Club History Origins of Essendon's Club Colours-The RED & BLACK

[Shane Hird]

I read something awhile back about how we got the red and black colours and how the red sash has always been part of our uniform. But before I give my story,has anyone got an idea how it all came to be?

 

[Big Blow Hard]

We originally were going for an All-Blacks type jumper. But a bit of tomfoolery during a club working bee, whilst painting the fence red, saw one of the players swipe his brush across the front of his new teammate. The club founders were actually quite impressed with the Red addition, and adopted it from that day forth!

 

[gossy]

Well the official site says that we have worn black with the red sash from day one.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/club/history.asp

1873 First game played. Players wore black guernsey with red sash.

I would be very interested to know why exactly red and black though. If there is infact a reason. Do tell

 

[gossy]

Wikipedia has it a little different though. Blue jumper :s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essendon_FC#Club_jumper

To avoid clashing with other teams, Essendon adopted a Red sash in 1875, and is recorded in magazines of the day as wearing Blue with Red sash up until about 1889. At this time, uniforms were ordered in the club colours, Black with a Red sash, and in every game from 1890 to today.

 

[Shane Hird]

In everything I've ever read about the subject,there's never any mention of us in any colour except the red sash on a black jumper.


Remembering though,before we were officially established as a senior football club,'Essendon' were just a junior football club in the Essendon district that played their matches on the paddocks of the McCracken family's Moonee Ponds property.

Football jumpers would have been an expensive and rare luxury in the 1850's and 60's and different colours would have been worn depending on the dyes availiable.

I've read that the McCracken family's Scottish colours on their coat of arms is the red and black and before the football club was established,they also funded and ran a rowing club which had the black with red sash design on its members...what ever top the rowers wore.

The guy who wrote it though,wasn't 100% sure that that was the correct story. He was very much speculating..

 

[gossy]

I like that story, it sounds historical . Not sure what the go is with wikipedia saying we wore blue in the seventies?

 

[SirJimi05]

I like that story, it sounds historical . Not sure what the go is with wikipedia saying we wore blue in the seventies?

Yeah, everything i have ever read/heard is that we have always had the black and red and the only thing that has changed is that the sash was made a little bit larger at one stage.

 

[robrulz5]

Wikipedia has it a little different though. Blue jumper :s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essendon_FC#Club_jumper

Wikipedia seem to have alot of "typos" when it comes to the history of the club if read carefully!

 

[mitch-wa]

wikipedia is a load of crud

 

[smcateer]

Wikipedia has it a little different though. Blue jumper :s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essendon_FC#Club_jumper

Wikipedia is open to be edited by anyone, even Carlscum supporters.

 

[Philzsay]

From the "An Illustrated history of Essendon Football Club" book. (please excuse any typos i make)

"In that earliest era, the Club wore red and black hose and, according to The Footballer magazine, navy blue guernseys. Essendon always had intended wearing black and red, but these special guernseys had to be made in England and, in the meantime, players wore readily available navy blue outfits, with the hose defining the Essendon uniform. The new guernsays arrived in 1875; common belief has it that these were the origions of the strip the Club has worn for more than 130 years. (A team photograph supposedly taken in 1873 shows most of the Essendon players in guernseys with sashes, but even in black and white, they do not appear to be red slashes on a black background. In fact, some of the players are wearing guernseys without sashes. More recent belief has the photograpgh dated 1878)"

----

It is the only book I have ever read which suggests we did not have red and black at one stage. This section of the book was writtian by Jim Main. I would have no idea how accurate it would be..

 

[Couch Potato]

Gee there's some interesting stuff written there lads.

Nobby has scratched off some of the history with the McKracken family, but it goes much deeper than a coat of arms. One of the McKracken's was a Jesuit priest who was a key figure in purchasing many of the properties that a few churches and schools were later built on. The link between the colours and the families is derived back to his involvement with the catholic church

 

[Shane Hird]

Gee there's some interesting stuff written there lads.

Nobby has scratched off some of the history with the McKracken family, but it goes much deeper than a coat of arms. One of the McKracken's was a Jesuit priest who was a key figure in purchasing many of the properties that a few churches and schools were later built on. The link between the colours and the families is derived back to his involvement with the catholic church

Very interesting....but how does the church link up with the colours. Maybe the local priest back in Scotland wore red and black sashes over his robes..????


