When should we wear the bars? (poll)

[Us against the rest]

The first reference to "prison bars" in the media is found in The Advertiser early in 1993. Football writer (and former Norwood junior footballer and South Australian Sheffield Shield cricketer) Alan Shiell in his match report from the Port Adelaide-Collingwood practice match at Football Park on February 10, 1993 wrote:


The pre-match mystery about which club would sacrifice its traditional black-and-white guernsey to avoid possible confusion was solved when the teams ran on to the ground.


Neither side changed.


Port Adelaide wore its prison-bars jumper (and black shorts), which provided enough of a contrast with Collingwood's wide, vertical stripes (and white shorts).


Port Adelaide's only concession was to wear its old black-and-white hooped socks instead of its new, plain black socks, as worn by Collingwood.

 

[Us against the rest]

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire says: "The Port Adelaide Football Club should respect the history and tradition of the Collingwood Football Club."


Respect is a two-way street.


The bars play a significant part in the club's story and image, both on and off the field.


The importance of this traditional jumper is well noted by the response the Port Adelaide fans have declared by putting more than 25,000 signatures to the petition seeking the bars to become the club's uniform in AFL Showdowns. This is the match that appropriately pays respect to the history and traditions of the Port Adelaide Football Club, SA football and the derby that was built on Port Adelaide's decision to stand alone from its nine SANFL rivals in 1990 and beyond.


If 2020 has proven any point it is the need to remember the fans - and their wishes.

 

[PA88]

Even if it’s true that we made the last minute zag towards teal ourselves it doesn’t really explain the silver mystery. Why have it listed as an official colour but then not use it at all to begin with? Why was an all silver guernsey made circa 2003 only for it to end up on the cutting room floor in favour of our first maximum teal effort?

Was it us making these choices? Or was it them?

Silver was to be the club's only point of difference from Collingwood but the AFL told the club that it wasn't contrasting enough so find another colour.

 

[Stryke]

We should wear it for our home showdown and one other home game that could be deemed the 'Prison Bar' game. Make it a special event. Twice a year would be awesome.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

THIS x10000000!

As an early 90s kid, I didn't start supporting the Power until 2001 (I was indoctrinated as a Crows fan until I became more of a free thinker and realised I didn't have to support the team all my friends did at the time). At the same time though, I had no affinity to the Magpies whatsoever. In the SANFL I supported Sturt because our phys ed teacher at school played for them, and I would later have a few mates from school who played for the double blues.

But once the merger happened for Port along with the fact that the club seemed to care again about its on-field results, I immediately started following the Magpies in the SANFL, learning to understand and appreciate the history of the prison bar jumper.

When you think of Port Adelaide, you think of the prison bar jumper, and that's across all demographics and supporters across Australia of all the various AFL clubs. It is truly a classic jumper, and its allure has only grown in time imo due to the AFL's clear desire to keep that uniform out of the national competition. It is simply a classic uniform that shouldn't be bastardised or altered. The only three uniforms in sport I can think of that are absolutely perfect and should never change are the Raiders in the NFL, the pinstriped Yankees jersey in baseball, and the prison bars.

Pinstriped Yankees jersey????

 

[Port85]

Bring back Heritage Round and make it optional for the soulless franchise clubs. Don't make it a particular era the clubs can use a design of any heritage era they see fit. Then if I was the club I'd request that round be against an old Melbourne club.

That plus the showdowns would do for me.

 

[Andre]

We already have a generation of supporters born since 1997 sitting in the crowd wearing bars. Young people buy in and engage with the traditional aspect of a footy club just as much as people who have seen 15 flags in person.

That and been told what to wear is fingernails down a blackboard to young people in general, but even more these days. It's the perfect storm (for us getting the PB's at some point) of multiple ways to piss off (and therefore engage) a fan base by those opposed.

 

[Amarula]

Oh, right! I'm dumb. If that's the case, our clash jumper can be this (made on Samsung notes)
View attachment 1123532

There’s something about this that appeals to me. The concept of a more recent design - maybe chevrons, maybe not - which is ripped over the left side of the chest, showing the prison bars lying close to the heart of every Port player.
The recent part should e predominantly silver and white, though, rather than predominantly teal.
A design like this is also much further away from the Colliwobbles’ jumper, making it even more ludicrous for them to object.

 

[melanChronic]

AFL to bring back heritage round but at Eddie's behest call it "Foundation Round" and make it 1890s themed every year.

 

[simba_]

to us every round should be "heritage round"

 

[Us against the rest]

To me it's at all home games but for now we need to focus, if we do get ourselves in flag contention we don't need any distractions, bad enough we already have Ken.

 

[AwwThatsApples]

Bring back heritage round and we can wear it once a year in a home game of our choice. Strike a new deal with the AFL so we can promote merchandise off of it as well, the fans deserve to wear the colours just as much as the players.

I would love to wear the bars every week, but I understand the realistic chances of it actually hapening are extremely low. If the option was there to wear it every week provided the colour teal was incorporated into the design in some way shape or form I would settle for it, but only if it meant it was our default jumper from there on.