THE HISTORY OF REPRESENTATIVE / INTERSTATE FOOTBALL
WESTERN AUSTRALIA - PATCHES
1977 was the first season to feature a WAFL logo on the Western Australian State uniform.
The classic "Map of WA" was introduced for the first State of Origin match later that year in October, 1977 and remains an iconic logo for WA football fans. The WAFL emblem remained in use throughout the 1980s and 1990s before being replaced by the short-lived Westar Rules shield in 1997 and the modern-day WAFL shield in 2002.
Prior to 1988 the sponsor patches were limited to one-off logos such as the WA 150 patch (1979) and the WAFL Centenary (1985) or the Adidas logo that appeared only on the shorts.
Victoria wore their first sponsor patch in 1986 (Carlton Draught) and Western Australia quickly followed suit with the SGIO patch adorning the State jumper in 1988. Major sponsorships since have included Pepsi and AAMI with Carlton Draught's long-running deal extending to naming sponsorship of the WA State team ("Carlton Draught Black Swans").
