Gold logos and a red and white kit; that’s been the talk of the town for most City fans this preseason.
With both confirmed, and a fresh season as defending league champions just around the corner, arguably there’s never been a more exciting time to be with City.
So, with so much excitement drawing us forward, what is it about a colour scheme over a decade old now that means so much to us? A good place to start is where it all began: Melbourne Heart.
Now it’s no secret that we realised very early on that the football on offer when watching the Heart left much to be desired.
With only one finals series, and two bottom two finishes in the short four-year lifespan spent as the Heart, a neutral would question how any connection towards this time would be beneficial.
For most, they would have a very good point, especially when you factor in our new cut-throat winning mentality known as ‘City football’.
However, what those dire days created was a bond only City folk will understand. It created a culture of a fan group that wasn’t phased on winning, but on connection. It created a fan base that held the values of the club and its people over any scoreline or trophy, and those values have stuck with this club for over a decade now.
It birthed a culture where it didn’t matter where you were born, how old you were, who you voted for, or what god you believed in, none of it mattered. If you were red and white, you were one of us.
And it was that sense of family that made some of the darkest days of the club bearable, and created a bond that you simply had to feel to understand.
This meant that when the CFG takeover happened, the on-pitch product was a blank canvas. But the values of our club that we had created were untouchable then, and even nearly 8 years on and a championship later, are untouchable now.
This is seen week in, week out, when a sizeable amount of our fans are sporting the red and white in some capacity.
This was most notable, however, on grand final day. Seeing grown men and women alike in tears of joy. Tears from eyes that finally witnessed a football team that matched the passion from the stands, and put it into practice on the pitch. Tears of relief from fans because —against the odds — the team earned its first major trophy, and were not given it.
It’s that sense of pride and comradery that, despite what many of our league rivals will argue, can’t be bought and sold.
The biggest concern for most people when the takeover happened was how do you remain unique whilst being part of a global footballing entity that is the City Football Group?
Well it’s that simple; the red and white.
That is the essence of everything our club stands for broken down into two simple colours. It’s clear we probably won’t ever see a home red and white kit again, but most will be okay with that, it’s not the entirety of who we are now.
But what we are is proud to be City. Proud of where we’ve come from and proud to continue to set the bar for Australian football.
Our colours encapsulate that pride, and it seems CFG are in agreeance with that.
Our last two third strips have been two unique designs, never seen before on a Heart or City kit. This year's effort offers a reimagination of the Melbourne Heart sash, modernised with singular diagonal stripes to fit a contemporary Melbourne City look. It signifies a deep respect to our past, whilst also ensuring we don't rest on our laurels, which is a motto that the players have personified in their performances over the past two seasons.
Melbourne City is a young club but we are a proud club. We are proud of where we came from, where we are and where we aim to be. Three simple values, three simple colours.
Melbourne city, red, white and blue.
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