Heritage Round was an annual round of matches in the Australian Football League in which all the teams wore throwback guernseys from their past. The first Heritage Round was in 2003 and the last was in 2007.

Throwback uniforms continue to be worn by clubs on special occasions, but there is no longer a round specifically themed in this manner.

Origin 
The concept of the Heritage Round originated from the Centenary Celebration Round, which took place in 1996, the centenary year of the VFL/AFL.

1996 VFL/AFL Centenary 
In recognition of the VFL/AFL reaching its 100th season the 8 original teams of the VFL played each other in Round 7, 100 years after Round 1 in the inaugural season. Essendon defeated Geelong at the MCG, while  defeated Fitzroy, Collingwood lost to , and Melbourne lost to . The remaining eight clubs played in their normal jumpers, as they came into the VFL/AFL at different times, from 1908 to 1995.

Matches – Round 7
 May 8 – Essendon Bombers vs Geelong Cats – M.C.G.
 May 10 –  Collingwood Magpies vs St Kilda Saints – M.C.G.
 May 11 – Carlton Blues vs Fitzroy Lions – Princes Park.
 May 11 – Melbourne Demons vs South Melbourne/Sydney Swans – M.C.G.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Heritage guernseys used in 1996:
 Carlton Blues — 1897 to 1913 guernsey (Round 7).
 Collingwood Magpies — 1897 to 1907 guernsey (Round 7).
 Essendon Bombers — 1900 to 1921 Essendon Town/Essendon A guernsey (Round 7).
 Fitzroy Lions — 1883 to 1907 guernsey (Round 7).
 Geelong Cats — 1981 to 1907 guernsey (Round 7).
 Melbourne Demons — 1877 to 1915 guernsey (Round 7).
 St Kilda Saints — 1883 to 1911 guernsey (Round 7).
 Sydney Swans — 1905 to 1906 South Melbourne Swans guernsey (Round 7).

Heritage Round Over The Years

2003 Heritage Round

The first Heritage Round in 2003 saw heritage guernseys worn by all teams except two. It was seen in a very positive and nostalgic light, especially as Brisbane wore the 1968 to 1973 Fitzroy guernsey which was Maroon and Navy Blue and worn during the days of Black and White TV. Sydney wore their 1933 to 1986 South Melbourne/Sydney Swans guernsey. St Kilda's guernsey got such a positive reaction that it became their Clash Guernsey from 2004 until 2006. Port Adelaide wore its SANFL Magpies "Prison Bar" guernsey from 1914 when the club was made Champions of Australia.

Adelaide and West Coast did not take part in the 2003 Heritage Round.

Matches – Round 19
 August 8 – Melbourne Demons vs Geelong Cats – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 August 9 – Collingwood Magpies vs Brisbane Lions – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 August 9 – Sydney Swans vs Hawthorn Hawks – Sydney Cricket Ground.
 August 9 – Richmond Tigers vs St Kilda Sants – Docklands Stadium.
 August 10 – Port Adelaide Power vs Carlton Blues – Football Park.
 August 10 – Essendon Bombers vs Footscray/Western Bulldogs – Docklands Stadium.
 August 10 – North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Fremantle Dockers – Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Participating teams:
 Brisbane Lions — 1968 to 1973 Fitzroy Lions guernsey.
 Carlton Blues — 1897 guernsey with 1910 logo.
 Collingwood Magpies — 1928 to 1952 guernsey.
 Essendon Bombers — 1897 to 1974 guernsey.
 Footscray/Western Bulldogs — 1935 guernsey.
 Fremantle Dockers — 1896 to 1899 Union/Fremantle (WAFL) guernsey.
 Geelong Cats — 1897 to 1907 guernsey.
 Hawthorn Hawks — 1926 to 1932 guernsey.
 Melbourne Demons — 1897 to 1915 guernsey.
 North Melbourne Kangaroos — 1925 to 1928 guernsey.
 Port Adelaide Power — 1912 to 1916 'Prison Bar' guernsey.
 Richmond Tigers — 1908 to 1909 guernsey.
 St Kilda Saints — 1886 to 1892 guernsey.
 Sydney Swans — 1933 to 1976 South Melbourne Swans guernsey.

2004 Heritage Round
The second Heritage Round in 2004 saw all sixteen teams wear a heritage guernsey. It was also the first year which the Field and Goal Umpires wore uniforms from the past as well. All the umpires wore White uniforms (the traditional colour the umpires wore before changing to coloured uniforms) and the Goal Umpires wore their traditional long coats and White brimmed hats.

