No Clash Guernsey for Home Games

In 1985, all clubs signed a license agreement giving the AFL Commission the power to run the competition independently. This gave them the power to write the rules of the competition. These rules are binding and legal and is the case regardless of what each football club's constitutions say or any stand a club decides to take. These rules will remain enforceable by the AFL.

Under AFL rules each club must produce a Clash Guernsey and if it does not, clubs risk significant fines and penalties.

In games where clubs guernseys are deemed to clash, the home club has the rights to decide which uniform they want to wear.

The home club might choose to wear their traditional jumper in which case the visiting club will wear its clash guernsey. However, if the home team chooses to wear its alternative jumper then the visiting team will be able to revert to its traditional strip.

Given the rules of the AFL, we, the undersigned, find it negligible towards the proud and long history of the St Kilda Football Club and to its past, present and future members to wear a clash guernsey at a game in which St Kilda is the home team. Under AFL law, home teams have the right to decide the guernsey to be worn. In the past, St Kilda has worn clash guernseys at home games against several clubs, including Collingwood, and recently in Round 8 2010 against Essendon.

Other premier competitions, such as the English Premier League enforce ALL clubs to wear clash uniforms, be them the youngest or oldest clubs in the competition. We feel that it is St Kilda's responsibility as a member of the AFL to see that the AFL is held to the same high standards of other national sporting competitions by refusing to wear clash strips at home games.