Hull City owners Assem and Ehab Allam say they are rebranding the club Hull City Tigers - as reported exclusively by the Mail this morning.Here we look at the history of the "Tigers" nickname and Hull City's branding.
The Mail was the first to call Hull City the "Tigers".
In 1905, one of the Mail's reporters pointed out that Hull KR were known as the "Redbreasts" and Hull FC were the "Airlie Birds" because of the club's location in Airlie Street.
Commenting on the Tiger-like black and amber stripes of the Hull City shirts, the Mail writer said: "Why not complete the trio with another member of the animal kingdom and call City the Tigers?"
The first reference in print to The Tigers duly appeared in the Hull Daily Mail in March 1905.
The club's first kit, in 1904, was all-white shirts, blacks shorts and black socks, but the familiar black and amber colours soon followed. Famously, after the hiatus forced by the Second World War, City considered changing colours to orange shirts with blue trim, but were unable to secure the necessary dyes, so had to wear pale blue and white. On that occasion, public pressure forced the club to bow to tradition the following season, and an amber shirt emblazoned with a Tigers badge was introduced. City's badge has changed on several occasions during the club's 109-year history - examples are shown above. Today is not the first time a change of name has been mooted. After the war, the then owner Harold Needler floated rebranding the club as "Kingston Upon Hull AFC" - but eventually stepped back from that idea. Now, fans have been left fearing the 109-year-old "AFC" brand will be dropped forever.• 'We have dropped something of no value and no use': Assem Allam on why he would prefer club to be called 'Hull Tigers'
• Poll: Should Hull City change their name?
