Crows mens, women’s and SANFL teams will have the same First Nations-designed guernsey

All Crows teams will fly as one this season, with a single design for their jumpers which celebrates Indigenous artists and culture.

For the first time in Crows’ club history, the women’s and men’s sides, along with the SANFL team, will wear the same design on their jumpers celebrating First Nations culture this season.

At its heart, the Indigenous strip – designed by Eastern Arrernte man Pat Caruso – honours and depicts the club’s AFL and AFLW players on their reconciliation journey.

As such, it features an Aboriginal adaptation of a crow with the Kaurna shield on its chest in the guernsey’s centre, with male and female hands making up its wings and fingerprints as feathers, which wrap around the jumper to represent the impact players, staff, members and fans have had on the club since its inception in 1991.

The women’s team will wear the design not only during the AFLW’s Indigenous round slated for round 8, but in away games when their jumper clashes with the home team starting in round 5.

The AFL side will wear it during Adelaide’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash with St Kilda in round 10 in mid-May.

Crows players Danielle Ponter, Rory Sloane, Chelsea Randall and Wayne Milera pose for a photo in the 2022 Adelaide Crows Indigenous guernsey with 10-year-old Mahleaha Buckskin. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Adelaide AFLW Captain Chelsea Randall said the shared design was reflective of the club’s “we fly as one” mentality.

“It shows how far we have come over the years and how our club is really committed to bringing our men’s program and women’s programs together,” Randall said.

“The effort and time and energy that Pat has gone to to put his design together for us to wear is just incredible and we are immensely proud to wear this jumper.”

Caruso’s design also features the traditional symbols for “man” and “woman”, as well as layered circles representing a meeting place, symbolising players and supporters coming together on a shared journey.

A secondary Kaurna shield stands tall at the base of the flight path, surrounded by the footprints of the Crows family.

Caruso said equality was at the heart of his design.

“The male and female hands which make up the wings of the Crows are equal parts of the bird, which shows the equality and recognition of both teams,” he said. “When you have equality and recognition, other things follow.”

Crow and Narungga, Wotjobaluk and Gunditjmara man Wayne Milera said players worked closely as a group to develop the design brief for the guernsey. “We are one club, so it’s only right that we have the same Indigenous guernsey,” he said.

AFL and AFLW Crows players in the 2022 Adelaide Crows Indigenous guernsey at the Adelaide Oval. From left, Wayne Milera Jnr, Tariek Newchurch, Danielle Ponter, designer Pat Caruso, Ben Davis, Shane McAdam Picture: Supplied