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The inaugural Australian men’s national football team took the field in 1922 in New Zealand, following a tour invitation from New Zealand’s peak football body.
Fourteen games were played, including three friendly internationals or “Tests”. The first of these took place in Dunedin on 17 June, 1922.
The Replica jersey honours all those who have donned the national uniform, showcasing a progression from this first national team who wore a light blue jersey on this tour, known since the 1970s as the Socceroos.
The Socceroos recently qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which will be held in Qatar during late November and early December – a fitting way to conclude the team’s centenary year.
CLICK HERE to head to our online store, or watch below & read on to find out more about the jersey's inspiration!
Stay tuned to the Socceroos' social channels for future releases in the coming weeks and months!
Trevor Thompson, author of Burning Ambition – The Centenary of Australia-New Zealand Football Ashes, shared a bit more about the people and environment that helped shape the beginnings of football international for Australia and New Zealand.
"17th June 1922 is the beginning of our story; this is where Australian International Football life begins," he explained to Socceroos.com.au.
"Every player and every team that gets selected today is a descendant of these pioneers who did this incredible feat of getting themselves together without any kind of outside assistance and made it happen. And from there, we've got the Socceroos and that's where it all comes from. That is our foundation date.
"Our first match was played at Dunedin and there was 14,000 people there, which go if you go back and have a look at the census statistics is something like one in every three people who live in the city.
"The Australian squad was a squad of 16 players, eight from Queensland, eight from New South Wales and nobody from any other state. This is because the money that was stumped up to make the tour happen came from those two states only.
"While we identify the Socceroos with green and gold, this wasn't the case at the beginning. Australia played in sky blue and maroon. And that reflected the composition of the team that went to New Zealand, which was the Queensland and New South Wales combination. So we found a way of incorporating those colours to represent Australia.
"Of course, it changed over time and within a couple of years, we are playing in green and gold. And that's something which is evolved over time, but it was not how we started.
One thing that unites all of us is that we all get behind the national team, and this is where the national team was born."