Leeds United revive Yorkshire Rose as 2026/27 away kit salutes fan-designed crest | OneFootball

Leeds United have unveiled their 2026/27 Adidas away kit, a bold yellow strip that revives the much-loved Yorkshire Rose badge.

According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, the launch film is voiced by Lucas Radebe and features Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The colour mirrors the hit away release before 2024/25 that delivered record sales, while the retro touch follows the 1970s smiley emblem worn during that Championship title-winning campaign.

The Yorkshire Rose crest first appeared in 1984 under Eddie Gray and remained until 1998, a period mostly overseen by Howard Wilkinson after his 1988 arrival.

Wilkinson’s side won the Second Division in 1989/90, finished fourth in the First Division the following season, then lifted the 1991/92 First Division title, their last top-flight crown. The badge stayed for the inaugural Premier League season and six more years before a redesign.

The original 1984 crest was created by Leeds fan Brenda Reader, who won a Yorkshire Evening Post competition after hundreds of entries. A change was pursued amid suggestions chairman Leslie Silver viewed the 1980-1984 Peacock badge as potentially unlucky, with Gray and the players selecting the winning design.

Wilkinson later championed a shield-shaped mark after admiring a shield on Italy’s team suits at Euro 96, arguing the Rose lacked clarity from distance. He sketched a shield that retained a smaller Rose at the top, and although sacked in September 1996, Leeds introduced the new crest in 1998.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk