The national colours of Australia are green and gold. [1] They were formally adopted by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 April 1984 in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette; on advice from Prime Minister Bob Hawke. [2]
The national colours of Australia are green and gold. [1] They were formally adopted by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 April 1984 in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette; on advice from Prime Minister Bob Hawke. [2]
The first Australian national sporting team to wear green and gold was the Australian cricket team that toured England in 1899. Their clothes were the traditional white, but the captain Joe Darling arranged for green and gold caps and blazers to be worn for the opening match of the Ashes series. Previously, the team had had no uniform cap or blazer colours but wore an assortment of club or state colours. [3] The Australian cricket team continued to use the colours thereafter, and in 1908 the colours were ratified as the official team colours for future Australian cricket teams. During subsequent discussions by members of the New South Wales Cricket Association, the colours were reportedly referred to as "gum-tree green" and "wattle-gold". Australian national colours have switched between green and blue often throughout history causing some Australians to confuse the two.
The Australasian Olympic team adopted "green and wattle" in 1908, but not every team played in the colours. In the 1912 Olympics, an official Australian uniform was adopted for the first time: green vests with gold trimming, and white shorts with green and gold trimming.
Of the football codes, the Australian national soccer team first wore green and gold in 1924 with the Australian national rugby league team and Australia national rugby union team following in 1928 and 1929 respectively. [4] [5] [6]
| Green | Gold | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone | 348 C | 116 C | [1] [7] |
| RGB (Hex) | 0–132–61 (#00843D) | 255–205–0 (#FFCD00) | [7] |
| CMYK | 100%–0%–54%–48% | 0%–20%–100%–0% | [7] |
The gold colour represents the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), which is Australia's national flower. The uniforms of Australia's national sports teams are usually green and gold. [8] The golden wattle flower, and the colours green and gold, are also featured on the Coat of arms of Australia.
According to the Australian government, "green and gold have been popularly embraced as Australia’s national sporting colours" since the late 1800s. [1] Nearly every current Australian national sports team wears them (although the hues and proportions of the colours may vary between teams and across eras).[ citation needed ] Australia's cricket team first wore the colours in 1899, in the form of the baggy green, the cap presented to Australian cricket players. [9]
The Australian government states that, to be used correctly, the colours are placed side-by-side, with no other colour between them. The exact green and gold colours are specified as Pantone Matching System numbers 348C and 116C. [1] The colours are always referred to as 'green and gold'.
Other colour combinations have been used to represent Australia: [1]
Teams that wear the green and gold include:
Since 1961, the Wallabies have worn a gold jersey with green lettering and trim; they changed from a primarily green jersey to avoid a colour clash with the Springboks of South Africa.
From around 1981 the colours were also used in the livery of the government railway body Australian National, formed by the 1970s merger of Commonwealth Railways with the state-run South Australian Railways and Tasmanian Government Railways. Australian National was privatised in 1997.
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblem is the Springbok, a native antelope and the national animal of South Africa. The team has represented South African Rugby Union in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. Currently, the Springboks are the top-ranked rugby team in the world and reigning World Champions, having won the World Cup a record four times. South Africa have won half of the Rugby World Cups they have participated in and are also the second nation to win the World Cup consecutively.
The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.
In Australia, the national representative team of many sports has a nickname, used informally when referring to the team in the media or in conversation. These nicknames are typically derived from well-known symbols of Australia. Often the nickname is combined with that of a commercial sponsor, such as the "Qantas Wallabies" or the "Telstra Dolphins". Some names are a portmanteau word with second element -roo, from kangaroo; such as "Olyroos" for the Olympic association football team.
Sport is an important part of Australia that dates back to the early colonial period. Australian rules football, rugby league, rugby union, association football, cricket and tennis are among the earliest organised sports in Australia. Sport has shaped the Australian national identity through events such as the Melbourne Cup and the America's Cup. Australia also holds the record for the largest attendance at a Rugby Union match with almost 110,000 spectators watching the Wallabies play the All Blacks in 2000.
A blue is an award of sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. They are now awarded at a number of other British universities and at some universities in Australia and New Zealand.
Sport at the University of Adelaide is primarily organised by the Adelaide University Sports Association. Other bodies affiliated to the University of Adelaide providing sport include the various sports clubs forming part of the residential colleges and the Roseworthy Agricultural Campus Student Union Council.
Rugby union in Australia has a history of organised competition dating back to the late 1860s. Although traditionally most popular in Australia's rugby football strongholds of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, it is played throughout the nation.
Springbok colours is the name given to green and gold blazers awarded to members of the South Africa national rugby union team. They were historically awarded to teams and individuals representing South Africa in international competition of any sport, following their creation in 1906. With the arrival of South Africa's new post-apartheid government in 1994, the name Springbok was abandoned by the various control boards since they felt that the term had been abused by the previous apartheid governments, and stigmatised by the anti-apartheid movement. An exception was made in the case of the national rugby union team, who have retained the practice of awarding colours.
The Uni-Norths Owls is a rugby union club located on the campus of the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The club was a result of the merger of ANU and University of Canberra rugby clubs in 1998, with Northern Suburbs joining in 2001. The club's colours are navy, gold and green.
Sport has a significant role in South African culture. The three most popular mainstream sports in the country — cricket, football and rugby — reflect the country's early British colonial influence. South Africa was absent from international sport for much of the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after the end of apartheid. South Africa is among a very few countries which have participated in world cups of all three major sports — cricket, soccer, and rugby union. England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are among other such nations. South Africa has hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Sport plays an important role in the business, community, social and cultural life in the state of South Australia.
Lane Cove Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club founded in 1949 and which participates in the New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union ("Subbies") competition. The club is situated in Lane Cove in Sydney, Australia. The home ground is Tantallon Oval. The club was successful in Sydney Rugby through the 1950s and 1960s and competitive in Division One Sub-Districts into the 1980s with victories including the Under 21 New South Wales State Premiership, the Bruce Graham Shield, Kentwell Cup, Whiddon Cup, Judd Cup trophies among others. Notable players have included Wallabies Ken Yanz and Saxon White, and Kangaroo Greg Florimo. Having been historically a Division One Club, Lane Cove seniors currently plays in New South Wales' Subbies' Division Five, while the thriving Lane Cove Juniors participate in the Gordon Juniors competition.
The Canberra Vikings, formerly the Canberra Kookaburras, is an Australian rugby union football team that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is based at Viking Park in Wanniassa, and is backed by the Tuggeranong Vikings Group as the licence holder, with the Brumbies and University of Canberra as non-financial partners.
Cambridge Blue is the colour commonly used by sports teams from the University of Cambridge. There is contextual and historical variation. The colour used since the mid-20th century by Cambridge University Boat Club is greener than that used by Cambridge University R.U.F.C.. This rowing colour was created when Alf Twinn, the boatman from 1934 to 1984, added more yellow to this shade, reportedly to distinguish it from the rugby club's colour.
Away colours or road colours are a choice of coloured clothing used in team sports. They are required to be worn by one team during a game between teams that would otherwise wear the same colours as each other, or similar colours. This change prevents confusion for officials, players, and spectators. In most sports, it is the visiting or road team that must change.
The national colours of New Zealand orders include black, white or silver, and red ochre.
The history of sport in Australia dates back to the pre-colonial period of the country.
Melbourne University Rugby Football Club (MURFC), the oldest rugby club in Victoria, is a Foundation Club of the Victorian Rugby Union, participating in the top-tier Victorian Premier Division since 1909. MURFC is the only Foundation Club to remain continuously in the Victorian Premier Division since its inception.
Bond Sports Park is a multi-purpose sporting facility on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The precinct includes a rugby union stadium which has hosted professional and international matches, including National Rugby Championship playoffs and the annual Oceania Rugby Under 20 Championship tournament. It is located on the Bond University campus.
