The College Archives welcomed the donation of a 1st XVIII jumper from James Coghlan (SPC 1962-1967), now on display in the emerging College’s History and Heritage Centre.
The design history of our football guernsey has typically remained consistent, with some variances and distinctive commemorative guernseys.
1893 – 1905: Cotton, possibly linen, was the fabric of choice during this era. The attire included sleeveless shirts with a drawstring at the chest, long socks, long shorts, and football boots with heels. The primary colours were blue and white, as described in a poem published in the 1904 College Annual.
Our Colours.
‘Neath the glorious Blue and White,
We have fought a brilliant fight,
And we never knew defeat on any ground,
Both in learning and in play,
Our opponents yield the way,
That our name may first in honor, always sound.
We have shown our rivals too,
That they never, never knew,
When the Blue and White were lowest on the list.
But when once we but begin
We are always sure to win
Nor victory ‘neath those colours ever missed.
We’ve established well our fame,
And our dear old College name
Is a household word with very many now.
And we pass exams, so well
That we never need to tell
How, at books, opponents all before us bow.
Then success to our old school
With its pleasures and its rule,
And the teachers who instruct the pupils there.
May the glorious Blue and White
Shine for ever just as bright,
As the stars that shine so high up in the air. —J.S.R.
With and Blue
Our College Flag is white and blue
And to them we will all be true.
Oft did they wave o’er football field,
But never to a foe did yield !
The blue and white reigns over all,
And never yet has known a fall;
For ’tis our great, our one endeavour
That white and blue should float for ever!
Our caps do show them, and the tower,
Flies their flag in sun and shower ;
And, higher yet, and still more high !
See them shine in arching sky !
A.N.
In the 1900 College Annual, the Committee disputed the colour of the knickerbockers and argued that white wasn’t practical and should now be changed to blue, as it looked more presentable after a hard game on wet ground. However, when put to the vote, the majority decided against the blue and began the commotion. The Committee resigned, the team was at loggerheads, and everybody was in a fluster, as it was thought there would be no matches this season.
In calmer moments, better thoughts prevailed, and the matter was settled to everybody’s satisfaction. It was agreed that each should wear what he pleased, and now the white pants are a thing of the past in S.P.C. Even though the publication mentions the pants were a thing of the past, photographic evidence shows that the shorts changed to blue in 1926.
The budding laureates made capital of the incident, and one of their poetic effusions may not be amiss in this place. 1900 College Annual,
THOSE MUCH-DEBATED BLUE PANTS.
“Just wait awhile, the game don’t spoil,”
Said ‘ Stag,’ as ‘ Fogey’ wondered, ” We’ll have no white, they’re just a sight,
The teams before have blundered, Whene’r we fall when on the ball
With mud and slush we’re streaming, While all around the football ground
With mirth all eyes are beaming.”
CHORUS.
Oh, the blue pants, the much-debated blue pants,
We’ll have them yet for a long time you bet, We’ll have these blooming blue pants.
From 1906 to 1907: knitted woollen jumpers were chosen due to their practicality. They had a simple stripe, lacked a collar, and were paired with striped socks.
1908 – 1911: A new design featuring a double pinstripe on the turtleneck, sleeves, waist, and socks.
1912 – 1917: A significant design change featured an SPC embroidered on the front of the jumper, possibly because of the VFL’s football design influences during this era.
1918 – 1919: green, white, and blue stripes with slightly lowered neckline.
1920 onwards: the introduction of the collar.
1932: The SPC crest was introduced in 1932, except in 1934 and 1935. The jumper remained the same for nearly 70 years until 2003.
In 2003: the traditional wool jumper was replaced by polyester fabric using sublimated dying techniques, giving our jumpers the colours, numbers, names, and SPC logo imprinted. This lightweight, breathable, flexible fabric provides our players the desired comfort, which Howard Clark introduced in 2003 during his early tenure as coach.
Below is the modern guernsey. Pictured is our 1st XVIII in winning the 2015 Herald Sun Shield, with Howard Clark holding the shield.
St Patrick’s College can also take pride in former students and artists who have designed First Nations guernseys for Indigenous AFL rounds and artists commissioned to create a guernsey.
Jake Neade (SPC 2010 – 2012), recruited to Port Adelaide in 2012, designed the first Indigenous Guernsey 2013 for the match against Western Bulldogs in Darwin.
The design features the emu, a totem of this community in Elliott. The story consists of three emus, all brothers, who venture from the Top End on separate paths. One came to Elliott, a small town between Darwin and Tennant Creek, which became the totem of Jake’s family home.
The emu spirit emphasises family and a connection to the land.
Jake’s design features 22 emus, symbolizing his connection to his football family.
Artist Amunda Gorey designed the second Indigenous guernsey, which St Patrick’s College students wore at football matches during the tours to Darwin in 2017 and 2020. Amunda said it “represents togetherness and going on a journey on the same path, with one common cause, all from different backgrounds.”
The third football jumper was designed by Cooper Craig-Peters in Year 11, a 16-year-old Wurundjeri-yorta yorta artist, after being approached by the club as a graduate of both the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation Leadership Project and Nallei-jerring Koori Youth Leadership Program to create a jumper as part of the Australian Football Leagues Annual Indigenous Round worn on Saturday, June 2, 2018, in their match against North Melbourne.
The story tells of self-discovery, as each circle represents what he’s been through; the bigger circle represents losing a loved one, achieving something he has never attained in football, in his academic ability, and the little circles represent goals that have changed his character.
The forced cancellation due to COVID in 2020, the Ballarat Associated football competition, our 1st XVIII, was unable to wear the right to the football guernsey. Instead, the students, Liam Canny and Issac Carey, designed a commemorative jumper with only 32 jumpers produced, honouring students who participated in the football program during their time with the College. The jumper was inspired by the 1912 SPC logo on the front and the traditional stripes.
St Patrick’s College proudly showcases 122 VFL and AFL players in the College Gallery, located between the second-story classroom wings that can be viewed during our school tours with the first VFL player, Charlie Baker (SPC 1893 -1896), who played for St Kilda from 1901 to 1906, appeared in 75 games and scored an impressive 122 goals.
The College has an elite lineup of former students ready to play in 2025: Tom McDonald, Oscar McDonald, Matt Crouch, Liam Duggan, Dan Butler, Daniel Rioli, Jacob Hopper, Sam Butler, Harry Sharp, Kai Lohmann, Josh Gibcus, Aaron Cadman, Lochie Charleson, Sam Lalor, Ollie Hannaford, Jack Ough, and Harry Charleson. We wish them good luck in 2025.
