Dons campaign to defuse anger over jumper
By Caroline Wilson
May 18, 2006
Essendon has taken the costly step of writing to almost 34,000 supporters in a bid to control the mounting anger among a growing number of members over the club's move to create an alternative playing jumper.
The club has spent more than $15,000 on the mail-out after being accused of ignoring members unable to access the Bombers' website, where it had originally posted news of an information night to be held at the end of this month.
The club has also written to the AFL insisting it should not have to wear its soon-to-be-revealed jumper against Richmond, pointing out to league executive Gillon McLachlan that the two sashed jumpers do not clash, citing the recent Dreamtime game.
Essendon has told its supporters it would face a fine of $110,000 ($5000 fines per player) from the AFL each time it failed to wear an alternative strip in its away games against Melbourne, St Kilda and Richmond."Fourteen other teams have complied and as far as the AFL is concerned, they don't see why Essendon or Collingwood should be given any special consideration," Essendon chairman Neil McKissock wrote to the club's members. "We can discuss the AFL ruling further at the upcoming members' information evening, but the reality is that we will have to submit a clash jumper."
McKissock said the club had legal advice that with the Dons having signed a licence agreement in 1985 giving the AFL Commission the power to dictate the rules of the competition, the club's constitution was outweighed. The only way the clash jumper edict could be overruled was if 11 of the 16 clubs voted to overturn it.The Bombers will reveal several clash guernsey designs at the information evening at Moonee Valley Racing Club.
McLachlan has continued to insist that the alternative strip submitted by Collingwood - predominantly white with black stripes - is unacceptable. Clubs are required to submit alternative jumper designs by May 31, and McLachlan said he hoped to resolve the issue with the Magpies in the near future. Magpies chief executive Greg Swann stressed yesterday that the club did not plan to compromise and would only consider the new strip in away games against the Kangaroos.
President Eddie McGuire told The Age last month that the new jumper had been approved by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, only to later be rejected by the league's commercial operations department.
Both Collingwood and the Kangaroos denied yesterday that they had reached an agreement over the jumpers but Collingwood was understood to have withdrawn a threat to ask the AFL that it not be fixtured in away games against the Kangaroos, a club with a low supporter base. The two teams clashed last month over the Kangaroos' insistence on wearing its striped jumper against Collingwood.
The deadline for Essendon members to enrol for the information night was two nights ago and McKissock, who was indirectly criticised by club legend Tim Watson on radio two days ago, will speak to at least 650 members. He will put forward the predominantly red jumper, which has been designed by club sponsor Puma in conjunction with the club's marketing department.
The feeling among some Essendon members is that McKissock should have stood up to the AFL but the Bombers have repeatedly insisted they have been forced to break with tradition - as Carlton has done - and design an alternative strip.
The Essendon chairman will stress to his members that the red jumper could be worn as rarely as once a year. The AFL has not reached a decision on which team will get priority if two clash guernseys come up against each other in a grand final.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/05/17/1147545393396.html
