The battle, for all intents and purposes, has been won. Surely. The Brisbane Lions simply have to return to their traditional jumper. How could they not?
The club no longer has a choice. The chorus is growing louder by the day, the cause gathering a head of steam. This is an unstoppable movement.
Brisbane erred in a major way back in late 2009 with the introduction of the guernsey they wear today. It is the traditional Lions jumper on an acid trip.
Known as the ‘Paddlepop Lion’ guernsey, it is a relic of a previous administration that wounded what was once an AFL powerhouse club by giving supporters the silent treatment for years.
Nobody wanted it, and nobody wanted to get rid of the traditional guernsey – the one that Brisbane wore against Essendon two weeks ago.
No coincidence that the club had arguably its best win in a decade that night, which was supposed to be a commemoration of the first chapter of the Lions’ three-peat of premierships in the early part of last decade.
It will be worn again tonight at the Gabba against Collingwood, the side that Brisbane beat in 2002 and 2003 to claim premiership glory and complete the trifecta.
If you ask ‘The Lion’s Roar’, a supporters advocacy group that has been established to give Brisbane fans a voice that has been muffled for too long, it should be worn all the time.
For the fans who actually bought the new one, they now have in their possession the perfect piece of miserabilia to remember arguably the darkest post-merger stretch in Lions history – an era marked by poor results, an unhealthy tension with fans and of course, the Fevola disaster.
It is also ugly as sin, and not even close to being in the same league as the traditional design, which was one of the best in the AFL and had genuine meaning behind it.
Some things just shouldn’t be messed with. Everton fans can attest to that as they experience a similar controversy as we speak.
It surrounds their badge, which was more than fine to begin with – so was the Brisbane guernsey. But some executives just can’t help themselves.
Getting rid of the laurel wreaths and the Latin motto in an attempt to streamline the Everton logo has been nothing short of an unmitigated PR disaster.
It’s already too late to change back for next season, but the club has apologised and said it will consider returning to the old one after that. Fair, given 23,000 angry fans signed a petition to say they wanted them to.
The common thread here is how some administrations can choose to not only make a huge decision without fan consultation, but also plug their fingers in their ears when the inevitable outcry comes.
Lions CEO Malcolm Holmes has told AFL Media that the club was unfortunately “locked in” to using the Paddlepop Lion until the end of the 2014 season, due to competition policy which was presumably formed to stop teams from chopping and changing their look.
It is not Holmes’ fault. He is dealing with the mess of his predecessors.
Yet The Lion’s Roar won’t stop banging on the door until their demands are met. Hundreds of fans have signed on to support the return of the old uniform just days after their website, thelionsroar.net, was established – and many more will follow.
The people have spoken.
Tellingly, there is no ‘Save the Paddlepop Lion’ petition doing the rounds.
If it seems a trivial matter, then open your eyes. This isn’t just about Brisbane.
There isn’t a whole lot left of Fitzroy, aside from that famous original lion emblem that used to sit in the middle of Brisbane’s home guernsey – the significance of which was clearly lost on an administration that was busy chasing dollar signs instead.
Well, whatever commercial incentives that convinced the Brisbane brains trust to change the guernsey in the first place must surely exist now that the people are plotting a mutiny.
Brisbane supporters – and the Fitzroy fans still hanging on in Melbourne – are right to be kicking up a stink. Power to them. It’s time to put the Paddlepop Lion back in the freezer.
Judy Morris
Guest
Fitzroy followers were sold out to Brisbane by the AFL.We were local fans surrounded by Collingwood and Carlton.There was no other club we would follow no matter what.We had no say in the merger.,or our club gone.I proudly follow the Brisbane lions today.Win or lose.The jumper means as much to us as it ever did,and in Victoria we hardly ever get to see them play on TV or in person,also due to money grabs by the AFL.If Brisbane fans think our jumper means nothing, think again.Try telling KEVIN MURRAY that. We gave the brisbane bears our tradition, our players,our jumper[MAROON AND NAVY],our song and most of all our loyalty which is hard when your team is 2 states away.Brisbane needs support in Melbourne.If everything connected to FITZROY is wiped out,the club lose.We expect our young footballers to play tough.HOW !!!!!! when they promote cartoons?They need to look the part,as they did in Brisbane's winning years.Brisbane needs to encourage Fitzroy fans not upset them..
Steiny
Guest
Franko mate I agree with you, we need to get back to our traditional roots and in particular our link with Fitzroy and Bears. For the life of me I do not understand why the Lions do not concentrate on maintaining the support of their Melbourne supporters. In particular the old Fitzroy support and also the Fitzroy Reds community. Its is so important to maintain support in our Melbourne. I have been a Bear / Lions support some 20 years now and I am concerned about the current managements respect for the tradition for the BBFL football clubs. WE should maintain the Fitzroy jersey when playing in Melbourne and bring back the old lion. Personly I would like to see the old Fitzroy jersey retain for our playing strip. Im a traditionalist which is important to the passionate long term support not those who coe and go when the team is not doing so well. Go the Roy Boys!!!!!!!!!!
