THE Port Adelaide Football Club is entering a new era, adopting a new ‘Back in Black’ guernsey for the 2010 AFL season and beyond.

The powerful black jumper with a teal and white ‘V’ will be worn by the Power in both home and away matches.

A white guernsey with a black and teal ‘V’ and black side panels will be the club’s ‘clash’ jumper, used only in away games when the black guernsey clashes with the home team.

The club expects the black jumper will be worn in at least 18 of the Power’s 22 home and away matches in 2010.

The Power’s previous home jumper - in which the club won the 2004 flag - will be elevated to special event status as the club’s ‘First AFL Premiership Guernsey’ and worn in the future only on special occasions.

The new jumper is based heavily on the design worn by the Power in rounds 16 and 17 last season. That jumper was designed by seven year old Lucy Burford, who won the club’s ‘Planet Teal’ guernsey design competition for primary school students.

She based her design on an Australian rugby league jersey.

Lucy has been made the club’s No. 1 Junior (Planet Teal) ticketholder and the Burford family lifetime Platinum Members of the Port Adelaide Football Club.

Power Chief Executive Mark Haysman says the change of jumper has been driven by unprecedented member and supporter acclaim and feedback about the design.

“We received an overwhelming response when we wore the black jumper last season, and since then have done further work with our members to gauge whether they thought a change would be something we should pursue,” Haysman said.

“The idea received almost universal support, so we went to the AFL and they supported change as well.

“Something just feels instinctively ‘Port Adelaide’ about this jumper, which has really been embraced by the playing group and coaching staff since they first saw it last season.

“Some people have also observed the guernsey resembles the SA State jumper in Port Adelaide colours. Given the iconic place of our club in the history and fabric of South Australia, that’s a very nice coincidence.”