Brisbane chose to wear the Brisbane Bears guernsey worn from 1992 until 1996, West Coast wore an original 1987 guernsey and Adelaide wore a manufactured guernsey based on a 1991 original with the SANFL logo on the back and AFC monogram on the front. Port Adelaide wore a Magenta and Blue guernsey based on their original guernsey from 1877 to 1901, prior to its famous black and White "Prison Bar" guernsey. West Coast wore a replica of their 1987 Gold and Blue guernsey.

Matches – Round 18
 July 30 – Adelaide Crows vs North Melbourne Kangaroos – Football Park.
 July 31 – Carlton Blues vs Fremantle Dockers – Princes Park.
 July 31 – Collingwood Magpies vs Richmond Tigers – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 July 31 – Sydney Swans vs Brisbane Lions – Sydney Cricket Ground.
 Jul7 31st - Essendon Bombers vs Port Adelaide Power – Docklands Stadium.
 August 1 – Geelong Cats vs St Kilda Saints – Kardinia Park.
 August 1 – Melbourne Demons vs Hawthorn Hawks – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 August 1 – West Coast Eagles vs Footscray/Western Bulldogs – Subiaco Oval.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Participating teams:
 Adelaide Crows — Manufactured guernsey with club crest.
 Brisbane Lions — 1992 to 1996 Brisbane Bears guernsey.
 Carlton Blues — 1897 guernsey with 1910 monogram.
 Collingwood Magpies — 1923 to 1952 guernsey.
 Essendon Bombers — 1897 to 1974 guernsey.
 Footscray/Western Bulldogs — 1946, 1952 to 1960 guernsey.
 Fremantle Dockers — 1896 to 1899 Fremantle (WAFA\WAFL) guernsey.
 Geelong Cats — 1897 to 1907 guernsey.
 Hawthorn Hawks — 1926 to 1932 guernsey.
 Melbourne Demons — 1897 guernsey combined with 1919 guernsey.
 North Melbourne Kangaroos — 1886 to 1908 guernsey.
 Port Adelaide Power — 1896 to 1901 guernsey.
 Richmond Tigers — 1889 to 1895 guernsey.
 St Kilda Saints — 1933 to 1944 guernsey.
 Sydney Swans — 1933 to 1976 South Melbourne Swans guernsey.
 West Coast Eagles — 1987 to 1988 guernsey.

2005 Heritage Round
The third Heritage Round was held in 2005. The Field Umpires wore replica uniforms from an old fashioned period (with colours brought back) that were impractical in modern day.

The Saints wore a guernsey worn during the First World War in which White was replaced with Gold so they were not to be seen as a supporter of Germany. Hawthorn's guernsey was not Brown and Gold, but Red, White, and Blue from its 1902 guernsey worn when they were a junior club. The Adelaide Football club wore a 1930s South Australia state guernsey with an AFC insignia replacing SA, where Port Adelaide Football Club wore a White guernsey with Light Blue hoops based on their first guernsey in the SANFL.

Matches – Round 20
 August 12 – West Coast Eagles vs Fremantle Dockers – Subiaco Oval.
 August 13 – Geelong Cats vs Melbourne Demons – Kardinia Park.
 August 13 – North Melbourne Kangaroos vs St Kilda Saints – Docklands Stadium.
 August 13 – Collingwood Magpies vs Carlton Blues – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 August 13 – Port Adelaide Power vs Adelaide Crows – Football Park.
 August 14 – Sydney Swans vs Brisbane Lions – Sydney Olympic Stadium.
 August 14 – Hawthorn Hawks vs Essendon Bombers – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 August 14 – Richmond Tigers vs Footscray/Western Bulldogs – Docklands Stadium.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Participating teams
 Adelaide Crows — 1930s modified South Australian state football team guernsey.
 Brisbane Lions — 1968 to 1973 Fitzroy Lions guernsey.
 Carlton Bluess — 1933 to 1997 guernsey with 1998 to 2014 Carlton Football Club logo
 Collingwood Magpies — 1923 to 1952 guernsey.
 Essendon Bombers — 1897 to 1974 guernsey.
 Footscray/Western Bulldogs — 1946 and 1952 to 1960 guernsey.
 Fremantle Dockers — 1896 to 1899 Union/Fremantle (WAFL) guernsey.
 Geelong Cats — 1914 to 1918 guernsey.
 Hawthorn Hawks — 1902 guernsey.
 Melbourne Demons — 1897 and 1919 hybrid guernsey.
 North Melbourne Kangaroos — 1925 to 1928 guernsey with North story logo
 Port Adelaide Power — 1870 to 1876 guernsey.
 Richmond Tigers — 1980 to 1986 guernsey.
 St Kilda Saints — 1915 to 1918 guernsey.
 Sydney Swans — 1933 to 1976 South Melbourne Swans guernsey.
 West Coast Eagles — 1987 to 1988 guernsey.