Here's a few lines from An Illustrated history of the EFC.. about Alex McCraken. It pretty much sums up how much he ment to the club in those early years.

..One of those present at the club's first meeting in 1872 was young Fred Hughes,who recalled at the club's first game at Windy Hill in 1922.
"It was out of compliment to him (Alex McCracken) and his gentle manner that we selected as a motto for the club,"Sauviter in modo,fortiter in re'- 'gentle in manner,forcible in act'."

 

[Jugular]

Very interesting....but how does the church link up with the colours. Maybe the local priest back in Scotland wore red and black sashes over his robes..????

The Catholic link comes through the number of St Patrick's College East Melbourne who played for and were involved with the club. It was the original Jesuit catholic school in Melbourne and wore black and red (colours later transferred to Xavier College). The first Essendon captain, Dr Timothy B. Ryan, was an old boy and along with other old boys a big influence on the early days of the club. Morgan, O'Meara and Ted Kernan were also St Pat's boys who played under Timothy Ryan's captaincy.

In the 1870s-80s the St Pat's boys would travel from school to training at McCrackens field in Flemington either by walking from East Melbourne across Royal Park (!), catching a train from Spencer Street or getting a horse & cab from Elizabeth St. The Essendon connection to St Pat's was later strengthened throughout the time that Essendon was based at East Melbourne, a stones throw from the school.

This is the theory behind the influence of St Pat's on the adoption of black and red. Its a theory but the only concrete one i've heard.

 

[Mercuri Rising]

strong bump, interested in a one-year contract?

 

[Shane Hird]

We should play in just an all black jumper this year. With a tiny efc in the middle.

 

[carnthedons]

Coincidence? I think not.

 

[Rustler]

Our historical guernsey is black with red vertical stripes.
When the pivotonians met the same olds and hacked around the park a pigskinned ball, that was the birth of the now traditional VFL/ AFL era. Pre VFL in the VFA however essendon's early guernseys were blue with a red sash, however, their socks and caps were red and black. Until modern colouring techniques took hold that's how they stayed til the VFL/ AFL era. You'll notice all our premiership guernseys have the most common thread, similar sash changes with fashion but overall same Guernsey throughout history.

 

[Bobbykirkkelly]

Our historical guernsey is black with red vertical stripes.
When the pivotonians met the same olds and hacked around the park a pigskinned ball, that was the birth of the now traditional VFL/ AFL era. Pre VFL in the VFA however essendon's early guernseys were blue with a red sash, however, their socks and caps were red and black. Until modern colouring techniques took hold that's how they stayed til the VFL/ AFL era. You'll notice all our premiership guernseys have the most common thread, similar sash changes with fashion but overall same Guernsey throughout history.

The Rotary Club of Essendon had an art show at North Park, Alexander McCracken's mansion in Woodland st Essendon and some research was done into the McCracken family. There was a photo found of McCracken City Brewers workers in guerseys that were in a "Scottish Blue" colour so perhaps thst was where the original color came from. Also McCracken's were keen hunters and started the Oaklands Hunt Club where they recruited many of the original players from. Interestingly inside the mansion there is an arch with timber decoration and at the top of the arch there is the attached decoration. The mansion was built in 1888 when I believe Alexander was the President of the Essendon Football Club.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Fairly sure we’d have had black as everybody would’ve had a black shirt.

Then when they needed something to differentiate, the material on hand happened to be red.

 

[Shane Heard]

Can’t remember even writing this stuff...blast from the past !

 

[Shane Heard]

View attachment 475234 The Rotary Club of Essendon had an art show at North Park, Alexander McCracken's mansion in Woodland st Essendon and some research was done into the McCracken family. There was a photo found of McCracken City Brewers workers in guerseys that were in a "Scottish Blue" colour so perhaps thst was where the original color came from. Also McCracken's were keen hunters and started the Oaklands Hunt Club where they recruited many of the original players from. Interestingly inside the mansion there is an arch with timber decoration and at the top of the arch there is the attached decoration. The mansion was built in 1888 when I believe Alexander was the President of the Essendon Football Club.

Very interesting indeed

 

[Stopher]

A colour scheme and design that has definitely stood the test of time