Adelaide Jumpers (AFL)

In the Adelaide Football Club’s first 32 seasons in the AFL, the Crows have worn more than 80 versions of nearly 30 different jumper styles.

Even if the iconic main jumper is counted as one style, it has been through a series of changes including different collars, number size and font, fabric, sponsors, manufacturer template, fit and the shape and width of the horizontal red, gold and blue stripes and hoops.

The first completely new Adelaide guernsey design was first worn in the 1996 pre-season competition. The first clash/away jumper was launched in 1999 and there have been a series of Heritage Round, Indigenous Round and other one-off jumpers since 2004.

Follow the links to see the club’s SANFL jumpers and AFLW jumpers.

1991-94

Created in a rush in the Adelaide Football Club’s first few weeks, the jumper was launched in November 1990 at the same time as the name and logo. Adelaide wore the navy blue, red and gold hooped guernsey with navy blue or white shorts in every game for the first five seasons. The AFL and Camry (Toyoto) logos were on the front blue panel from the start but there was no sponsor name on the back until 1995. Andrew Jarman asked to wear a long-sleeved guernsey with a collar and this was hurriedly made in time for the first season. The AFC has a set of framed jumpers of the first 20 players to represent the Crows.

Bruce Lindner; Mark Mickan in the original 1991 jumper; the back view (Rodney Maynard and Tom Warhurst) in 1991; Maynard in 1992; Simon Tregenza; ; Andrew Jarman’s collar; Sean Tasker wore a collar with short-sleeved jumper in some games in 1991-93.

1995

One season after the AFL allowed clubs to have a sponsor on the back of the jumper, Toyota appeared for the first time, embroidered in gold thread below the numbers.

Tony McGuinness’ 1995 jumper with Toyota added to the back; Jason McCartney, Nigel Smart and Tony Hall; numbers were sewn on the jumpers until 1996.

1996

The gold numbers were first outlined in white for the 1996 season, when the AFL celebrated its centenary. It was also the first season numbers were sublimated, not sewn on the back. For the first time the Crows wore a new jumper, featuring a Crow on the front, for trial games and the pre-season competition. It was first seen in the AFL’s Centenary Lightning Carnival at Waverley Park in February. This new guernsey was made of a lighter “Coolmax” fabric and the AFC Board selected a design created by the AFL.

The AFL Centenary badge on the front of Tony McGuinness’ jumper; Andrew Jarman; white outline on the number (Jason McCartney); the first extra jumper worn by Adelaide, in the pre-season competition.

1997

Adidas had its name first appear on the front of the jumper in 1997, when Adelaide won its first AFL premiership. The Crows wore white shorts in the grand final. The Crows wore a slightly different version of the pre-season jumper in a trial against Essendon, with the collar and both sleeves gold.

Shaun Rehn in 1997; Darren Jarman; Matt Connell; Ben Hart and Mark Bickley in the grand final jumper; Trial game jumper with Greg Dempsey, Peter Vardy, Matthew Robran, Chad Rintoul and Jason McCartney.

1998

The Adidas logo changed on the front and the Toyota logo was added next to the word Toyota on the back. Adelaide once again wore white shorts in the AFL grand final.

Captain Mark Bickley; Shaun Rehn; Mark Ricciuto after the 1998 grand final; Kane Johnson; celebrations; Tony Modra during the minor round; Lance Picioane in the pre-season guernsey.

1999

After eight seasons with the one jumper style for premiership season home and away games, Adelaide introduced its first away guernsey in 1999. It featured more red on the front, thinner hoops covered by a version of the Crows logo, and red numbers on a shield. The new jumper was first worn against Hawthorn in round two, breaking a run of 186 premiership games for Adelaide’s main jumper. The basic style of the away jumper lasted seven seasons. It was not worn in the 1999 pre-season series, with the Club seeking maximum exposure for its release before its debut. This was the last season of “sportswool” fabric.

Troy Bond in 1999; Darren Jarman’; Matthew Robran’s away jumper; James Thiessen and Brett Burton.

2000

A new AFL logo was the main change on the home jumper in 2000 but it was first year of polyester guernseys. The number on the away/clash guernsey was switched from red to gold. Sleeve edges on the away guernsey were thick, blue with gold trim, and there was also gold trim on the collar.

Peter Vardy and Simon Goodwin in the 2000 home jumper; Darren Jarman; slight change to the collar on the away; Gold numbers on the back (Matthew Robran).

2001

Fila took over as the new apparel supplier in 2001 with both the home and clash jumpers featuring a new neckline and a shiny look. Edging on the away sleeve and collar changed from gold to red. The Crows wore their main guernsey, with white shorts, in the elimination final against Carlton at the MCG.

