Easy. Cut the existing scarves straight down the middle. Now produce 65000 skinny scarves of each colour and we’re good to go. Minimal extra costs due to the same amount of fabric being used.
Seriously, we may as well ditch the sash completely as it limits the design the club can produce, not for want of trying mind you.
We should have 7 jumpers.
Two for the preseason series, ie, a home and away version, two for the regular season, home and away versions of course, and three for the themed games. ANZAC Day, Country game and Dreamtime.
The guernsey is what distinguishes our club from all the others. It symbolises the club, and has so for well over 100 years.
I don’t want us to be stuck in the past if it holds us back from pushing forward.
But there is really no point to changing our icon, our image, our representation, For the sake of a few extra digits on the income spreadsheet.
We have already compromised our image for the AFL, with the disastrous away jumpers. Why do we need to keep doing it, needlessly?
I’d like nothing better than for us to play every game in a black jumper with a red sash. It hasn’t happened for a long while and it will never happen again.
Sure the away game debacle is one reason but there are others and they’re actually pretty sound.
The blockbuster jumpers are far more of a fundraiser for charities than for the club. Not only does a percentage of sales go to charity but the signed themed players jumpers are auctioned off with the proceeds going to charity. RSL for ANZAC, an Indigenous charity for Dreamtime, Mental Health intiatives via the CFA for the Country Game.
There’s also the argument that having a themed jumper for these games hightens the sense of occassion. So as much as I find the whole idea of the Country Game contrived, I do support the reasoning behind it.
If we’re going to do it then we do it with the same intensity and effort we put into Anzac Day and Dreamtime.