Origin of the Adelaide Football Club's Jumper
Adelaide’s original jumper style was fashioned under extreme pressure in the first weeks of the club’s existence.
A blue, green and white prototype was shown to the Club’s Interim Board at its first meeting in mid-October of 1990 but only five weeks later the Board and AFL had approved a navy, red and gold hooped jumper, as the Club also became the Adelaide Crows.
Initially blocked by the AFL from using the State colours, the Board quickly agreed it was appropriate for the first South Australian team in the national competition.
Ed Betro, chairman of the Interim Board’s marketing sub-committee and managing director of Rowe and Jarman sport stores, took charge of the project.
“We understood the jumper just had to be right,” he recalled. “It had to be a jumper that the players would want to wear and the SA public would accept and it had to be approved by the AFL. You had to have colours that had some connection to our State and it had to be able to be sold in the marketplace. So we finished up with navy, red and gold.
“I went over and saw AFL marketing but it was made quite clear it could not clash with the other teams, so that wiped a lot of options out. And they wanted it the next day!
“They were under enormous pressure because it was holding up all their marketing for the 1991 season. But I said ‘you can’t rush this guernsey, we just have to have it right’. So, he gave me seven days! When you get seven people around a board table trying to agree on a football jumper with so much at stake, you can imagine what went on.”
Ed’s wife Iola also worked at Rowe and Jarman and was in constant contact with Adelaide-based Silver Fleece knitting mill, which made a series of designs to show to the board.
“Iola would ask them to knit up a jumper. It got to the stage where every day they would knit up a new jumper for us. They did an outstanding job.”
Senior coach Graham Cornes recalls being shown a selection of jumpers at Betro’s house. Jumpers with white and gold numbers were made for television screen tests. The choice was then reduced to three that met the Board’s criteria as a “footy jumper”.
“We looked at a lot of different options but in the end we decided we would go with a hooped jumper,” Betro said. ” When it finally came off the press as we hoped it would, it really was an outstanding strip. Once we agreed, I dashed over to Melbourne, the AFL said it’s as good as anything we have in the competition. We were quite elated at that. I still call it Iola’s jumper.”
The colours, playing kit and logo were revealed at a press conference at Football Park on November 28, 1990.
One of the first jumper prototypes; a version of the Crows jumper with a collar; Bruce Lindner; Mark Mickan, Eddie Hocking, Bruce Lindsay all in 1991.
Set of Jumpers worn in the first AFL game