Tyson Edwards in 2001, Matthew Robran, Ben Hart; Scott Welsh; the back of James Gallagher’s away jumper; Ian Perrie and Darren Jarman in the long-sleeved away version.

2002

The numbers on the away guernsey were changed to solid, with no outline. But the 2001 version made an appearance against Geelong in round 17 after a baggage mistake! The main jumper was worn in all three finals.

Brett Burton and Simon Goodwin in 2002; Tyson Stenglein and Kane Johnson; Michael Doughty (away), new number style on the away; Bryan Beinke.

2003

The arrival of Russell Athletic led to another change of neckline style in 2003.

Jason Torney, Simon Goodwin and Graham Johncock; long-sleeved home; away and Mark Ricciuto in the away jumper.

2004

There was another collar change in 2004 with the Russell Athletic logo moving to below the collar block. Adelaide wore its first “heritage round” jumper in round 18 against North Melbourne, featuring the Club’s crest on the front.

The 2004 front (Andrew McLeod, Mark Ricciuto Scott Welsh, Nigel Smart); Luke Jericho and Ken McGregor (16) in the away jumper; Simon Goodwin celebrates in the club’s first heritage ,jumper.

2005

Inspired by the South Australian State team’s 1930 jumper, Adelaide’s heritage guernsey in 2005 was mainly gold, with red numbers, and included the SANFL logo on the back. The AFC monogram on the front was taken from the Club’s original crest. It was worn in the Showdown against Port Adelaide. Adelaide had used its main guernsey (with blue or white shorts) in every final it played until it wore the away jumper in the losing preliminary final against West Coast in Perth. A different typeface on the Camry logo differentiates the 2004 and 2005 versions.

2005 main; Ken McGregor, Ben Rutten: Simon Goodwin and Mark Ricciuto, and Trent Hentschel, in the away jumper; the heritage jumper; Rhett Biglands’ home jumper.

2006

Adidas returned to partner the Crows in 2006 and there were some major changes to the jumpers. Blue side panels were added to the home jumper, splitting the lower hoops, and the gold sleeve cuff was also removed. Blue replaced red on the top panel of the away jumper, the front bands were thicker, the Crow was bigger, the number was gold with a white outline and the shield was removed from the back. Adelaide also launched a new predominantly red “clash” guernsey for use when required. For the heritage round Adelaide wore a jumper with the Club crest on the front (as it did in 2004) but the front also featured all the colours of the ten SANFL clubs from 1990, when the Crows were formed.

2006 home jumper front; Tyson Edwards; updated away jumper, Rhett Biglands; Edwards, Matthew Bode and Hayden Skipworth in the new red clash jumper; Scott Thompson wears the 2006 heritage jumper.

2007

Adelaide wore a Crows Foundation charity promotion jumper in a pre-season trial against SANFL club Norwood. A Crow was added above the number on the red clash guernsey but faced the opposite way to the normal club style. The red jumper was worn in the elimination final against Hawthorn. The heritage jumper was the same style as the previous year and each player had his name on the blue side panel. The Club pushed to wear the main guernsey in more interstate matches and this was allowed in three games in 2007. This was the first year the AFL logo appeared on the bottom of each number.

Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod; Scott Thompson after the Heritage Round; away jumper; red clash worn by Simon Goodwin and the logo on the back; pre-season charity jumper (Darren Pfeiffer).

2008

Adelaide introduced a new away jumper in 2008, based on the design used for the Club’s first pre-season guernsey in 1996. A key factor behind the change was that the AFL deemed the previous main away guernsey clashed with seven AFL clubs. The new away jumper was first worn in the opening round of the season against the Western Bulldogs and the Crows also kept the red clash jumper for three away games.

Home front and Jonathon Griffin, Nathan van Berlo; new away jumper front and back; Graham Johncock and Ben Rutten in the red clash jumper.

2009

A gold bib was added at the collar of the home guernsey, gold sleeve cuffs returned, the top red stripe on the back (below the number) was replaced by a thin, red curved line, and the side panel blue was not as prominent from the front. The numbers on the main away guernsey were changed from blue to gold. The player issue jumper was also a tighter fit and had a pocket for a Global Position System (GPS) tracker inside the back, on the neck. The Crows wore a one-off jumper for their home Showdown, listing the name of every player from the start of the Club.

In the elimination final the Crows replaced the Toyota sponsor on the back with support for the Melanoma Institute. the first time since 1995 that Toyota did not appear on the back. Adelaide wore its regular main jumper in the semi-final against Collingwood at the MCG.

