Vintage wool guernseys for Tasmania Devils footy club
Tasmania Football Club and Woolmark have launched a range of traditional footy guernseys made from 100% Australian wool for the club’s supporters.
The Tasmania Football Club, nicknamed the Devils, is the latest professional Australian rules football club set to compete in the Australian Football League. In collaboration with Woolmark, the club launched vintage style woollen guernseys in July.
Made from 100% Australian Merino wool and crafted here in Australia, the long sleeve guernseys are available in men’s, women’s and youth styles. A sleeveless men’s guernsey is also available. They feature a Tasmanian map logo with a traditional V neck red collar design and cuffs.
“The collaboration with Woolmark is one that we are genuinely excited about. To be able to create such special products made from 100% Australian wool for Tasmania Football Club members is a really special thing for our Club,” said Tasmania Football Club General Manager Marketing, Public Affairs and Social Impact, Kath McCann.
“The wool industry is an important part of Tasmania’s heritage, as is football. To be able to bring the two things together feels right. The products are of the highest quality and will not only be a statement piece, but something for collectors alike.”
The Tasmania Devils support gear is made in Australia from 100% Australian Merino wool.
The guernseys are available at www.tasmaniafc.com for founding members of the club. There are currently well over 200,000 members, equivalent to about a third of the state’s total population.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the Tasmania Football Club because, not only is Tasmania a state steeped in football tradition, but it is also a state with a very strong presence in the wool industry,” said AWI CEO, John Roberts.
“The garments have come up beautifully, showcasing wool’s comfort, soft next-to-skin feel and temperature regulation. We are confident that they will sell extremely well and that all purchasers will be thrilled with the quality of the garment that they receive.”
Promotion of the wool guernseys includes a video featuring sixth generation sheep farmer, Dougal Morrison, from ‘St Peter’s Pass’ north of Oatlands who plays for the Mt Pleasant Football Club at Pawtella, and the club’s president, Nick Weeding, who is a woolgrower at nearby ‘Weedington’ at Oatlands.
“Having wool in the Tasmania Football Club jumper is a great thing. It makes me proud and I think it’s a great way to showcase Merino wool,” said Dougal.
More information: www.tasmaniafc.com
AWI’s Fibre of Football campaign
The new collaboration with Tasmania Football Club is part of AWI’s broader Fibre of Football campaign, launched in 2014, which celebrates the rich heritage connecting the Australian wool industry and Australian football.
The idea for the sport of Australian football was sparked on a sheep station in the 1850s when the son of a pastoralist was thinking of how cricketers could stay fit over the winter. From Tom Wills’ idea grew a game now enjoyed by millions across Australia and the connection between the fibre and the football has stayed close.
“Wool and Australian Football have supported each other throughout the evolution of our native game and our natural fibre. Footy is still played where wool is grown and the local football team is still the centre of many wool-growing communities,” said AWI CEO, John Roberts.
“During the past decade, some of the best AFL players that have connections to the Australian wool industry joined the Fibre of Football campaign to help promote the fibre – from Tom Hawkins and Nat Fyfe to Luke Breust and Patrick Cripps.”
The campaign continues to promote 100% Australian wool heritage AFL merchandise manufactured locally in Australia. Supporter jumpers for the current AFL teams, made from 19 micron wool, are available from the official store of the AFL at www.theaflstore.com.au/pages/vintage-football-jumpers.
This article appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in September 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
