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Sporting Heritage Day 2025

by Natalie Hayton on 2025-09-29T12:59:00+01:00 | 0 Comments

Every September, National Sporting Heritage Day shines a light on the stories, traditions, and symbols that connect us to our sporting past. It’s a reminder not just of the games played, but of the identities, communities, and histories woven into them. Yet much of this heritage is at risk—collections are vulnerable, materials deteriorate, and without care, significant parts of our sporting history could be lost. This year’s, 'Collections at Risk – how the safety and security of sporting collections can so often come under threat, and how we can help remove them from risk' also tackles the crucial question of whose histories are preserved—and whose are left out. As Sporting Heritage notes, collections are:

 

'more than trophies and records. It’s the stories, objects, and memories passed through generations. Without conscious effort to collect, share, and celebrate the heritage of BESEA communities and other marginalised groups, other marginalised communities, we risk a sports history tha is incomplete, untruthful, and exclusionary'.

 

Within our own holdings, rugby jerseys from the Leicester Football Club (Leicester Tigers Rugby Club) collection offer a vivid example of a collection at the heart of our community's sporting heritage. However, they capture not only local pride but also an international dimension, reflecting how rugby and sports generally can connect communities across the globe. Sporting garments are also among the most at-risk items: they are vulnerable to damp, pests, and wear, and are often more readily discarded than photographs or paper records.

In this piece, the spotlight is on rugby jersey badges which have long stood as proud emblems of a club's culture, and sense of belonging. From intricate crests to bold, modern icons, these designs tell their own stories and through careful preservation work, we ensure these jerseys can continue to be appreciated and studied for years to come. Here, we highlight ten jersey badges and the heritage they carry with them as well as a sneaky peek into the roller stacks.

    

Above: All our sporting garments are stored in the hanging bays of our roller stacks. This is the no.1 way to store historical garments rather than folding them and storing them in boxing: it reduces creasing, puts less stress on the fabric and makes them more accessible in a way that prevents unnecessary handling.

 

As the World Rugby Museum explains, the rugby jersey evolved during the 19th century, with schoolboys’ playing uniforms forming the basis of the first kits used by local and regional teams. National sides soon added symbolic crests: England adopted the Lancashire rose, inspired by the Rugby School emblem, while Scotland featured the thistle. These crests were usually placed on the left breast, though there were exceptions. Crossing space and time, below you can explore some of the fascinating at home and international designs found in the collection.

     

Above: A selection of jerseys from the Leicester Tigers Collections.

 

In no particular order (because they are all gorgeous)...

 

10. Leicester Tigers Home shirt; green, white and red stripes with club coat of arms emblem. 1999-2000.

Based on the Leicester coat of arms and sporting the Tudor Rose, I love the fact this has a green Leicester wyvern on it. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/01/003. Founded in 1880 as the Leicester Football Club, the club has been known as the Tigers since 1885. Their archival collection is a hugely significant sports and local history resource spanning 140 years, and the Tigers are an important partner of DMU. You can read all about the arrival of the collection and the work being done to catalgue the collection in some of our former blog posts:

 The Tigers have arrived!       Tigers drop off: part 2      Cataloguing the Papers of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club 

 

9. New Zealand Rugby Centenary Shirt 1892 - 1992. Silver fern embroidered on the front. Shirt Number: 11. The silver fern is a national symbol of New Zealand which can be found on the coat of arms, currency, and often features on unofficial flags.

Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/053

 

8. A Midlands and North of England Counties jersey, 1976. Blue with a white collar, the badge features embroidered emblems for 12 counties. It was worn by Peter Wheeler, a former England international rugby union player and former Chief Executive of Leicester Tigers. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/012

How many do you know - the bear and ragged staff is Birmingham, the gold cross and lions could be Durham? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 

 

7. A red Toulouse Rugby jersey presented to Mike Harrison, former England player c 1990. The emblem for the Toulouse Rugby Union club features a gold cross on a red background. The cross is a historical symbol representing the region of Occitania, to which Toulouse was the capital. The letters 'ST' are a prominent part of the emblem, referring the Toulouse Stadium and the team's traditional colors of red and black. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/060

 

6. This fabulous signed India Sevens jersey was also presented to Mike Harrison c 2000. The jersey includes the embroidered yellow sun emblem and the signature of Nasser Hussain, a former player and captain for the India Rugby team aka El Nino. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/064

   

 

5. A Queensland Rugby Union maroon and white striped jersey, 1990. Also known as the Reds, the Queensland Team emblem, is the koala. While the koala is an internationally recognised symbol of Australian wildlife, the national animal is, of course, the Kangaraoo. But the koala is the official fauna emblem of Queensland with the team's origins dating from at least the 1870s. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/051

 

4. A Leicester Tigers Heineken Cup Away Shirt, white with thin red and green stripes 2011 - 2012. The emblem here is green and red with white tiger head crest (2006 - ). 

Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/01/018

 

3.  A 1950s British Four Nations red jersey with a white collar, once worn by Welsh international rugby union player John Robins. Robins later made history as the first coach of the British Lions, leading the 1966 tour to Australia and New Zealand. The jersey shows signs of fading from light and use, and the Four Nations badge is incomplete as the Irish shamrock section of the crest is missing, likely due to wear and tear over time. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/02/002

 

2. A red-and-white striped Japan Student World Cup jersey from 1992, featuring an embroidered emblem of three cherry blossoms on a blue background. The cherry blossom, a symbol deeply rooted in Japanese culture, has been used as a Rugby Union emblem since at least the 1930s. The national team is affectionately known as the Brave Blossoms. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/03/054

 

1. A Scotland Rugby Union jersey worn by Rodger Arneil, a former international player from 1968 - 1970. Dark blue with a white collar, the jersey emblem has a shield crest with a rose and thistle indicative of the Calcutta cup. The rose for England and the thistle for Scotland have been enduring national symbols for centuries. Catalogue Ref: S/015/C/01/02/006

  

 

This Sporting Heritage Day, we’ve celebrated the stories literally stitched into this wondrous collection of rugby jerseys. From local pride to international connections, it’s about identity, memory, and belonging. Visit our archive to discover the collection for yourself and see how we’re preserving these pieces and the rest of the Leicester Football Club (Leicester Tigers Rugby Club)


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