The Fremantle Dockers today launched a bold new look for the club, unveiling a new logo and new home and clash guernseys for season 2011 with a major presentation on Fremantle Oval.

After Fremantle President Steve Harris had given a brief background on the events leading up to the new brand launch, a DVD capturing iconic moments from Fremantle’s 16-year history in the AFL was played to the attending media on a big screen on the oval.

It included footage of the club’s birth in 1994, its first game at the MCG on 1 April 1995 and highlights of some of the 153 players to have represented the Dockers in their 358 AFL games.

At the DVD’s conclusion, the club’s new logo made its first appearance.

Striking in its simplicity and inspired by traditional club insignias of days past and the pride they represented, the new logo is a strong monogram that features the anchor prominently, interlocked with a boldly placed ‘D’ as well as the name ‘Fremantle Dockers’.

Fremantle Chief Executive Steve Rosich then gave a summary of the new brand elements, and welcomed Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands, Paul Duffield and Stephen Hill to the stage, proudly sporting the club’s new home and clash guernseys.

Pavlich and Hill wore the new home jumper, which is purple with three white Vs, while Sandilands and Duffield presented in the white away jumper which has three purple Vs.

The Fremantle captain said the players had embraced the new guernseys and looked forward to playing in them.

“The guys have been training in them for about 12 months and there’s been some really good feedback from the playing group about how strong and bold it looks,” Pavlich said.

“It is our heritage guernsey from way back in the 1800s so it’s terrific that the club’s made the move and we as a playing group are very happy with it.”

Pavlich said he hoped Fremantle’s fans would also jump on board the new look.

“The broader supporter group should embrace the fact that the club’s been extremely diligent to look at this as a review process and to push forward into a new part of our history coming up,” he said.

Rosich said today’s event would go down as a prominent day in Fremantle Dockers’ history.

“In time, the unveiling of our new logo and jumper will be regarded as an important phase in our club’s history. It is both an exciting development to be part of and a major plank of our future direction,” he said.

“Significantly, we will officially call ourselves the “Fremantle Dockers”.”

In response to questions about supporter backlash because of the change, President Harris said he encouraged supporters to have a look before passing judgement.

“One of the great things about Fremantle is our supporters are very passionate and they feel very strongly about the club,” he said.

“I have seen some of the speculation on the internet. In total the club’s had around 90 emails and telephone calls.

“People are worrying and speculating about something that they haven’t actually been aware of.

“I’d encourage people to have a view on it, and look it now, and I think when they see us playing at Subiaco Oval, when they see us playing on the MCG next year, I think they’ll feel very positively about it.”

Rosich said that the new logo would entrench the anchor as a lasting symbol of the Fremantle Dockers Football Club.

“Furthermore our new jumper, which was inspired by the heritage jumper first worn by the Dockers in 2003 at the MCG, is both an important tribute to our past and an acknowledgement of our football origins,” he said.

“We are proud of our 16 year history and proud of the jumper and logo that we have worn and displayed with pride in that time.

“Given the nature of the changes to our logo and jumper and their undeniable acknowledgement to where we have come from as a football club, let there be no doubt that our new logo and jumper will be worn with as much pride in the future as they were in the past.”

Rosich also said that consideration to changing the club song was not undertaken as part of the review process to date.

“Now that an arrangement has been struck with Levi Strauss & Co that process will now take place,” he said.

“In the 2011 pre-season, the club will seek feedback from members, supporters and the general public on the Fremantle Dockers’ club song, including possible alternatives.”