There is a lot of AFL,  supporter gear ,  available .

Fans can wear, not only, jumpers, jerseys, guernseys, but also tops , caps , scarfs and beanies.

These are made in team colours , and display sport logos, mascots , and sponsors.

AFL Fans purchase, and wear them.

Football jumpers, jerseys and guernseys , are incredibly popular supporter gear, that fans wear , to AFL Games.

Will this other supporter gear , ever replace the football jumper , jersey , guernsey , in popularity for match day attire ?

Football Jumpers Fly

Four long term AFL players have announced their retirement this week . Brett Kirk of Sydney and Simon Goodwin of Adelaide Crows will retire at the end of the 2010 AFL season.

Tyson Edwards of the Adelaide Crows has retired effective immediately and Troy Simmonds,Richmond Tigers will play his farewell Game this Friday night .

All brilliant athletes and faithful servants of their clubs who have entertained fans for many years.

Each has worn his team colours , jumper , jersey, guernsey with pride .

Fans all around the country will turn out to cheer these inspirational men and to witness them take their one last kick of the Sherrin on a public stage.

Who will adopt their numbers on the back of their jumpers, jerseys , guernseys for 2011 Season ?

Kirk's look alike Jumper

AFL team , the Collingwood Magpies packed their famous black and white team colours jumpers , jerseys , guernseys to travel interstate.

They played Fremantle Dockers at Subiaco , Western Australia on Friday night .

The iconic black and white colours triumphed over the predominantly purple and white of the Dockers .

AFL Football Teams will travel interstate to play footy with mixed success.

On friday night in Western Australia , the black and white’s triumphed .

Fans were resplendent in their black and white jumpers , jerseys, guernseys .

AFL team Collingwood’s players ran off the ground in their black and white jumpers , jerseys, guernseys exhausted but triumphant .

Collingwood Magpies Football Jumper

Sponsors come and go , team colours and mascots are forever .

Each football season sponsors will pay money to an AFL football club .This is so they can be featured on their all players clothing particularly their jumper , jersey , guernsey .They are receiving advertising and exposure of their company name in a unique way .

Millions of dollars are invested by companies who hope to receive wide exposure in this way .Clubs benefit substantially by signing lucrative deals which offer great financial benefit .

Tobacco companies and alcohol producers are no longer considered appropriate sponsors of sporting clubs .

Previously the breweries CUB , Tooheys or Tooths featured on many jumpers, jerseys , guernseys .

CUB promoted their brand on the front of the Brisbane Lions jumper , jersey , guernsey .These are now highly collectable .

Tobacco companies boldy promoted their sponsorship on jumpers , jerseys , guernseys.

Phillip Morris supported the St Kilda Saints .These jumpers , jerseys , guernseys with this sponsorship logo is still worn by ardent fans.

The pragmatic Saints also promoted Tooheys Brewery on the same jumper, jersey , guernsey .

Healthy Saints and their fans smoked and drank and were happy to promote both .

In these days of “political correctness “, a jumper , jersey , guernsey will promote anything but beer and cigarettes.

insure it

Why do we follow the teams we do ?

Often , it is family tradition that dictates which team we support.

The person who takes us to the footy
when we we are young can decide who we will barrack for .

A young man may barrack for the team they played with in an amateur league or at senior level who is affiliated with a particular afl club.

Geographical location may dictate who you will barrack for .If you live in Carlton does it follow that you will go for the Blues?

Peer group pressure and wanting to follow the same team as your friends might decide who you follow. Also if you want to go the footy you will go with fans of the same club , sit together and wear your similiar football jumper , jersey , guernsey .

Clubs under threat of amalgamation , annihilation or extinction call on fans loyalty to the jumper , jersey , guernsey .

The colours of your clubs jumper , jersey , guernsey can ignite passion and instill loyalty no matter who you follow .

Its tribal , its colourful , its passionate and there is no more brilliant sight than a sea of fans in the colours of your clubs jumper , jersey , guernsey .

Every supporter has a reason why they follow who they do .

All are valid . All fans look and feel good in their team colours jumper , jersey , guernsey .

Dust the mothballs of Grandpa’s old Geelong jumper. Wash out Uncle Bill’s Essendon Jersey .Get your jumper you wore as a skinny teenager down from the top shelf and get to the footy .

Your jumper , jersey , guernsey will enjoy going to the footy again .You will be pleased to evoke a few old memories of a bygone era if you can stand the overpowering stench of the mothballs!

Are you a Bulldog?

An end to summer is in sight with the nights and early mornings drawing in with less daylight and a drop in temperatures. With the changing season a football fans thoughts turn to their teams first game of the year .Last years jumper , jersey , guernsey is pulled out of the wardrobe and inspected . The questions has it got another season in it? , are the sponsors too dated ?but mainly will it still fit ?are asked .The sponsors may come and go, as will some of the mascots ( who would have thought the Lions would run out with a new Lion ).The team colours may appear a bit darker or lighter each passing year but one thing remains the same and will never go out of fashion ,at round one every ardent footy fan will be out in their teams colours wearing their jumper , jersey or guernsey.Sometimes these jumpers have often had a short respite over the warmer months but the humble jumper has definitely become more of a fashion trend and wearable iconic item of clothing over time .Of one thing you are assured , the jumper ,whether temporarily rested , newly purchased or freshly washed will be proudly on display at the first bounce of the Sherrin .

year of the Bomber

older style

All are used to play Australian Rules  Football in.

The early design was wool with a button up front , peak collar and often sleeveless  .

They were called jumpers because thats what they were a jumper in team colours to play sport in , in this case afl football.

Embellishments such as numbers , team logo , league playing in eg; VFL were sewn onto jumper .

Later the jumpers became a wool acrylic mix often now with long sleeves and all of the above embellishments .

Sponsors logo’s came along to boost clubs often ailing funds and wool had by now been totally replaced by acrylic.

Today it is hightech dri fit polyester that breathes . Manufactured fabric has replaced any natural fibres and the peak collar is gone along with any buttons . The long sleeve style is still available but with a few notable exceptions like Saints Stephen Milne and previous decade carlton player Steve Silvagni players wear the sleeveless style. These have ribbed armholes and v neckbands .

They are  brightly coloured with futuristic mascots , have sewn on makers logo tag to authenticate item and are plastered with sponsors logo’s front and back . A big difference is these are all printed on and not sewn on as in yesteryear .Even the back number is imprinted with  an afl logo across bottom of the numbers. A modern work of art to differentiate it from the opposition and to attract as much sponsorship as is allowable these items are signed by players and auctioned by the clubs for vast sums of money  . Bearing litte resemblance to the older style jumper the old timers are still popular with historians ,collectors , traditionalists ,die hard fans and people who just want to have their own slice of the good old days .

The high tech polyester treatment has also extended to football shorts and socks again printed with team ,afl and sponsors logos . Todays football kit bears little resemblance to the old monoliths of the past .

modern guernsey

Mums everywhere are grateful that no longer do they a mass of muddy wet wool to wash on a saturday afternooon after the saturday morning game .