Discussion Jumpers That Never Were

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Interesting. I noticed AFL Brandzone specifically states not to refer to the club as GFC. I wonder if this is simply to distance themselves from their old logo and merchandise or if it’s a deliberate choice to not be likened to the Globak Financial Crisis. I assume it has nothing to do with the Global Financial Crisis however we can’t see when they decided they don’t want to be referred to by GFC, had they made this choice along with the new logo then it would have nothing to do with the crisis but it could easily have come in a few years later when GFC was the term to refer to the crisis.
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Just last night I went right back through the old threads on the Geelong board to read up on the 2007 off-season, which of course is when we had the logo and branding change, a new jumper manufacturer, and continued Premiership celebrations.

I'm fairly confident that the move to be 'Geelong Cats' rather than 'Geelong Football Club' or 'GFC' was a well-planned new direction for the club, coincidentally coming after the 2007 Premiership and at the early stages of the Global Financial Crisis.

Unfortunately most of the links from both the board and the Wayback Machine are no longer working (or not working on my laptop), but there was a whole page on the club's website detailing the branding change, presumably explaining the move from 'Geelong' and 'Geelong Football Club' to 'Geelong Cats'
 
Interesting. I noticed AFL Brandzone specifically states not to refer to the club as GFC. I wonder if this is simply to distance themselves from their old logo and merchandise or if it’s a deliberate choice to not be likened to the Globak Financial Crisis. I assume it has nothing to do with the Global Financial Crisis however we can’t see when they decided they don’t want to be referred to by GFC, had they made this choice along with the new logo then it would have nothing to do with the crisis but it could easily have come in a few years later when GFC was the term to refer to the crisis.
View attachment 933613
Maybe. They still own gfc.com.au and it still redirects to their website.
 

DiamondGuy

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Sep 25, 2013
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Interesting. I noticed AFL Brandzone specifically states not to refer to the club as GFC. I wonder if this is simply to distance themselves from their old logo and merchandise or if it’s a deliberate choice to not be likened to the Globak Financial Crisis. I assume it has nothing to do with the Global Financial Crisis however we can’t see when they decided they don’t want to be referred to by GFC, had they made this choice along with the new logo then it would have nothing to do with the crisis but it could easily have come in a few years later when GFC was the term to refer to the crisis.

I always assumed it was to do with an experience I had in school, probably one of my first times on the internet.

I accidentally went to gfc.com instead of gfc.com.au, and found myself visiting a "Gay Fathers' Club".
 

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The Victorian

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What could have been
1597373633753.png
 

Gibbsy

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Just last night I went right back through the old threads on the Geelong board to read up on the 2007 off-season, which of course is when we had the logo and branding change, a new jumper manufacturer, and continued Premiership celebrations.

I'm fairly confident that the move to be 'Geelong Cats' rather than 'Geelong Football Club' or 'GFC' was a well-planned new direction for the club, coincidentally coming after the 2007 Premiership and at the early stages of the Global Financial Crisis.

Unfortunately most of the links from both the board and the Wayback Machine are no longer working (or not working on my laptop), but there was a whole page on the club's website detailing the branding change, presumably explaining the move from 'Geelong' and 'Geelong Football Club' to 'Geelong Cats'

Did you find this article? Pretty much covers off the reasons:

We are Geelong, and also the Cats, officially

Joel Cresswell
December 5th, 2008


THE Geelong Football Club, one of the world's oldest sporting clubs, is now branding itself as Geelong Cats.

Chief executive Brian Cook confirmed the club could not trade as Geelong Football Club on its official website, a key factor in the change.

"The term Geelong Football Club we can't use on our website as our name, as our address, because it's actually owned by someone else - some time ago, other groups got to that," he said.

"From a branding point of view, we're going to go with Geelong Cats but it doesn't do anything to the official title of our particular football club."

The corporate structure behind the club is still registered as Geelong Football Club Limited with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Geelong Advertiser could not find another organisation trading under the name Geelong Football Club as registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria yesterday.

The branding move has seen the club's website address change from gfc.com.au to geelongcats.com.au, and its badging updated.

In late 2007, a picture of a cat's face between the words Geelong Cats, replaced a shield labelled with GFC as the club's emblem.

"We've got to ask the question, is gfc.com.au as good as geelongcats.com.au?," Cook said.

"Geelong Cats is a better alternative."

Cook said the change had been phased in over the past year and the club had not received any feedback from its members on the topic.

"None at all (feedback), I think that's probably a significant point, it has been quite seamless," he said.

But several supporters have registered their disappointment with the re-branding on an unofficial Cats message-board.

One user under the name of sherrthecat, claimed he emailed Cook to argue that under the change "Geelong will cease to be a 'football club' and turn solely into a brand name" on one post.

A second blogger known as WILDCAT52329 said;

"Anybody who cares about the club's history should let Brian Cook know. WE ARE NOT THE GEELONG CATS!" the post read

"Flood him with emails, let him know. It has been done by stealth, with no consultation with the members."
 
Did you find this article? Pretty much covers off the reasons:

We are Geelong, and also the Cats, officially

Joel Cresswell
December 5th, 2008


THE Geelong Football Club, one of the world's oldest sporting clubs, is now branding itself as Geelong Cats.

Chief executive Brian Cook confirmed the club could not trade as Geelong Football Club on its official website, a key factor in the change.

"The term Geelong Football Club we can't use on our website as our name, as our address, because it's actually owned by someone else - some time ago, other groups got to that," he said.

"From a branding point of view, we're going to go with Geelong Cats but it doesn't do anything to the official title of our particular football club."

The corporate structure behind the club is still registered as Geelong Football Club Limited with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Geelong Advertiser could not find another organisation trading under the name Geelong Football Club as registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria yesterday.

