Sheffield Eagles Full Monty Connection
14th June 2023 saw the launch of the Full Monty TV series on Disney+, the follow up to the 1997 film
The film holds a special place for the Sheffield Eagles as the original film features Mark Addy's character Dave in a number of scenes wearing the shirt.
Before the Full Monty
The first claim to fame for the "Full Monty" shirt is having featured in the first ever game of the new era of summer rugby – the Super League in 1996. The Eagles first round game of the new Super League was away to Paris St Germain and because it was on the Friday night (29th March) it was the first game in Super League and broadcast on Sky Sports. The Eagles lost the game 30-24 in front of a crowd 17,873 but they were part of history.
The Eagles shirt design had broken with the tradition of the red and gold vee for the 1993-94 season with the bold eagle design – that season red and gold for home, purple and gold for away. The following season saw a variation on the eagle design with red and gold for home and green and black for away. The eagle design was adapted again for the 1995 – 96 before its final use in the 1996 – red and gold for home, blue and white for away.
The Original Shirt
Weston Park Museum
Amongst the fans the shirt is known as the Full Monty shirt and during the 1997 season the Full Monty connection was used by the Club to promote games. We've recently celebrated the significance of the shirt as part of the display case at Weston Park Museum we've produced with Sheffield Museums. The shirt is one of a number of items to capture the 40 year history of the Sheffield Eagles and you can visit it until the middle of 2024.
