In the world of football, where intricacies and minutiae dominate and compete for our attentions, simplicity is often received like a warm friend.
Yet this week’s release of the Socceroos’ new kit was received with something resembling apprehension, almost a cringe.
As if a strip resembling the famous Brasil or our own 1974 Socceroos should elicit a cringe.
For football fanatics who can remember back to the World Cups of 1986 and beyond, national strips slowly became ruined by a misapplication of colour schemes and juxtapositions. I won’t even mention club strips. Yeesh.
A few examples should jog the memory. Remember the German strip worn at the 1994 World Cup, replete with its migrainous array of diamonds of black, red and yellow on the white strip? Thank God Iordan Letchkov saved us from seeing it beyond the quarter finals as his hairless head sent them home.
Not convinced? I’ll step it up a notch. Remember the Mexican striker-cum-keeper Jorge Campos as the same World Cup? His strip fluoresced with an intensity so strong it was no wonder he was so adept in one-on-one situations.
Even accounting for the vile match times here, I could swear he resembled a chameleon, his strip changing colour every time he made s save.
And who could forget that wonder goal by Ned Zelic against the Dutch in the 1992 Olympic qualifiers? Yes, the goal was a work of art but the strip looked like the late Pro Hart felt like doing something so avant garde even he refused to be associated with it. It was putrid.
Since 2006, national teams have stopped engaging artists looking to express their inner demons for footballers to wear and have gone back to basics.
This serves two purposes. Firstly, it makes for stronger national identity and secondly it stems the flow of nausea in lounge rooms and pubs around the world as fans watch their national team play.
The strip modelled by Michael Zullo and Marco Bresciano is not just a nod to the greats of 1974, it is simplicity in an age where people look for complexity.
It is green and gold. It’s Australian. And long may it last.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
But Colombia should pick up some unexpected support from some Iraqis who are happy to see their team on the world stage?
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I have to admit to really liking this kit. I'm of the opinion that less is more when it comes to football shirts, and retro is always a better look than trying to go for contemporary swatches, patterns and panels. Yes it does look like Brazil's, but then that's to be expected as the two nations share a national colour scheme (aside from shorts). You have to feel some sympathy for Colombia's players though, who've had an "exclusive" Adidas kit foisted upon them that's identical to an Iraqi First Division club's. Needless to say, fans in Colombia are not too happy to see their players wearing an off-the-peg strip.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/publications/symbols/factsheets/national_colours.pdf - - official government line ; although there are frequent references to Australian sporting teams formerly playing in blue and gold, I must say I haven't seen pictures of them. In a previous article in the Roar, Spiro Zavos has a discussion about the Union shirts, which basically seemed to involve any colour they could lay their hands on at the time.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
It's a Best and Less shirt, really so I hope a fancy designer wasn't paid a lot of money to come up with it. I don't like the advertising on it, but this may be beyond the control of the Aussie admin. Also, it looks to be made of one of those synthetic materials that are supposed to keep you cool, but which are basically nylon. For me green and gold vertical stripes, grren and gold hooped socks, white shorts à la Barnestenworth United (not sure of spelling) and ankle covering Stanley Matthews autograph boots are always the best look. Goalkeeper must wear a skivvy and tweed cloth cap
bill boomer
Guest
I'm sorry but i don't like it. Never been a fan of yellow as the predominate and with the green argh, though nothing could be worse than the vomit strip previously mentioned. I understood g&g was to reflect the predominant colours of the bush, not just the wattle. Anyway ochre in various shades is the colour of the country, furthermore no-one else has it so no clash problems. I'd have it before yellow maybe even with the green (next most widespread) though i would favour all ochre.
SN2204
Guest
The away strip is navy blue and the collars/trim is gold in the same cut and design as the home jersey !
Brick Tamland of the Pants Party
Guest
ok cheers,yeah the old green and gold ain't the easiest of combos to get right but can work if done right and this kit works,the Norwich strip this season on the other hand.....
fadida
Guest
We can borrow England's. They won't need it :)
ciudadmarron
Guest
It was the cricket team at the turn of the century, to match the wattle on the emblem I believe. There was a strong nationalistic movement at the time with federation happening and the symbols and coat of arms being designed. Some olympic teams followed suit. As stated above, the socceroos (not then so named) were the first football team to run out in those colours, in 1924. Rugby sides before 28, when they made the switch, used to wear the colours of whatever state they were playing in, or if touring the colours of their predominant state or a combination. The wallabies were the first side to have yellow as the predominant colour, they did this to avoid confusion on a tour of South Africa and stuck with it.
Brick Tamland of the Pants Party
Guest
Yes and also feeling the strip lacked patriotism they decided to go with the three colours of their flag.Does anybody know why Australia decided to go with green and gold as our sporting colours in general?,i get the feeling getting as far away from anything resembling the English may have played a part!
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yes, I'm so glad we're back to just yellow (not orange as was the last strip imo), and we have lost the green stripes (and the white as in awful 2010 edition). While I'm not a fan of the collar or the shield around the COA it is with links to the 1974 strip. Who can argue with nostalgia? This strip to me, with its colour and all-yellow design, also harks back to the 2006 strip - favourite strip of all time and best ever. (As an aside the yellow of the 2006 had a lot of input into needing to be the right 'yellow' by the then FFA CEO John O'Neill, who was not happy until it was wattle yellow with little other design editions (ie: stripes) from memory, perhaps with some nostalgia of his ties to the Wallabys...). Heard nothing but positives about this strip - expect it will sell a lot from May onwards. The Nike kit rumours site has our alternate strip as dark navy blue ("Obsidian") with yellow trimmings to match the home strip. -- While our strip is not Brazils, Brazils third strip for the World Cup is just sick. Dark green, almost black, with bright yellow emblem and trim. A spare $100 after buying my 2014 Socceroos home kit and I'll be getting one of these...
ciudadmarron
Guest
^^^ Btpp From memory it was to erase the memories of the maracana disaster. Seemed to go alright, the new kit! I remember reading somewhere that our yellow kit was on turn modelled on Brazil's but this might not be accurate.
Brick Tamland of the Pants Party
Guest
Nah their 86 is basically our 74 ;),interestingly Brazil only started wearing the famous gold strip in 1954,they wore predominatly white before that.
eric1
Guest
It's basically Brazil's '86 jersey.
ciudadmarron
Guest
As a side note, while the Socceroos did not start playing in a predominantly yellow strip until the late 60s at the earliest, I discovered the other day that they were the first Australian football team to wear the green and gold, which they started doing in 1924 (most articles will tell you it was the league side - it definitively wasn't). Previously the cricket team had worn blazers and caps and some Olympic teams had worn the colours. It's a strip which carries a lot of history. Good to see the white socks back also! They are distinctive. I hope they stick around this time.
ciudadmarron
Guest
I'm not sure what the cringe you describe early in the piece was about? Almost everybody I've spoken to has welcomed this strip with joy.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Is there a second strip coming soon? This one could be a problem if we run into Brazil in the final.
Brick Tamland of the Pants Party
Guest
I love it,definitely a collar man and fans have been asking for the white socks to come back for years so ticks all the boxes.It really is a nice tribute to the 74 boys and from what I hear there were some lumps in throats and holding back of tears from those players so it also did its job in that regard.