2009 front, Chris Knights; the gold bib; away worn by Bernie Vince; gold number on David Mackay’s away jumper; every Crows player names on one-off jumper; Richard Douglas in the red clash jumper; changed logo on back for the elimination final.

2010

Reebok was the new supplier, leading to another change of guernsey template. The launch of a new Crows logo and the Club’s desire to have only one away jumper – and advice from the AFL – led to Adelaide using its first white-based jumper in 2010. It featured the new Crows logo style on the front and was worn in five away games when the regular home guernsey clashed with the opposition, allowing the Crows to wear their main guernsey more often. The top red band returned to the back of the main guernsey below the number, and the numbers were rounded on the edges. The one-off guernsey, worn in the home Showdown, featured the names of all previous Crows coaches and players. GPS holding pouches were sewn into all the player jumpers. The Toyota logo on the back of the clash jumper promoted Hybrid Camry.

Richard Douglas, Jason Porplyzia and Scott Thompson; 2010 heritage guernsey with Adelaide player and coaches names; 2010 away jumper, with David Mackay, Myke Cook and Jared Petrenko; the back of Andy Otten’s clash jumper.

2011

Adelaide celebrated the 20th year anniversary of the Club’s first AFL game against Hawthorn, wearing a jumper with the names of the first team from the 1991 season-opener. The Crows celebrated another win against Hawthorn. The jumper also featured the club’s 20 Year logo and the original style Camry sponsor patch, with no logo on the back.

Chris Knights, Richard Douglas and Ian Callinan in the 2011 home jumper; front and back (Brent Reilly) of the anniversary jumper for round one; round one guernsey; Brad Symes in the clash jumper.

2012

The Toyota name was red on the sponsor spots, front and back, on both home and away jumpers, with an embossed silver logo. For the first time the front Toyota spot was not on a white badge background on the main guernsey. Adelaide wore the white away guernsey in the preliminary final loss to Hawthorn.

Jason Porplyzia and Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Thompson and Richard Douglas in the 2012 home jumper; Kurt Tippett and Ben Rutten (away); Ian Callinan and Richard Douglas.

2013

Puma was the new supplier in 2013, with a new template. It was the first season the Crows logo was watermarked across the main jumper. There was also a new away jumper, with the “Murder of Crows” design on the front representing flocks of Crows members and supporters flying together to support the team. Adelaide also wore its first Indigenous Round guernsey, with black replacing the navy blue parts of the home jumper against North Melbourne in round nine.

Scott Thompson and Andy Otten in the 2013 home jumper; Crows logo watermark; the new 2013 away front and Tom Lynch; the Indigenous Round jumper, and Jared Petrenko.

2014

There was another change to the collar template. Adelaide wore a one-off guernsey for its first home game at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval in April 2014, featuring names of balloted members, plus players and staff. This was produced at short notice after the Club’s plan to wear a special guernsey for the opening round away Showdown, based on the State jumper, was blocked. In round five the AFL experimented with names on the back of guernseys but the trial was not continued. The Crows wore a guernsey designed by club great Andrew McLeod in Indigenous Round.

The 2014 home guernsey with watermarked Crows logos; Patrick Dangerfield in the one-off jumper to commemorate Adelaide’s first home game at Adelaide Oval; clash jumper, Eddie Betts and James Podsiadly; one-off jumper with player names on back above number; Indigenous Round jumper, with Roy Sloane and Betts.

2015

BLK took over as the supplier for the 2015 season. There was a new white-based away/clash guernsey featuring claw marks on the front and back. To recognise the Club’s 25th season there was a logo above the numbers on the home and away jumpers and the Crows wore a one-off jumper similar to the 2004 heritage round guernsey in round 12 against Hawthorn. Adelaide wore a new Indigenous jumper for round nine. After the death of senior coach Phil Walsh in July 2015, the initials PW were added to the back of the collar in his memory. The white away jumper was worn in both finals.

The 2015 main jumper, Charlie Cameron; Sam Jacobs, the new away guernsey; Rory Laird, Indigenous Round jumper; initials PW on the back collar of Riley Knight’s jumper; One-off jumper to celebrate 25 seasons.

2016

The full hoops returned as Adelaide refreshed its set of jumpers. For the first time since 2005, the bands at the bottom continued around the main jumper. The Crows introduced new yellow and white-based away jumpers with bands of red, yellow and blue across the front middle. The Indigenous Round jumper was designed by artist Susie Betts, the aunt of Eddie Betts. The main guernsey was worn in both finals.

