Sports teams across the world all face the same challenge – uniforms clashing with the opposition.
It has become the obligation of the away side to alter their uniform to prevent any confusion, either by wearing their colours in a different design or wearing an alternative colour for the match. That seems to be a very simple and effective solution to the problem.
Well, in the case of the AFL it’s not so simple. Collingwood, a team that you either love or love to hate, has the famous black and white striped guernsey that has become the symbol of the club and is supposedly a trademark of Collingwood.
President Eddie McGuire has gone on record saying that Collingwood shouldn’t be subject to the alternate strip rule that applies to all clubs, because “it is the other clubs that have changed to be like us”.
So based on these beliefs Collingwood openly break the rules set out by the AFL regarding alternative strips and as recently as last year the AFL let them get away with it, to the detriment of the sides they were playing.
The history of all the clubs matters very little to the actual debate, so let’s not get into who owns what colours or guernsey. But for a club to simply refuse to follow clear rules set out by the AFL is outrageous.
Firstly, it’s unbelievable that the AFL, which likes to flex its muscles at every opportunity, simply rolls over to Collingwood. And secondly, that Collingwood is so scared of wearing something different. It almost appears that they believe wearing a different colour will somehow cause them to lose their identity.
The Collingwood argument that it’s their history and that wearing something else will tarnish or diminish that history is quite simply stupid. If an English Premier League club like Liverpool, with millions of fans all around the world and a history that at the very least matches that of Collingwood, can wear yellow or black instead of their famous red, and yet still maintain their history and image, how can Collingwood not have an alternate strip? St Kilda even tried wearing yellow as one of their clash strips. But Collingwood can not.
If Collingwood’s image can’t even handle having to wear a different colour a couple of times a year then there is clearly something seriously wrong with the club. A club’s success that is so dependent on a guernsey might need to look at how it is being run.
Nonetheless, either the AFL or Collingwood need to man up and stop this yearly problem once and for all. Every team has a responsibility to wear an alternate uniform when playing away and it’s about time they all fulfilled that responsibility.
Neil A
Guest
Collingwood is absolutely right in sticking up for club tradition. It has black with white stripes as its home kit and white with black stripes for the away kit. The AFL approved these changes. So why the faux outrage and why was this poorly disguised Collingwood hatred written in the first place? SM, Bob Gooch and the little band of haters can complain all they like but perhaps they should be questioning why their clubs capitulated to the AFL so meekly. We've witnessed some appalling ugliness in these so-called away strips and I'm glad Collingwood says no and as other posters have noted, just who does Collingwood actually clash with anyway? I don't think any team needs to have a clash strip, but those that choose to go down this path do so for money plain and simple. The AFL ought to be getting it's own clashing policy in place; anybody think the umpires' uniform policy shows any common sense? As for Port Power, it signed an agreement upon entering the competition that it would not wear black and white stripes. Collingwood is consulted when Port wishes to wear the 'prison bar' jumper. Collingwood's objection to the clash strip runs deeper than Eddie's objection by the way; the club's board and its supporter base are as one in objecting to any tampering with its traditional jumper.
Bruno
Guest
While I don't agree with clubs wearing white if it's not their colours, the AFL only does this because white is light
Franko
Guest
"AFL team wearing a SANFL guernsey" Oh dear, the misguided are still among us........
Matt
Guest
If you want to slander Collingwood for their perfectly fine alternate strip – a direct inverse of their home strip – then you can go and do the same for the following teams who follow the exact same design protocol: Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs. Particularly North who have a near identical situation to the Pies except their 'light' guernsey is their home guernsey and their 'dark' guernsey is their clash.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Thing is that in English football there are quite a number of teams who play in predominantly red. It is necessary to have a clash strip for those occasions, unlike the AFL where there really isn't a clash - and when there are guernseys that are similar, white shorts always used to be good enough to tell the difference. All of this ignores the fact that clash jumpers these days are about selling something to people. I don't see what's wrong with saying to the AFL, no, it's not needed, when it's not.
