West Ham United 1995/97 Centenary Away Shirt

Away shirt worn by West Ham United F.C. during the 1995 to 1997 Centenary era, created to mark 100 years since the club’s formation as Thames Ironworks.

The shirt features a strong blue base, broken up by two bold horizontal maroon stripes across the chest that immediately define its centenary identity. A maroon panel runs along the lower portion of the shirt, finished with a repeating blue “tick” style pattern that adds a distinctive geometric detail associated with mid-1990s kit design. The look is completed with a maroon collar and matching cuffs, giving the shirt a balanced but striking away colour scheme.

This away shirt is closely linked with the Harry Redknapp era at West Ham United F.C., a period of consolidation in the Premier League as the club stabilised after promotion and began reshaping its squad. The 1995–96 season saw comfortable mid-table finishes, while the 1996–97 campaign brought more turbulence as inconsistency and ambitious recruitment created a more unpredictable season overall.

Key figures included experienced forward Tony Cottee and influential defender Julian Dicks, both of whom contributed leadership and important goals during this transitional period. The era also saw the breakthrough of academy talents such as Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard, whose debuts marked the beginning of a new generation for the club.

The 1996–97 season proved more erratic, with several high-profile signings struggling for consistency, before mid-season arrivals like John Hartson and Paul Kitson helped stabilise results and secure Premier League survival.

This Centenary away shirt remains one of West Ham United’s most distinctive mid-1990s designs, symbolising both the club’s proud heritage and a challenging but ultimately stabilised Premier League era defined by transition and emerging talent.