New home guernsey, Rory Atkins; Charlie Cameron and gold away, Jarryd Lyons (31); Rory Laird, Lyons and Eddie Betts in the white away jumper; Betts celebrates a goal in the 2016 Indigenous Round jumper.

2017

Another change of supplier (to ISC) and another different collar template, with gold added to the shoulders of the home jumper and blue to the white and yellow jumpers. Toyota had the option to use two different sponsorship badges on the back of the main guernsey, opting for the Toyota logo and C-HR, and Camry on the away. Adelaide wore its main jumper, with blue shorts, in all three finals.

Daniel Talia and Eddie Betts in the 2017 home jumper; Matt Crouch and Richard Douglas (white away); Brodie Smith (yellow away); Betts (Indigenous Round jumper); 2017 grand final edition.

2018

Another change of collar and the gold guernsey was removed from the jumper set, leaving the white-based guernsey as the only clash option in 2018. It was worn in nine away games. Toyota promoted Hilux and Hybrid on the back of the jumpers. The new Indigenous Round jumper was designed by Crow Wayne Milera’s uncle Roger Rigney. The words “You are a warrior” were written inside the collar on the home and away jumpers.

Taylor Walker, Kyle Cheney and Matt Crouch (main jumper); ‘You are a Warrior’ on the collar; Sam Jacobs and Walker (clash); 2018 Indigenous jumper.

2019

For the first time since a sponsor name appeared on the back of the jumpers in 1995, major partner Toyota allowed the Crows to offer the position to another sponsor, Optus. Adelaide wore its main jumper in three interstate games against Sydney, Geelong and West Coast.

Rory Sloane and Reilly O’Brien in the 2019 main jumper; Paul Seedsman (long-sleeved white clash); Lachlan Murphy (white); Indigenous Round guernsey front, Eddie Betts, Riley Knight and Wayne Milera celebrate a goal.

2020

A new white-based clash guernsey was launched after a fan vote, using the ‘We Fly as One’ Crow on a new chevron shape blue, red and gold. Red was added to the cuff. The Crows logo above the number was replaced with a sponsor logo when the competition resumed from the COVID break for round two.

The 2020 main jumper, worn by Rory Laird and Luke Brown; Brodie Smith and Bryce Gibbs in the clash jumper; David Mackay, Rory Sloane and Shane McAdam in the 2020 Indigenous guernsey.

2021

A new apparel deal with O’Neills started for the 2021 season when the Crows used new yellow and red away/clash jumpers. They were similar to the 2006-07 versions but with bands and hoops all the way down the front, in the same style as the home guernsey. The bands were in different order though – blue, red, yellow on the gold, but blue, yellow and red on the red. The names of the 238 Crows AFL players of the first 30 seasons were embedded on the home and away guernsey, instead of the watermarked Crows logos, and the white outline on the numbers was removed for the first time since 1995. We Fly as One was stamped on the inside of the collar.

Main jumper front and worn by Harry Schoenberg and Will Hamill; new gold away with Ben Keays; James Rowe in the red away jumper and the back of Nick Murray’s guernsey; 2021 Indigenous jumper designed by Crow Ben Davis.

2022

The yellow clash guernsey was removed from the options for the 2022 season. There was a slight change to the red clash jumper, with blue cuffs and some blue on the red collar replacing the gold. It was only worn in three away games. The new Indigenous design was worn four times, home and away. The main jumper had a change to the collar with a blue strip at the front, there were new sponsor patches on the back and no watermarks. This jumper was used 15 times, including five interstate matches.

Rory Laird in the main guernsey; Lachlan Sholl and Josh Rachele; red clash worn by Matt Crouch and Nick Murray’s signed clash (28); Darcy Fogarty and Shane McAdam wearing the Indigenous jumper.

2023

Adelaide unveiled a limited-edition guernsey for the AFL’s new Gather Round against Carlton at Adelaide Oval, showcasing a retro version of the Crows logo. It was also worn against Brisbane in round 22. The 2023 Indigenous Crows guernsey style, used by the AFL, AFLW and SANFL teams, was designed by Anmatyerr educator and artist April Napangardi Campbell from the Ti Tree community in the Northern Territory. Campbell is AFLW premiership player Danielle Ponter’s aunty. It was worn twice in the AFL, in rounds 10 and 11.

Nick Murray, Rory Sloane and Brodie Smith in the main guernsey; Izak Rankine in away clash jumper; Luke Pedlar wearing the Indigenous guernsey; Gather Round guernsey worn by Wayne Milera and Jordan Dawson.