Essendon Football Club is proud to unveil its inaugural AFLW Pride guernsey, designed by VFLW Premiership players Mia-Rae Clifford and Kendra Heil.
The Bombers will run out in their inaugural guernsey this Saturday against Sydney at 3:10pm at Ikon Park.
The sash on the guernsey is created by handprints of players and staff from the Bombers’ VFLW program who identify in the LGBTIQA+ community.
Clifford said the guernsey design celebrates the notion of connection and supporting one another.
“The design for this jumper is a lot about love and respect. Each handprint represents you and how proud you are. It’s more than a signature or a fingerprint, it’s you,” Clifford said.
“I find hands tell stories - whether it’s my hand on my heart because I love you or I hold your hand because I care about you and I want to encourage and support you or my hand on your back because I’m going to protect and fight for you.
“So that’s what they all mean and as a team, when these girls run out, they’ll be by each other’s side, fighting for each other and protecting one another.”
Clifford played 18 games across her three years at AFLW level, before joining the VFLW Bombers in 2021.
Inspired by her own story, the VFLW co-captain said she felt privileged to be given the opportunity to design the guernsey and create a more inclusive and supportive society.
“It has come a long way since the first year of AFLW. I came out as openly gay in the inaugural year of AFLW and I didn’t realise the impact that had until I was warming up for my first game of AFLW,” Clifford said.
“A young gentleman, who I didn’t know, called me over to the boundary and he said ‘thank you’ and I wasn’t sure what he meant and he goes ‘thank you for being you because it made me comfortable to be me’ and I’ve never forgotten that, ever.
“These guernseys aren’t about the people who wear them or make them, it’s about helping people understand that there are so many out there who struggle and that’s okay.
“We are there to help you and if I can help one person or 10 people be okay with who they are, then I think I’m helping the world be a better place.”
Bombers fans can show their support for Pride Round and purchase the guernsey here.
