Should clubs have second strips?

[Lone Shark]

I'll start by going off on a tangent, as I tend to do - please bear with me.

I was reading Tom Humphries today, and he mentioned one thing that I never knew - that when Cork and Dublin drew in Croke Park in 1983 in the AI semi final and Cork suggested that the replay should be in Cork, Heffernan just agreed to travel, just like that. I thought it was a great statement from the manager and sure enough it worked out.

It got me thinking about second jerseys for club teams. I know that a lot of clubs don't have them, and a lot of clubs don't like admitting that they do because they might be forced to change more often and thus concede the advantage to the other side. However sometimes this can backfire.

I'm thinking of Coolderry vs Kinnitty in the hurling semi final. Obviously it was the same for both teams, but one Coolderry player said to me - not in any begrudging way, but merely that it didn't help - that he honestly had to take a second to think about which jersey he was looking for every time. Both sides were wearing different types of Offaly jersey, and it was hard to get used to.

Another thing I read recently was about the Louth team that played Cork in the 1957 All Ireland final. Both sides obviously had red as their primary colour, so Louth would wear Leinster's green and Cork wore Munster's blue, as was the tradition. However Louth - even then, fifty years ago - had the foresight to train in green for the weeks leading up to the final, thus making sure that there were no surprises. That's why I can't understand why there isn't some compunction on clubs to toss a coin, with the loser playing in a clear and distinctive colour. If clubs have their own second strip then so much the better, if not then one would be provided for them.

Certainly in Offaly hurling something like this could be called upon. All four of the semi finalists wear a primarily green jersey and Birr's is probably different enough to set them apart, any clash between the other three can lead to a real difficulty in telling everyone apart.

To tie it in with the jersey thread, I think that if the county had two "alternative" strips, one 1982 style and one 1982 style with black instead of white, then one of those two could be used for clashing games where the changing club had no alternative strip. If clubs refuse to toss, then play black vs white - no risk of clashing there.

It's a minor bugbear of mine is all.

[DD]

I've been saying for years that there should be something done about this, and not only should the jerseys be different but the knicks and socks too.
For supporters it can be difficult to follow at times where there is a kit clash but for players it can be a nightmare - a half back for example has a quick look up to play a quick long kick pass into the forward line and all he sees ahead of him is 8 or 10 players in a similar jersey and everyone wearing the same colour knicks and socks.
It leads to indecision by players, passes going astray and it makes life even more difficult for referees and the really annoying thing about it is that it is so easy to fix..

[Archangel]

The bigger clubs can afford to have a couple of kits, so there should be no problem there. Smaller clubs should agree with their neighbours on a Parish senior kit, and have it available to any club should the need arise, at least the players are playing in their 'own' jerseys. We had an occasion to wear the kit of a neighboring club when a visiting club had the same colours as us, not quite the same when you a playing against a team who are playing in the colours you are used to.

[Doon Massive]

Tullamore have a second kit, which was worn in the semi with Ballycumber, of all white.
It puzzled me at the time, as the regular kits were not hugely alike, but the intermediate tullamore team played in blue before that, so I guess they didn't want to put on the sweaty jerseys!

anyhoo, what other clubs have a second kit?

O'Neills should try to design a reversible kit, two jerseys in one. Sorted.

[the rat]

Ithink Tullamore, Rynaghs and Ballinamere/Durrow are the only teams with away jerseys.

I was at the Kilavilla -v- Ballinamere game this year and thought it was a terrible colour clash in the rain, with Killavillas Offaly shirts & Ballinameres green and gold hoops. Couldnt understand why Ballinamere didnt wear the Durrrow shirts.

[True Red]

The Red's have an away strip which is predominantly White with red trim.It gets rolled out in games against the likes of Shamrocks

[Over The Black Spot]

Whatever about having your own second strip, the situation should never arise whereby teams are ready to go hurl and are then told to change jerseys and handed the county sets in Tullamore. This has happend before and it can be very off-putting. I have noticed included on fixtures lists in some other counties that boh teams are to change due to clash of colours. This at least gives clubs time to source a set they're happy with and get used to them.

As for second strips, I can recall seeing the following in action:
Shinrone - white with red trim
Coolderry - white with green trim
Lusmagh - candystripe
K/K - yellow with green trim
Tullamore - white with blue trim

St.Rynaghs have two clubs with different jerseys rather than an 'away' strip and from what I can gather, the hooped jersey of Cloghan will never be worn by a hurling team in the club (open to correction by someone more in the know) but then again there jersey doesn't really clash with any other hurling clubs.
'Skenagh also seem to have changed from predominantly red with black trim to the opposite, as worn in the intermediate final win. Not sure if that's a permanent change but it would appear to be.
Belmont have worn a green and yellow halved with black trim, a green/yellow/black tricolour and now have a hooped jersey so they have plenty of options although a clash with those concoctions is not likely.

[Rynaghs Biffo]

[quote="the rat"]Ithink Tullamore, Rynaghs and Ballinamere/Durrow are the only teams with away jerseys.[quote]

Yep our hurlers have all gold with blue trim and our footballers use maroon and white trim jerseys (which I think are fleeced off the Banagher Vocational school)

[azoffaly]

Ferbane used to have a second kit, not sure if we do anymore. Basically it was the exact inverse of the Green kit, it was all white with green collars and cuffs, and green numbers.

[manfromdelmonte]

in some clubs their 2nd or 3rd team play in completely different kits

maybe they just get the really old ones...