The branding move has seen the club's website address change from gfc.com.au to geelongcats.com.au, and its badging updated.

In late 2007, a picture of a cat's face between the words Geelong Cats, replaced a shield labelled with GFC as the club's emblem.

"We've got to ask the question, is gfc.com.au as good as geelongcats.com.au?," Cook said.

"Geelong Cats is a better alternative."

Cook said the change had been phased in over the past year and the club had not received any feedback from its members on the topic.

"None at all (feedback), I think that's probably a significant point, it has been quite seamless," he said.

But several supporters have registered their disappointment with the re-branding on an unofficial Cats message-board.

One user under the name of sherrthecat, claimed he emailed Cook to argue that under the change "Geelong will cease to be a 'football club' and turn solely into a brand name" on one post.

A second blogger known as WILDCAT52329 said;

"Anybody who cares about the club's history should let Brian Cook know. WE ARE NOT THE GEELONG CATS!" the post read

"Flood him with emails, let him know. It has been done by stealth, with no consultation with the members."
I don’t believe Cook.
 

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Did you find this article? Pretty much covers off the reasons:

We are Geelong, and also the Cats, officially

Joel Cresswell
December 5th, 2008


THE Geelong Football Club, one of the world's oldest sporting clubs, is now branding itself as Geelong Cats.

Chief executive Brian Cook confirmed the club could not trade as Geelong Football Club on its official website, a key factor in the change.

"The term Geelong Football Club we can't use on our website as our name, as our address, because it's actually owned by someone else - some time ago, other groups got to that," he said.

"From a branding point of view, we're going to go with Geelong Cats but it doesn't do anything to the official title of our particular football club."

The corporate structure behind the club is still registered as Geelong Football Club Limited with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Geelong Advertiser could not find another organisation trading under the name Geelong Football Club as registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria yesterday.

The branding move has seen the club's website address change from gfc.com.au to geelongcats.com.au, and its badging updated.

In late 2007, a picture of a cat's face between the words Geelong Cats, replaced a shield labelled with GFC as the club's emblem.

"We've got to ask the question, is gfc.com.au as good as geelongcats.com.au?," Cook said.

"Geelong Cats is a better alternative."

Cook said the change had been phased in over the past year and the club had not received any feedback from its members on the topic.

"None at all (feedback), I think that's probably a significant point, it has been quite seamless," he said.

But several supporters have registered their disappointment with the re-branding on an unofficial Cats message-board.

One user under the name of sherrthecat, claimed he emailed Cook to argue that under the change "Geelong will cease to be a 'football club' and turn solely into a brand name" on one post.

A second blogger known as WILDCAT52329 said;

"Anybody who cares about the club's history should let Brian Cook know. WE ARE NOT THE GEELONG CATS!" the post read

"Flood him with emails, let him know. It has been done by stealth, with no consultation with the members."

I didn't come across that article actually, I think I need to go back to Google Search school. Thanks for sharing

Towards the start of the text I believe Cook was referring to the website only, rather than the branding as a whole. There's a chance somewhere in the world another company registered the name GFC for their website, and that it couldn't be used for the website anymore. I'd say that it just happened to be that the branding switch to 'Geelong Cats' came around the same time as that information came to light

For what it's worth, I prefer being 'Geelong Cats' in the media and to the public eye. It gives a much more youthful appeal and a progressive look, whereas as 'Geelong Football Club', while traditional, certainly looks very old and traditionalist in comparison
 

DiamondGuy

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Sep 25, 2013
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For what it's worth, I prefer being 'Geelong Cats' in the media and to the public eye. It gives a much more youthful appeal and a progressive look, whereas as 'Geelong Football Club', while traditional, certainly looks very old and traditionalist in comparison

I disagree with you there, (but I did grow up in the GFC era). It's like when a girl writes on a dating app that she follows "the Collingwood Magpies". Just doesn't ring true.
 
I disagree with you there, (but I did grow up in the GFC era). It's like when a girl writes on a dating app that she follows "the Collingwood Magpies". Just doesn't ring true.
* the youth

Always go traditional and more Times New Roman
 

Commando

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I didn't come across that article actually, I think I need to go back to Google Search school. Thanks for sharing

Towards the start of the text I believe Cook was referring to the website only, rather than the branding as a whole. There's a chance somewhere in the world another company registered the name GFC for their website, and that it couldn't be used for the website anymore. I'd say that it just happened to be that the branding switch to 'Geelong Cats' came around the same time as that information came to light

For what it's worth, I prefer being 'Geelong Cats' in the media and to the public eye. It gives a much more youthful appeal and a progressive look, whereas as 'Geelong Football Club', while traditional, certainly looks very old and traditionalist in comparison

Agreed
heads down the US path, Chicago Bulls LA Lakers etc
 
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Which players wearing 23 and 13 were earmarked to captain these teams I wonder?
Excluding Indigenous players I was left with the following “well-known” players
Possible players for 13: Taylor Walker, Clayton Oliver, Luke Shuey
Possible players for 23: Heath Shaw
 

DiamondGuy

Le goûter qui »BANG«
Sep 25, 2013
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For what it's worth, I prefer being 'Geelong Cats' in the media and to the public eye. It gives a much more youthful appeal and a progressive look, whereas as 'Geelong Football Club', while traditional, certainly looks very old and traditionalist in comparison

Don't underestimate how offensive a name change can be to some people, no matter how subtle.

Hull City's foreign owner once tried to rename the club "Hull City Tigers", it didn't go down well at all.

I think Cook only chanced upon the GC idea due to the advent of BL, SS (out of necessity) and WB and WCE (of their own accord).

It has led to absurd situations that have been discussed here such as the official ladder or the front of the 2009 GF record, which reads "St Kilda v Geelong Cats" and looked like a mistake at the time.

GNGC
 

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