Ann
Guest
I am an avid fan, have been sinece the Bears days. I do not like Eddie McGuire BUT, the one thing I admire him for, is that he will NOT bow to the AFL or to money making branding and has vowed to keep their original jumper. For me, the jumper has no meaning when it is constantly changed. And to make matters worse it was changed to look like a cartoon, looks like it came from disney land or k-mart. The game has changed so much in the last few years, it is not the game I started watching in the 70,s and the one thing that keeps fans loyal is the jumper. Wake up Brisbane there are other ways to get revenue. When our team is constantly losing it is the LOYAL fans that keep you going so give us something to be proud of, our original jumpers
me too
Guest
On a trivia note I'm pretty sure the Bears were also the first interstate club to win an afl premiership - their reserve team in 91 or 92 ?
LD
Guest
The irony of some of this is is that Fitzroy got rid of Maroon by selling out to "Colour TV"in the mid 70's (same as the Demons lamentable switch from Navy to Royal Blue), why do we have to have the '80 nostalgia of the Lions wearing Red in Melbourne when they played for over 80 Years in Maroon in Melbourne?
Adey
Guest
Clash jumper. And.... They might have dumped it. Exactly.
dexx
Guest
They may have dumped it from their jumper? looks like a raptor head and features on plenty of television and internet media.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
It's a guernsey Matt, not a jersey. But, how did cows get so involved anyway? Maybe it's just a jumper.
MIKEM
Guest
i didn't know that either adept - disgusting, and this reflected in the way the play at the moment, disgusting and shamefull. I have aired my views. We should call the police and not let vossy on the grounds.
Adey
Guest
And i dont see any crappy dinosaur on the crows main jumper?
Adey
Guest
Google paddlepop brisbane lion. Plenty of angst then, plenty of angst now. It continues. There has been no "save the new lion campaign" and very little love shown for it, no justifiable change in merch income nor increase in membership.
dexx
Guest
Its been the paddlepop for a fair time now, why wasnt there a backlash when it was brought in instead of after people have had to time to adjust and no doubt some like it. Its kid friendly, like the crappy adelaide one that looks like a dinosaur.
TW
Guest
The new AFL facility at Berpangary mentioned in the article looks quite impressive catering for the future no doubt. The local authorities up there have no hesitation in backing the development of our game. The planning started in 2011 it appears. http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=101240 The Brissy Lions were struggling last night with their kids playing due to lotsa injuries - Good crowd of about 26000 with a healthy dose of Collingwood supporters they said.
Adept
Guest
Lions Roar advocates handed out flyers at the Gabba last night in relation to asking the club for a vote on the matter. What was the clubs response? Pass a last minute resolution to BAN them from handing out the flyers near the Lions Park area outside the GABA. Club officials called in the police and they were told they could not hand out the flyers on public property, they had to cross the road. These advocates were not calling for the axing of the board, they were just asking for a say on the jumper. So the clubs response was to call in the police. What a disgusting act by the club against its members, who simply want a say. Could they stoop any lower???
Adey
Guest
There are a large number of supporters who view it more than "just a jersey". The jumper or guernsey is an important part of Aussie rules tradition, for many people. How that looks is important to people. In the unique case of the lions as a merged club, it is vital that the fans from wherever they have come from, feel a connection to it - and I strongly feel that the traditional design became readily accepted as being the 'classic' Brisbane lions design for many. It represents who we are. The PP doesn't. Aside from the design issue itself, much of the angst has been because the club simply went ahead without properly consulting it's constituents on the issue - its members and fans. a myriad of clubs in the afl and other sports have consulted members on such issues, resulting in accepted modernization or returns to tradition. The point is - inclusion works. There have also been plenty of occurrences where afl teams and teams in other sports haven't consulted, and it has lead to angst. Think west coast eagles ochre jumper, which eventually got tossed out due to supporter backlash. Google Everton emblem for a recent example from another sport. My point - as the members and fans -include them in the process. I personally would vote for a return to the traditional jumper, but would be just as happy as to if the vote revealed a preference to a modernized version of the traditional. As long as we have a bloody say in it.
Scubloke
Guest
They play an episode of Suns TV before every game they broadcast on free to air, and last night they had a similar thing for the Lions. Not much, but it's more than it used to be.
matthewthorpe
Roar Pro
i understand how a jersey change could boost merch sales and help improve club relations with their fans. As brianna said below, it is important for members to have a say in running the club. i just dont think that the jersey is bad, or bad enough to warrant changing back to the old design. its just a jersey, one of the many factors that makes up a footy club. i am a lions fan, being a brissy boy, but i dont see how a simple emblem change will make much difference to the club itself.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
The stylised lion emblem worn earlier this century is obviously better. At least that was what Chris Johnson was urging on Marngrook last night. The new one is a bit Paddle Pop. Moreover, it's just not as graphic & therefore, not as clean & durable. Or dignified.
zach
Guest
The Lion's "traditional" jumper (ie the one they wore in their premierships from 2001/3) was the best in the league.
Brisroy
Guest
Fitzroy Football Club formed in 1883, still exist in their own right in Melbourne and play out of their original home ground at Brunswick Street Oval.