A Redcurrant Kit: Analysing *That* Notts Forest Rumour

Most football clubs look different today than they did at their founding. Man Utd no longer play in the green-and-yellow halves of Newton Heath, although it's debated exactly what colour(s) the side wore before 1892. Wolves abandoned the red-and-white stripes that once clashed with Sunderland in 1890. 

Similarly, Arsenal dropped a redcurrant kit in 1933 in favour of the bright red with white sleeves we know today, at the behest of manager Herbert Chapman. There are legends even here. The official Arsenal website suggests the strip came from either a golf outfit or a person wearing something similar in the stands. 

Where did the redcurrant kit come from?

One of the most pervasive tales about Arsenal’s original kit is that it was a hand-me-down from Nottingham Forest.

The story goes that goalkeeper Fred Beardsley asked his former club, Forest, to help a struggling Gunners side assemble a full set of shirts. The answer was positive, and Arsenal would play in the redcurrant of 'Forest' for the next 30 years. Reportedly, they also received a solitary ball to play with.

Plenty of online sources claim this yarn is canon. Yet, it lies somewhere between reality and urban myth. While the passage of time hasn’t helped the whispers of rumours, there’s still a definitive answer to Arsenal’s Notts Forest link. Let’s take a look.

Highbury Stadium 

The Gunners’ wine-coloured strip isn’t the only ‘missing’ aspect of the team’s history. Arsenal’s Invicta Stadium, occupied between 1890 and 1893, still exists as terraces in back gardens around Hector Street and Mineral Street in Plumstead. 

Stadia develop their own legends, especially those abandoned as their teams move on. For instance, Boston United’s York Street Stadium still exists in a state of ruin, serving as a curiosity for archaeologists of the game. This fascination with football’s brick-and-mortar crops up in some unusual places, for example, with live casino online games featuring games like sports unlimited blackjack that feature imagery of stadiums as their backdrop.

One such memory lives on at the Emirates. The clock at the south end was rescued from Highbury before it was turned into gardens and apartments. 

Do Arsenal really now play in red because of Forest?

Outspoken Forest manager Brian Clough once claimed that Arsenal plays in red “because of us”. The truth is that three people playing for Arsenal - then Dial Square - in the early days were former Forest players, who brought their redcurrant shirts with them to London.

These three players, Bill Parr, Charlie Bates, and the goalkeeper mentioned earlier, Fred Beardsley, helped the young Arsenal find shirts in the same colour. It was simply cheaper than buying a full set of differently coloured tops. The strip came from a men’s clothing store on Wellington Street in Woolwich. 

With this sort of ‘receipt’, many Arsenal writers seem perplexed that the Notts Forest rumour persisted for so long. Some of the blame naturally falls on Clough’s shoulders, but ancient tales have a way of sticking around forever, simply because it’s so hard to prove them either true or false. 

Arsenal’s redcurrant shirt did reappear briefly in 2005/06. The Gunners’ have remained in their trademark tomato red ever since.