A guernsey (also called a jumper) is a type of shirt worn by Australian rules footballers. It is typically sleeveless, although long sleeves may also be worn. [1] [2]
The typical guernsey features the player's number on the back, the colours of the player's team, and the team logo. Sponsor logos may also appear on the guernsey. Unlike sports such as soccer and American football, the surnames of Australian rules footballers do not appear on their shirts (with the exception of International Rules football, which is a hybrid code). Australian rules football is unique in referring to the player's shirt as a "guernsey", with most other sports referring to their respective uniforms as a "jersey". [3] [4] As an extension of this tradition, the expression "to get a guernsey" [5] is a metaphor for being selected for something or gaining recognition for an achievement.
The first footballers often wore cricket whites during matches with teams distinguished by wearing coloured ribbons and caps. By the 1870s, footballers started to wear more rugged and robust woollen navy jumpers called Guernseys which traced their origins to the Channel Islands off the coast of France. It is from this garment that the modern football guernsey takes its name from.
By the 1880s, most footballers were wearing lace-up jerkins made from canvas and leather. A guernsey could be worn underneath the jerkin to provide the player added warmth. By World War 1, the lace up jerkin was dispensed with by most VFL teams, although this form of clothing was used in other leagues such as the SANFL until the year 2001.
By the 1910s and 1920s, modern knitting and dying techniques had made it easier to produce woollen jumpers in varying patterns and colours. Collars were added to the jumpers and sleeveless options became popular amongst footballers. Although wool had been used as the main fabric of choice, most guernseys were changed to the much cheaper acrylic in the 1980s. [6] In the late 1990s, collars were removed from football guernseys and manufacturers began making the clothing by using modern polyester fabrics using sublimated dying techniques.
During the 1970s, VFL teams began sewing the VFL logo and sponsor logos on their guernseys. Clash and preseason guernseys came into effect during the 1990s due to the growing demand by fans and broadcasters to make football easier to watch by making matches fully “light vs dark” rather than the simple dark shorts vs white shorts. [7]
In 2014, the AFL considered adding names to the guernseys, with Kevin Sheedy claiming it would help fans recognise Greater Western Sydney players, [8] but after trialling the concept in Round 5 decided not to go through with it, despite fans' positive reactions, citing lack of space as a practical limitation. [9]
Most AFL clubs wear a home guernsey for a majority of games (specifically games that are played at their home ground) and a clash guernsey for away games where the team’s guernsey clashes in colour with the other team’s. The most common type of clash guernsey is a colour swap where, for example, a team with white stripes on a mostly black jumper changes to black stripes on a mostly white jumper.
From 2004 to 2008, AFL teams wore a heritage guernsey which was a recreation of a guernsey from previous seasons.
Every year since 2014, AFL clubs have designed a special guernsey in honour of the annual Indigenous Round. These guernseys feature Indigenous-Australian artwork and are sometimes designed by past or even present players of the club.
The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition.
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their Ascot Vale home "Alisa", and while the exact date is unknown, it is generally accepted to have been in 1872. The club's first recorded game took place on 7 June 1873 against a Carlton seconds team. From 1878 until 1896, the club played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), then joined seven other clubs in October 1896 to form the breakaway Victorian Football League. Headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Ground, known as Windy Hill, from 1922 to 2013, the club moved to The Hangar in Tullamarine in late 2013 on land owned by the Melbourne Airport corporation. The club shares its home games between Docklands Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Zach Merrett is the current club captain.
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also field a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and women's team in the VFLW.
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 1991, and a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition since 2017. The club's offices and training facilities are located in the western Adelaide suburb of West Lakes, at the site of the club's former home ground Football Park. Since 2014 Adelaide have played home matches at the Adelaide Oval, a 53,500-seat stadium located on the northern bank on the River Torrens in North Adelaide.
A sweater or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper, is a piece of clothing, typically with long sleeves, made of knitted or crocheted material that covers the upper part of the body. When sleeveless, the garment is often called a slipover, tank top, or sweater vest.
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fremantle, a stronghold of Australian rules football in Western Australia. The Dockers were the second team from the state to be admitted to the competition, following the West Coast Eagles in 1987. Both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles are owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC), with a board of directors operating Fremantle on the commission's behalf.
Traditionally, a jersey is an item of knitted clothing, generally made of wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn. The word is usually used interchangeably with sweater.
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name, sometimes known as a knit-frock in Cornwall, especially Polperro.
A Catholic school uniform in North America typically consists of a pleated and tartan skirt or jumper dress, Mary Jane or saddle shoes, a button-down shirt, and a sweater for girls, while boys' uniforms consist of a button-down shirt, a necktie, and dark pants. Actual school uniforms vary widely by location and individual school.
Throwback uniforms, throwback jerseys, retro kits or heritage guernseys are sports uniforms styled to resemble the uniforms that a team wore in the past. One-time or limited-time retro uniforms are sometimes produced to be worn by teams in games, on special occasions such as anniversaries of significant events.
Casual wear is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasising casual wear's comfort, it may be referred to as leisurewear or loungewear.
In association football, kit is the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The sport's rules specify the minimum kit which a player must use, and also prohibit the use of anything that is dangerous to either the player or another participant. Individual competitions may stipulate further restrictions, such as regulating the size of logos displayed on shirts and stating that, in the event of a match between teams with identical or similar colours, the away team must change to different coloured attire.
A sweater vest is an item of knitwear that is similar to a sweater, but without sleeves, usually with a low-cut neckline. They were popular in the 20th century, particularly in the 1970s in the UK, and are again growing in popularity in this century.
Heritage Round was an annual round of matches in the Australian Football League in which all the teams wore throwback guernseys from the past. The first Heritage Round was in 2003 and the last was in 2007.
The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara.
Australian rules football culture is the cultural aspects surrounding the game of Australian rules football, particular to Australia and the areas where it is most popular. This article explores aspects and issues surrounding the game, as well as the players, and society. Australian Rules is a sport rich in tradition and Australian cultural references, especially surrounding the rituals of gameday for players, officials, and supporters.
Charles Stewart is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He is most notable for playing for Footscray in the Victorian Football League. Stewart was of Indigenous Australian descent.
Away colours or road colours are a choice of coloured clothing used in team sports. They are required to be worn by one team during a game between teams that would otherwise wear the same colours as each other, or similar colours. This change prevents confusion for officials, players, and spectators. In most sports, it is the visiting or road team that must change.
A basketball uniform is a type of uniform worn by basketball players. Basketball uniforms consist of a jersey that features the number and typically the last name of the player on the back, as well as shorts and athletic shoes. Within teams, players wear uniforms representing the team colors; the home team usually wears a lighter-colored uniform, while the visiting team wears a darker-colored uniform.