2006 Heritage Round
The fourth Heritage Round in 2006 was themed around football in the 1980s. This achieved very heavy media coverage, with both The AFL Footy Show and Before the Game taking on 1980s themes and both dressing up in clothes from the 1980s. The AFL even release a compilation CD of songs recorded during the 1980s.

Brisbane wore the 1987 to 1990 Brisbane Bears away/clash guernsey, a variant of its original gold and cerise Brisbane Bears guernsey. Adelaide, who were non-existent in the 1980s, wore a modified home guernsey, including an AFC monogrammed crest featuring all the colours of all the teams in the SANFL from the 1980s. Melbourne wore a guernsey with red and royal blue instead of its red and navy blue it used prior to 1974 with the introduction of colour TV. Richmond wore yellow shorts from the 1980s with their 1980s guernsey with printed laces. Essendon wore red shorts as they did in the 1980s when they played Carlton. West Coast wore a replica of their 1988 to 1994 blue-and-gold guernsey

The AFL prevented Port Adelaide from wearing their 1980s SANFL guernsey.

Matches – Round 16
 July 21 – Adelaide Crows vs North Melbourne – Football Park.
 July 22 – Essendon Bombers vs Carlton Blues – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 July 22 – Collingwood Magpies vs West Coast Eagles – Docklands Stadium.
 July 22 – Brisbane Lions vs Hawthorn Hawks – Brisbane Cricket Ground.
 July 22 – Sydney Swans vs Richmond Tigers – Sydney Cricket Ground.
 July 23 – St Kilda Saints vs Port Adelaide Power – York Park.
 July 23 – Geelong Cats vs Footscray/Western Bulldogs – Docklands Stadium.
 July 23 – Fremantle Dockers vs Melbourne Demons – Subiaco Oval.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Participating clubs
 Adelaide Crows — Coloured stripes of the SANFL clubs.
 Brisbane Lions — 1987 to 1990 Brisbane Bears away/clash guernsey.
 Carlton Blues — 1933 to 1997 Guernsey with 1998 to 2014 Carlton monogram.
 Collingwood Magpies — 1981 guernsey.
 Essendon Bombers — 1975 to present guernsey with Red Shorts.
 Footscray/Western Bulldogs — 1980 to 1996 guernsey.
 Fremantle Dockers — 1896 to 1899 Union/Fremantle (WAFL) guernsey.
 Geelong Cats — 1981 to 1993 guernsey.
 Hawthorn Hawks — 1980 to 1989 guernsey.
 Melbourne Demons — 1975 to 1989 guernsey.
 North Melbourne Kangaroos — 1987 to 1995 guernsey.
 Richmond Tigers — 1981 to 1986 guernsey with Yellow Shorts
 St Kilda Saints — 1986 to 1996 guernsey
 Sydney Swans — 1933 to 1976 South Melbourne Swans guernsey
 West Coast Eagles — 1988 to 1994 Royal Blue guernsey worn from Round 17, 1988 to Grand Final 1994

2007 Heritage Round
The fifth Heritage Round in 2007 was based on Football in the 1970s. It took place in July from the 7th to the 9th. Once again it generated media coverage both in News broadcasts and both The Footy Show and Before the Game holding 1970s themed shows.

As West Coast were not established in the 1970s they chose to wear the original WA State of Origin guernsey from the first State of Origin game played against Victoria. They lost to Brisbane who wore the Red and Blue Fitzroy Lions Guernsey worn 1975 to 1996. Adelaide wore the same guernsey as what was worn in the 2006 Heritage Round in its defeat against Hawthorn. Port Adelaide's application to the AFL for its 1970s Black and White "Prison Bar" was rejected at first but an agreement was later reached with Collingwood and the AFL for Port Adelaide to wear the guernsey this year but with conditions for further heritage rounds. They lost to the Footscray/Western Bulldogs who wore an original Footscray Bulldogs guernsey with Red shorts. As Essendon and Richmond were both still wearing guernseys with no major change from what was worn in the 1970s, Essendon once again wore Red shorts and Richmond wore Yellow shorts in both of their games.

