cuffs contained multiple striping, and the sleeves were left plain to round up the look.
2021/22 Watford Away Shirt
Watford’s 2021/22 Kelme away shirt was red coupled with black and yellow application to the collar and its piping. The raglan-sleeved shirt had a body filled with a free-flowing tonal graphic. Overall, the design bore some bits of similarity to that of the Euro 2020 Belgium home kit.
Watford were founded in 1881, first playing at Cassio Road, before moving to their current home; Vicarage Road in 1922, a 22,000 capacity stadium in Hertordshire. Whilst having played in the English top flight before, it wasn’t until 2006 that Watford made it back to the Premiership, winning the play-off final on the 21st May against Leeds United 3-0. Watford wear a kit of yellow shirts, with black shorts and black socks, this led to their nickname of the Hornets, from the yellow & black.
The club came to prominence when Graham Taylor was manager and Elton John was chairman, rising from Division Four to Division One, qualifying for the UEFA Cup and appearing in the 1984 FA Cup Final. Taylor returned to the club in 1997 pulling the club up the leagues again.
Famous players to have pulled on the Watford shirt include; Pat Jenning – goalkeeper who started his career at Vicarage Rd, striker Luther Blissett, who holds the record for most appearances & is also the clubs leading goal scorer and England winger John Barnes, he played for Watford from 1981 to 1987.