Name Change?

The Artist Formerly known as Prince and now known a Prince again set a great model for changing names.

Maybe the team should be called, "The New Zealand Football Team formerly nicknamed The All Whites".

http://www.3news.co.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=840 latest blog re: Black or White

Hey Gourdie, tell your bosses to sort out their woefully unreliable website video player.

Has anyone out there perused the Soccer Tribe?

??

If we do change the strip then can we please be the first team in New Zealand to have the dignity to NOT come up with a "fitting moniker".

I do find it interesting that in the clip Harry Ngata is introduced as "All White 1992-2003". Interested to know what that would be in say 10 years time if it is decided to switch to black as the main kit; New Zealand Football International?

   Black is New Zealands national sporting colour. Why is it so wrong to let our current squad play in the colour worn by Lovelock, Halberg, Walker, Ferguson etc,etc,etc.
    And, yes, why not let them share the colours worn by the Rugby Union and (world champion) Rugby League teams. Many of us have never possessed the poverbial chip on the shoulder over the fact that football is dominated by other codes in NZ.
   The black strip would be unique amongst the worlds football teams. No other country plays in black. Way too many play in white.
   For years now it has been an open secret that NZ football squads have wanted a return to the black strip and have played in black at every given opportunity. If the current squad wants to play in the national colours of our country, then let them!
   

Good thing the squad is not too concerned with unimportant things like playing well.

Previous to 1981 they played in black for 77 years!

Actually if memory serves me correctly (from reading up on it, I'm, not THAT old!), NZ's kit has traditionally been white tops with black shorts. This scheme was chosen due to English influence well before 1981. I believe the "30 years" refers to white shorts in addition to white shirts.

The only incidences I've seen or heard of where the AW's wore black was much, MUCH further back than just 30 years. As in 1910's.

I'm most likely going up to university after training, the library there happens to have a couple of very good books on football and one that includes quite a few photos of the AW's over the years, so I'll have a check when I'm up there.

What's logic go to do with it, it's pure emotion.  I'll still call them the All Whites even when they play away in blue.

Or to put it bluntly, let anyone with 1981 vintage die off first before we make that sort of change.

can't see the issue, international team really don't need nick names like All whites etc! they are not a frnachiose like the breakers, Phoenix or any other franchise team. Let them be what they are - New Zealand! and play in black!

 Every image I've seen of NZ football teams up to 1981 has them in Black tops and white shorts.

Blog (not by me) - Read it

I don't reckon the people would respond well to have to read about 'the new zealand football team' or 'the new zealand soccer team'. Keep the name, even if the team plays in black. People know them as the all whites even non football supporters. 

Still think it could be a media ploy and a smart one at that. Two pages in the star times and people blogging about it. At least football is getting some coverage.

Yeah it's an interesting read, some similar ideas in here: http://www.truecoloursfootballkits.com/articles/psychology-of-football-kit-design

   The 81/82 All White's were heroes to me as I was growing up. Before I knew the names of any foreign football super stars I knew the names of Woodin, Rufer, Herbert, Turner (both of them), Wilson, Sumner, Almond et al. That team enspired me to play football. That team enspired me to follow and support football. I still watch the DVD documentary of that campaign.
   That squad was made to play in white and to be tagged the 'All Whites' for reasons that have no relevance today.
   Why should we set up our national football team to be in contrast to anybody? Why can't we let the current squad join with every other sport in our nation and play in our national colours?

New Zealand = Black
 

Here's a good reason: The New Zealand national colours are BLACK, not white!

If we were to change kit - which I don't oppose - I think we should scratch the nickname and stay without one until the team give us a reason to give them one or create one themselves with an achievement, such as the 'All Whites' did in 81-82. No need to force a nick name on them for the sake of it.

Also, if you look at the 'Black caps', they've had several different kits which are associated to different eras. So it will be the start of a new era but it's not exactly a bad thing and people will remember the All Whites for what they are(were?) and what they have done. I'm sure if we make the world cup in the black kit it will be the start of something good and will grow on the fans. It could go the other way though, fail and the black shirt is but a memory and its back to white again.

