AFL's rubbery white shorts policy

Jul 1, 2005
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Surprised to see Bombers clash looked better with white shorts. Good clash jumper.

Re eagles - I think club has been approached by fans to scrap tripanel many times. This year they introduced a slightly revamped eagle head instead - hopefully next year they finally listen to fans and adopt the wings design for all jumpers!
 
Nov 20, 2011
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The revamped Eagle doesn't look as good.

Seriously though, the away team wearing a white or lighter clash vs current WCE home causes a clash more than it solves.

Remember in the 2010?? preseason, they wore their Clash Jumper (at home) vs Hawks with their Clash jumper? Who's stupid idea was that!!
 

No BS!!

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Jul 3, 2012
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This is an area where the EPL has a much better approach than us. Their rule is basically "Home teams wear whatever they want, away teams wear something different or forfeit."

incorrect. Home teams don't wear anything they want. subject to certain exceptions for the away team (8 away matches a year), and the final league match of the season, both teams must wear the home strip that they registered with the League prior to the season, unless the two home strips are alike, similar, or likely to cause confusion, then in which case the away team must wear a combination or an alternate that was registered with the league as well.

21. Subject to Rules F.20 and F.22, when playing in League Matches the Players of each
participating Club shall wear its home Strip unless the home Strips of the participating Clubs
are alike or similar or are in the opinion of the referee likely to cause confusion in which event
Players of the Visiting Club shall wear its away Strip, third Strip or a combination of its home
Strip, away Strip and its third Strip. In the event of any dispute with regard to the Strip to be
worn by either Club, the referee’s decision shall be final.

22. Players of the Visiting Club may wear its away Strip or third Strip when playing in League
Matches provided that they shall not do so on more than 8 occasions in any Season, including
those occasions, if any, when required to do so by virtue of the foregoing provisions of
Rule F.21. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Rule shall limit the number of occasions
a Club may be required to change its Strip pursuant to Rule F.21.

8 away matches a year is less than half the number of away games a club plays in the EPL (38 matches = 19 away). Compare this with the AFL where clubs such as WCE and ADE wear a purpose 'away' strip in just about every away game, you can see from the above that EPL rules with regard to playing strips are stricter than they are in the AFL. it retains control and it allows it to regulate the area more effectively. it's a dogs breakfast in the AFL.

have a read of the EPL handbook. rules: section F: Home & Away strips.
http://www.premierleague.com/conten...handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2011-12.pdf
does the AFL even have such a publication, let alone generally accessible documentation on their playing strip regulations?

also, white shorts aren't generic and adopted according to circumstance in the EPL as they are in the AFL. a club can choose to have white shorts in it's home strip, it's away strip or in both. I.e, they are identified with the club. Manchester United & Arsenal are just two clubs where white shorts form it's home strip.
 

No BS!!

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Jul 3, 2012
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No, Geelong have the agreement with us, Geelong have the agreement with Collingwood and Geelong have the agreement with Hawthorn.

If there are these agreements with regard to some match-ups, then GEE should just adopt white shorts into their home/first-choice strip, that is, if the AFL will allow such a move.
 
Nov 20, 2011
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No, Geelong have the agreement with us, Geelong have the agreement with Collingwood and Geelong have the agreement with Hawthorn.

Well that is news to me, because over the years Hawks have worn white shorts vs Geelong's blue and so have Saints, so that must have only come in this year.

If there are these agreements with regard to some match-ups, then GEE should just adopt white shorts into their home/first-choice strip, that is, if the AFL will allow such a move.

Agreed, so should North. Doubt the AFL would have a problem. Then again....
 

Commando

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Apr 6, 2010
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Hate geelong in white shorts for home games!
Every team needs two totally different strips (ala soccer)
Throw the players names on the backs too, needs to be clearer on tv, tonight was a disgrace
 

Simple Jack

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Well that is news to me, because over the years Hawks have worn white shorts vs Geelong's blue and so have Saints, so that must have only come in this year.



Agreed, so should North. Doubt the AFL would have a problem. Then again....

I just looked back over it and you are right re: Geel v St Kilda.

I assumed it was the case because every game I could remember since 2009 between the sides has been St Kilda/black Geelong/white, but round 1 last year Geelong had the blue shorts.

That game was so horribly disgusting I must have removed it from my memory.

When was the last time the Hawks wore white shorts v Geel? I can't remember them doing it for a while.
 
Nov 20, 2011
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Unfortunately that's the way it's heading. The AFL has, to some extent, realised that, for example:

North (at home) with white home/blue shorts vs Bulldogs/Crows/Port/Richmond/Carlton/St Kilda with white shorts looks illogical and stupid. Same with Geelong home game vs above teams.

North and Geelong look a lot better in white IMO than what most people realise. Like the EPL, there are a lot of teams that actually have white shorts as part of their home colours.

Few Australian examples include:
Manly (NRL)
Centrals (SANFL)
Port (SANFL) - to a lesser extent, wears either black or white, depending on team.

In fact there are a few NRL sides that have white as home even though their main jumpers are dark.
 

Simple Jack

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Hate geelong in white shorts for home games!
Every team needs two totally different strips (ala soccer)
Throw the players names on the backs too, needs to be clearer on tv, tonight was a disgrace

Geelong home with white shorts and the away socks is easily the best looking Geelong strip imo.
 

No BS!!

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Jul 3, 2012
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Agreed, so should North. Doubt the AFL would have a problem. Then again....

Many GEE & NM supporters I've read on this issue don't like the club wearing white shorts in it's main strip. I think a lot of it has to do with the historical association of the shorts being home or away. Particularly GEE supporters watching games at KP, they've grown up only ever watching them in navy shorts and can't accept them wearing white, especially if it's an AFL directive rather than a initiative the club has taken upon itself.
 

