I was born and raised in the Australian city of Melbourne so when someone talks to me about football I think of an oval field, an odd shaped ball and high scores. Hence when I was thrust into the South America concept of football I still wanted to see high ‘specky’ marks and body tackles. Perhaps summers of sitting through five day cricket test matches somewhat prepared to watch a full sports game and see it end in a 0 – 0 draw, but I was never sure which team I should support.
Obviously watching a live match I am intelligent enough to go with the home team. Cheer with the local supporters and avoid the taunts and criticism of the away team, regardless if they are better at playing or not!
But now, after being in Buenos Aires for more than a couple of football seasons I feel it is time to make a really difficult decision, to finally choose my team. The colours I will wear, win lose or draw. It is a really difficult decision. It can be based on friends, colours, team history and performance. There are so many factors that could be the determining detail in choosing the team I will support so why not also to take into consideration the source of the uniform?
During the 2010 World Cup several teams, including my Socceroos, used Nike shirts that were made from recycled materials. Following on from this recently the Boca Juniors administration have revealed their new team top which is made from fabric created from recycled used plastic bottles. Not only is the top made from recycled materials but the energy needed to make the shirts is 30% less than through previous processes. Of course the latest technology is used in the design, to improve the performance of the athletes wearing them. But as a fan I could wear the Blue and Yellow and feel Green!
Liz
