Australian rugby league team Newcastle Knights has entered into a two-year partnership with the New South Wales Minerals Council under which it will launch a special edition jersey for NRL matches against two Sydney teams.
During one home game and another Sydney game in 2014, the Knights will sport a fluro-orange kit, styled to represent the high-visibility uniforms worn by miners.
The jersey will feature the NSW Mining logo and fans can pre-order it from the Hunter Sports Superstore, the Newcastle Knight’s locally-based official club shop, or the team’s online store.
Newcastle Knights chief executive and ex-player Matt Gidley underlined the significance of the deal as mining has been central to the team’s Hunter Valley region for the past 200 years.
“Mining in Hunter is a community based industry and has been for over two centuries,” he said. “It provides an income for thousands of families who live in and contribute to their local community up and down the Valley. The Knights have a proud connection to local mining in the Hunter. Over the years many of our players or their families have worked in the industry and continue to do so. I clearly remember (former Newcastle captain) Paul Harragon rallying the boys on many occasions over the years, reminding us that we were the proud sons of coal miners and that motivated our group to challenge any team.”