State Colours / State Mascot...Why?

[S.J Rollin]

I have always wondered why Adelaide FC has not only the same fundamental colours as the state of South Australia, but the crow as its mascot as well. Even the club song has a real provincial aspect to it.

Granted they are not the only team with the Brisbane Bears having had the Queensland state colours and the koala... but Brisbane was a VFL/AFL outpost and needed to identity itself with that of the state to gain support for the code.

I just thought Adelaide could have been a bit more original in colours and mascot when it came to rallying the people instead of relying on blatent jingoism for popular appeal.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Being a composite side, the management wanted to the Crows to be the "team for all of South Australia" (except ferral Port supporters). They went for the obvious to ensure that the club has the biggest supporter base in the competition. To be a bit original as you put it could have been a dangerous marketing ploy - however, they probably would stilll of had a strong following.

 

[Damp Squarie]

Love the Colours
Love the Home Strip
Hate the Away Strip
Love the Mascot
And the song is Just better than Freos...Just

No doubt the MASSES would have voted these most of these things in

 

[ok.crows]

Originally posted by S.J Rollin
I have always wondered why Adelaide FC has not only the same fundamental colours as the state of South Australia, but the crow as its mascot as well. Even the club song has a real provincial aspect to it.

Granted they are not the only team with the Brisbane Bears having had the Queensland state colours and the koala... but Brisbane was a VFL/AFL outpost and needed to identity itself with that of the state to gain support for the code.

I just thought Adelaide could have been a bit more original in colours and mascot when it came to rallying the people instead of relying on blatent jingoism for popular appeal.

Firstly, the Crows is not a SA mascot or emblem or symbol or anything like it. The state emblem or fauna symbol is the Piping Shrike, which is a black and white bird very similar to, but slightly smaller than a magpie.

Secondly, the Adelaide football club started when the then VFL (about to become AFL) made a (actually a memorandum of understanding) with Port Adelaide Football Club for that club to enter a team in the natioanl competition that VFL (AFL) was fostering. That deal would have meant that most SA supporters (those that did not follow Port) would not have had a team to support in the fledgling AFL.

This would still have happened if it had been Norwood that entered, or Glenelg, or any SANFL club, it was not just that it was Port.

The way around it was to create a composite team with players from all SANFL clubs - so that all SA footy fans could feel a part of that team. There were a lot of state players already playing in Victorian sides, so it was not a state team, but still the best composite side that could be made up from the remaining players.

The team adopted similar colours (not the same, but similar) to the SANFL state-of-origin side, as a symbol of its composite nature.

It was all designed to make as many fans of as many different SANFL clubs as possible feel as if they were part of what was after all a brand new club with no history. The hope was to inherit part of the history from all the SANFL clubs.

It really didn't have much to do with 'state' identification, it was much more about 'combined SANFL' identification. The only thing the SANFL had combined on before was the state-of-origin sides.

 

[Portia]

I believe the other reason the colours were chosen was because they had a colour in common with every SANFL club....except Port.

 

[ok.crows]

Originally posted by Porthos
I believe the other reason the colours were chosen was because they had a colour in common with every SANFL club....except Port.

I remember that there was some talk about this being the reason why the tri-colour scheme was chosen, but also that omitting any representation of Ports colours was a problem. But then again, that same problem occurs with the state-of-origin team colours doesn't it?

There was probably not a true effort to include Port properly, but there was certainly no effort to exclude them. Crows wanted Hodges, Tregenza and Abernathy to play, and there may have been one or two others, and Cahill was in contention to become the coach.

It was a bit of an uneasy situation though, I will grant you.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

True the Crows wanted the best Port Magpie players when they entered, but I don't reckon Cahill was ever a chance to be picked by the SANFL hierachy - they gave him an interview just to go through the motions. Probably just as well really, as it was better that he got the job with the Power's entry. If the Crows had more of a Port influence, then the Power may not of been the 2nd team. As much as I love to hate Port, there would not be the same rivalry if the 2nd team was another composite team or a Norwood/Sturt.

 

[raboyle]

Originally posted by Porthos
I believe the other reason the colours were chosen was because they had a colour in common with every SANFL club....except Port.

I guess not all the SANFL board sees only in black and white!!

Just joking mate. But I guess they just wanted to put the state colours on it because it is recognisable to our next door neighbours as the colours they hate and because they irritate the sh*t out of them.

 

[St.Nick]

Let me just say this... it would be very ambitious if a Vic club used the line "We're the pride of Victoria" in their club song.

 

[ok.crows]

Originally posted by St.Nick
Let me just say this... it would be very ambitious if a Vic club used the line "We're the pride of Victoria" in their club song.

Indeed it would if they were a Vic club formerly just one small part of the VFL (pre AFL).

If they were an (imaginary) composite side formed out of all of the former VFL teams, then the "pride of Victoria" would be OK in their song wouldn't it? That is, if all of those former VFL sides took pride in forming that composite team, WTF is wrong with that?

 

[S.J Rollin]

It is probably just easier to see "WTF is wrong" from the outside looking in.