Commando

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Geelong home with white shorts and the away socks is easily the best looking Geelong strip imo.

Nah, blue shorts, Home socks for home games.
The EPL approach is spot on, clash (not inverse) jumper or forfeit the match
 

No BS!!

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In fact there are a few NRL sides that have white as home even though their main jumpers are dark.

Canberra; Manly; St George; Easts; are the four that do. That's a quarter of the league.

Every league in the world allows it. even in the NFL which the AFL seems to be looking to towards for the new dark vs light concept has many teams that wear white pants at home.

The reason it's not so in the AFL is because the VFL introduced a rule in 1924 that the home team must wear black shorts, and the away team must wear white shorts in every game as its solution to clashing colours/strips. This lasted for over 80 years! As a result, all clubs adopted black shorts as the home shorts as default which became coloured for some in the 70s for colour tele. But prior to 1924, clubs such as ESS, FOO, NM (the latter two in the VFA) actually had white shorts in their main strip.

Get rid of circumstantial basis for white shorts in the AFL and allow a club to adopt it full-time if they choose to.
 
The number 1 team in Merseyside wears a royal blue shirt and WHITE shorts :p

It usually goes with white socks as well but the people who manafacture out kits have given us blue socks for the second consecutive season :mad:
 
Hate geelong in white shorts for home games!
Every team needs two totally different strips (ala soccer)
Throw the players names on the backs too, needs to be clearer on tv, tonight was a disgrace
Was very clear tonight, much better than last week Carl v Coll
 
Nov 20, 2011
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Canberra; Manly; St George; Easts; are the four that do. That's a quarter of the league.

I don't count St George because they effectively have an all white jumper anyway with Red V (Pink for "Clash games"). Manly actually look good with white shorts because their cuffs and collars are white as well.

Every league in the world allows it. even in the NFL which the AFL seems to be looking to towards for the new dark vs light concept has many teams that wear white pants at home.

Maybe we should go for a NBA/NBL system....home team wears a DARK strip, away wears a LIGHT strip (or Vice versa if uniforms allow such thing)

The reason it's not so in the AFL is because the VFL introduced a rule in 1924 that the home team must wear black shorts, and the away team must wear white shorts in every game as its solution to clashing colours/strips. This lasted for over 80 years! As a result, all clubs adopted black shorts as the home shorts as default which became coloured for some in the 70s for colour tele. But prior to 1924, clubs such as ESS, FOO, NM (the latter two in the VFA) actually had white shorts in their main strip.

Get rid of circumstantial basis for white shorts in the AFL and allow a club to adopt it full-time if they choose to.

The AFL is the VFL really - a primitive league with primitive rules. Sorry folks that had to be said.

I think I said this before, Essendon and Footscray had Red shorts at one stage for home games, Fitzroy also had Gold coloured shorts for away games I think.

I don't see the problem in adopting white shorts as part of the main kit. If the AFL are effectively forcing clubs such as North and Geelong in most home games (and away) to wear them, then how can there be a problem with them allowing a team to do it voluntarily.
 
Nov 20, 2011
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*BUMP*

"Clash" Predictions for this round:

CATS vs ESS: Geelong home/white, Dons home/black

CROWS vs WCE: Crows home/navy, WCE clash/white. Although "normally" WCE can wear their royal away with white shorts but I don't think they have at AAMI for a while.

MAGPIES vs HWAKS: Pies home/white, Hawks home/brown. Although it I think will be a repeat of the Pies/Blues game, so Hawks will in white shorts.

GCS vs LIONS: GCS Home/red, BL clash/white
DEES vs PORT: Demons home/navy, Port clash/white
WBD vs BLUES: WBD home/blue, Blues home/white
SYD vs STK: Swans home/red, St Kilda home/black.
FREO vs GWS: Freo home/purple, GWS home/white. GWS could also wear clash as well.
RICH vs NM: Tigers home/black, North home/white. Although North will probably pull out their clash/blue.
 
*BUMP*

"Clash" Predictions for this round:

CATS vs ESS: Geelong home/white, Dons home/black

CROWS vs WCE: Crows home/navy, WCE clash/white. Although "normally" WCE can wear their royal away with white shorts but I don't think they have at AAMI for a while.

MAGPIES vs HWAKS: Pies home/white, Hawks home/brown. Although it I think will be a repeat of the Pies/Blues game, so Hawks will in white shorts.

GCS vs LIONS: GCS Home/red, BL clash/white
DEES vs PORT: Demons home/navy, Port clash/white
WBD vs BLUES: WBD home/blue, Blues home/white
SYD vs STK: Swans home/red, St Kilda home/black.
FREO vs GWS: Freo home/purple, GWS home/white. GWS could also wear clash as well.
RICH vs NM: Tigers home/black, North home/white. Although North will probably pull out their clash/blue.
We will we be wearing the royal blue "away" ... which should be our home in any case. Have a lot of hate for that tri panel POS guernsey.
 
Nov 20, 2011
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We will we be wearing the royal blue "away" ... which should be our home in any case. Have a lot of hate for that tri panel POS guernsey.

Thought that might be the case however stranger and stupider things have happened this year.

I agree. The Tri-panel needs to go, replace it either with the current away jumper or a navy wings jumper.
 

parano1a

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*BUMP*
MAGPIES vs HWAKS: Pies home/white, Hawks home/brown. Although it I think will be a repeat of the Pies/Blues game, so Hawks will in white shorts.

White shorts actually suit the Hawks better as they match the white number patch on their back.
 
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