Re: ‘The only club I wouldn’t put my hand up for right now’: Why Hawks legend Cyril Rioli has stayed away
The colours come from the French flag. Around the time the locals were first starting a footy club, Louis-Napoléon, the Prince Imperial of France was killed fighting for the British in the Zulu wars. The early Footscray football club adopted the colours of the tricouloer in his honour. The club was also called the Prince Imperials for a while after.
In his recorded reminisces, Charlie Lovett provides an answer as to why the name
Prince Imperial was chosen and his memoirs provides the strongest link to the past.
According to Lovett, the club was:
named after the Prince Imperial of France, who was serving with the
British Army in Africa in the Zulu War and during a scouting expedition was
killed by the Zulus. His death caused a great shock to the British nation as he was
a very popular officer in the British Army and as brave as he was popular. Out of
respect to him we named the first football club the Prince Imperial.
From
Arthur, Darren (2019) Foundation Narratives in Rowing, Cricket and Australian Rules Football: Sport in Footscray 1859-1886. Research Master thesis, Victoria University
The colours come from the French flag. Around the time the locals were first starting a footy club, Louis-Napoléon, the Prince Imperial of France was killed fighting for the British in the Zulu wars. The early Footscray football club adopted the colours of the tricouloer in his honour. The club was also called the Prince Imperials for a while after.
In his recorded reminisces, Charlie Lovett provides an answer as to why the name
Prince Imperial was chosen and his memoirs provides the strongest link to the past.
According to Lovett, the club was:
named after the Prince Imperial of France, who was serving with the
British Army in Africa in the Zulu War and during a scouting expedition was
killed by the Zulus. His death caused a great shock to the British nation as he was
a very popular officer in the British Army and as brave as he was popular. Out of
respect to him we named the first football club the Prince Imperial.
From
Arthur, Darren (2019) Foundation Narratives in Rowing, Cricket and Australian Rules Football: Sport in Footscray 1859-1886. Research Master thesis, Victoria University
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