I'm not sure I can see it happening, to many people against it. But if it does, so be it. Get on with it.

Well, I'm willing to change my name if I have to.

TBH. I love to see the team play in their Traditional Black Colours. It is a New Zealand brand of colour, other countries relate the colour as solely NZ. A number of people I know who are not involved with football or are from overseas have told me over the years that they don't understand why the NZ football team don't play in Black or why they don't do the Haka before their games. I explain to them that they were in Black until the 1981 and were doing some Haka as well.

However, the truth is that having an All White colours was not that intimidating on the sports field. Having no Haka was also not helping. It is a competitive world out there and I think we should have every psychological edge over the other team.

Bring Back Black.
Bring Back the Haka.
We are Black and we are mean, we are a lean fighting machine.

Have Black as first choice colour and Blue as the alternative colour.

We want to beat the other team Black and Blue.

Anyway, does the "the Black Boots" sounds better?

TBH the idea of removing the "All Whites" uniform has been talked about for the last 20 years among many people that I know.

Haha Bring Back the Haka. mean.

Skinny white guys should be banned from doing the Haka!

Far from being intimidating it would have the opposition rolling on the ground laughing.

Uzbekistan play in white.

On-topic now. The all white kit coinceded with the best period in New Zealand's football history. It created an identity and legacy for the generations to follow and aspire to. The previous 80 years? Did sweet fark all for that.

So why change that? What possible good reason could we have for that? It's the NZ 'national' colours? Perhaps, but only through an accident of history (the All Blacks) onto which most other sports latched on (cricket and football had stood apart until very recently for cricket, and it seems now, for football too). But that doesn't make an all white kit any less NZ - we still have the fern on the chest, and are instantly recognisable to the New Zealand public. So what other reasons? To 'intimidate' the opposition? You're 'avin a laugh. I can just see the Spanish at the Confed Cup quaking in their boots going 'fark, they're dressed in all black, we're screwed now...'. How can anyone seriously suggest this? I mean, I've seen that psychological claptrap about red and stuff...guess that's why Real Madrid is the winningest club team in the world. And black looks classier? In itself debatable (I personally think that of the current shirts, the white looks better from a purely aesthetic point), but the larger point is that any colour kit can look classy or minging, depending on the design.

So unless I hear a truly valid reason for the change of the strip, I'll be sitting here with a big stick for NZF.

The psychological edge of wearing black is for us rather not them. Like the Olympic Kayak team of Freg and MacDonald. I haven't really seen any national football teams that wear black so it can have a unique favour to our team.

The psychological edge helps in close scoring games not against the obvious stronger opponents (e.g.Spain) but other teams that are within our scope. NZ has their share of draws that could be wins if they approach the game with a win mentality rather than a lose or draw mentality in my years of observing and I believe the Black colour can make it easier to get that mentality to be honest. No dishing on the All Whites of the past but really we tend to play better in alternative colours.

Classier with Black will polarised the on field thinking. The only downpoint is that referees may tend to award free kicks easier against us because we are wearing black. The colour does bring a psychological factor more into play. Other teams tend to fuss up in fouls but then that serves to help us because the referees tend to get annoyed at teams for make too much fuss and make the vital decisions our way at the death end of the game just because the referee is tired of the other team.

Besides the non-football public that is attending the game wouldn't feel out of place by wearing an All Black rugby top just because they haven't brought an All White soccer top. We would get more people, who are not soccer fans, interested in attending the game if all they have to wear is a black top with a silver fern rather than the vice versa.AllWhitebelievr2009-05-15 12:40:12

It would only serve to confuse them and make them disrespectful. Have a couple of Maori Advocates and we have them psychologically confused and ill prepared for their preparation. I'm all for mucking their preparation and enhancing our own.

Also they are not all skinny and not all are white.

Look I am willing to change my username if they change back to black . . . honest.