Two teams that did not wear a heritage guernsey were St Kilda, who instead wore their White clash guernsey, and Collingwood.

Other teams to not wear a heritage guernsey due to extreme similarities to current day versions included Geelong, Carlton (whose "CFC" insignia was the current version and not of the one worn from 1933 to 1997), and North Melbourne.

Fremantle had to wear an original East Fremantle guernsey as one of the past guernseys clashed with the old South Melbourne/Sydney jumper, as they were playing the Sydney Swans that round; resulting in the teams taking the field in uniforms almost identical to those of the 1979 WAFL Grand Final- the Fremantle Derby Grand Final between East Fremantle and South Fremantle.

Matches – Round 14
 July 6 – Essendon Bombers vs Geelong Cats – Docklands Stadium.
 July 7 – Collingwood Magpies vs St Kilda Saints – Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 July 7 – Footscray/Western Bulldogs vs Port Adelaide Power – Docklands Stadium.
 July 7 – Adelaide Crows vs Hawthorn Hawks – Football Park.
 July 7 – West Coast Eagles vs Brisbane Lions – Subiaco Oval.
 July 8 – Sydney Swans vs Fremantle Dockers – Sydney Cricket Ground.
 July 8 – Carlton Blues vs Melbourne Demons Melbourne Cricket Ground.
 July 8 – Richmond Tigers vs North Melbourne Kangaroos – Docklands Stadium.

Team names in bold indicate the winning team of each match.

Participating clubs
 Adelaide Crows — Manufactured guernsey with Adelaide crest plus coloured stripes representing the SANFL clubs.
 Brisbane Lions — 1975 to 1996 Fitzroy Lions guernsey.
 Carlton Blues — 1933 to 1997 guernsey with 2007 Carlton monogram.
 Essendon Bombers — 2007 guernsey with red shorts.
 Footscray/Western Bulldogs — 1975 to 1979 guernsey. 
 Fremantle Dockers — 1964 to 1976 East Fremantle guernsey.
 Geelong Cats — 1976 to 1977 guernsey.
 Hawthorn Hawks — 1978 to 1990 guernsey.
 Melbourne Demons — 1975 to 1989 guernsey.
 North Melbourne Kangaroos — 1975 guernsey.
 Port Adelaide Power — 1977 'Prison Bar' guernsey.
 Richmond Tigers — 2007 guernsey with yellow shorts.
 Sydney Swans — 1933 to 1976 South Melbourne Swans guernsey.
 West Coast Eagles — 1977 Western Australia State football team guernsey.

Controversy

Port Adelaide and Collingwood 

Port Adelaide is the only pre-existing non-Victorian AFL club having joined the national competition in 1997 after having played in the SANFL since 1877. Before joining the AFL Port Adelaide used a Magpie moniker and wore a black-and-white guernsey with six vertical stripes and one horizontal stripe. This guernsey is similar to the Collingwood Magpies which wears a black-and-white guernsey with three stripes of black and white and has been a part of the VFL/AFL since 1897. When Port Adelaide joined the AFL they adopted a new moniker, Power, and added two new colours to their palette, teal and silver. During the 2006 Heritage Round which adopted a 1980s theme Port Adelaide was prevented by the AFL from taking part. During the 1980s Port Adelaide won four SANFL premierships (1980, 1981, 1988, 1989) wearing it's Prison Bar' guernsey. The following year Port Adelaide, Collingwood and the AFL came to an agreement that the first aforementioned club would be able to use their 'Prison Bar' guernsey in future Heritage Rounds. However, after this agreement was reached the AFL ceased sanctioning official Heritage Rounds. In 2021 Eddie McGuire noted that he knew at the time of signing the agreement with Port Adelaide that Heritage Rounds would ceased to be officially sanctioned by the AFL in the future.

See also

NRL Heritage Round

References

External links
 Footy Jumpers, website covering the history of AFL/VFL jumpers

Heritage
Heritage
Heritage
2003 establishments in Australia
2008 disestablishments in Australia