Avatar
Roar Guru
Perhaps the reason why Melbourne hasn't had a home game against Essendon since 2010 is primarily (and not necessarily due to the Dees' poor commercial value) because their two home jumpers clash terribly. Additionally, Essendon hasn't had a home game against Fremantle since that same year - how hard can it be to see the Bombers, in their main playing kit, playing Fremantle in their alternate mostly-white guernsey? Not at all.
Penster
Guest
Are Aussie Rules viewers suddenly blind? There''s no muddy grounds anymore, and very few team combos are hard to differentiate, the patterns and colours are all different. Much ado about nothing.
Darren
Guest
Sorry but that alternate is just making a mockery of the AFL. Good luck to Collingwood if they can get away with it but the AFL should apply same rules to everyone. And Collingwood deciding what jumper Port can wear in games they are not playing in is outrageous.
Steve Mcglashan
Roar Rookie
No mate there are 2 different gurnseys Collingwood wear one is more black the other more white I have them both. I understand people don't like Collingwood but this is nit picking as I said if you can't tell the difference between a Collingwood gurnsey and another gurnsey you must be colour blind
Darren
Guest
Alternate strip? You're having a laugh surely.
Steve Mcglashan
Roar Rookie
Sounds like another anti collinwood beat up I'm pretty sure they have a clash strip and if you can't tell the difference between black and white and blue and white well you must be colour blind give me a break
SM
Guest
'If Collingwood do for some reason play Port Adelaide and they decide to wear their heritage jumpers' This will never happen as Port have to seek permission from the Pies (rather than the AFL as you would expect) any time they wish to wear their prison bars jumper.
Richard
Roar Guru
Let clubs wear what they want. It's only Television that insists on those hideous away strips you see from time to time. Collingwood has played for over 100 years with a black and white strip without any problems. Good on you Eddy. There's no reason to change. .
Milo
Guest
Agreed, but even if Port had worn their newer black back jumper and changed the color of the background of the sponsors logo for one week (their normal Renault label background is yellow i believe), along with Richmond in white shorts surely that wouldve been enough? Clash jumpers or cash jumpers?
Ads
Guest
If the rules say a clash strip is required, and Collingwood simply say they wont wear one and get away with it, why dont the other clubs follow suit.
slane
Guest
The link you provided was an AFL team wearing a SANFL guernsey. Port should be playing in their inaugural AFL guernseys. You know the ones that were half black with teal and white at the top wrapping around the back? The ones that clashed with no other teams? Now they are completely black on their back with a teal and white chevron up front. They now clash with teams who wear dark colours: Richmond, Essendon and even Carlton. So those three massive teams have to create a clash guernsey because Port wanted to sell more jumpers. Seems a bit silly to me. Watch Port try to wear their original magenta SANFL guernsey against Brisbane or Sydney in the near future.
Perry Bridge
Guest
In the 'gold old days' with muddy gluepot centre 'wicket' areas - the old white shorts for away team worked reasonably well until everyone was caked in mud and not much of any differentiation would help. These days - no glue pot centre wicket areas (in the main) and yet not even white shorts for away teams suffices. However - alternate strip predominantly white jumpers do. The AFL has to be up front about for whom the benefit should apply. TVs are all colour now so North v Coll in B/W shouldn't be a concern. Perhaps at Etihad with the roof open and the sun out - the contrast glare/shade there is horrendous.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Clash jumpers are a load of old cobblers.
AR
Guest
I'm not sure you have a capacity to discuss anything about the AFL that deviates from "AFL is bad mkay?"... so I might leave that alone.
Milo
Guest
You cant blame Collingwood. If the AFL was serious about clash jumpers it would enforce them by fines. AFL wont do that, not just because its worried about a Collingwood backlash or recalcitrancy but because the primary reason for alternate clashes is revenue same as pretty much every other sport. Collingwood doesnt need the revenue. Btw dont agree that black stripes on white Vs white stripes on black is a genuine attempt at a clash guernsey, but I do respect Collingwood for digging in on this one and wish my club had done the same.