The Parramatta Eels' 2021 Anzac jersey has been unveiled and is available for pre-sale.
The 2021 Parramatta Eels Anzac jersey is a visual celebration of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 100th anniversary, and the Club will be donating five dollars from every jersey sold to Veteran Sport Australia.
Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos said, “Anzac Day is a special occasion for Australians, and we are thrilled to return to our home away from home in Darwin to commemorate Anzac Day. We will honour the Anzac spirit by donating five dollars from every Anzac jersey sold to Veteran Sport Australia.”
Veteran Sport Australia is the legacy organisation of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018, and continues to utilise the power of sport as a proactive means of improving the mental health and wellbeing of veterans and their families.
Michael Hartung, CEO of Veteran Sport Australia said, “We are delighted to be working with the Parramatta Eels for the second consecutive year, by helping to identify the designer for the team’s jerseys and through events leading up to their Anzac Clash with the Broncos. It’s very fitting that in the 100th year of the RAAF it is a veteran of that service designing the Eels jersey. VSA is extremely grateful to the Eels and their fans for the donations made through the sale of those jerseys. These funds will go a long way in supporting the health and wellbeing of our veterans and their families.”
Designed by Squadron Leader Kathy Turner CSM, a permanent Air Force Veteran Engineering Officer and Active Reservist with 30 plus years’ service including operations in Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan, the jersey aligns with the Air Force 100 theme “Then. Now. Always.” to commemorate the aircraft’s modest beginnings in 1921 to its youngest RAAF Base Tindal in Northern Territory where our team will be playing on Friday night.
Other elements of the design include silhouettes in pairs to represent wingmen and mateship - dual fighters on mission, friends and teammates who serve alongside each other in battle and on the footy field. The Southern Cross from the Northern Territory state flag on the shoulder symbolises the RAAF motto "per ardua ad astra" or "through adversity to the stars", while background stripes yellow to blue represent Anzac dawn to sunrise and passage of time.
Many thanks to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) for use of the WWI aircraft and Air Vice Marshal McNamara’s portrait. Thanks to Defence Media for use of the F35 aircraft and pilot imagery, and to Mrs Anne Marland for permission to use Air Vice Marshal McNamara’s portrait.
The Parramatta Eels 2021 Anzac jersey will be sold at https://bit.ly/3gstx48 with $5 from every jersey sold being donated to Veteran Sports Australia.
