Founded in 1864 – some 14 years before Manchester United and 37 before the New York Yankees - the Carlton Football Club is amongst the oldest and greatest of world sporting institutions and with 16 Grand Final victories to its name, the competition’s most successful.

In the first three decades of Carlton’s existence, from the days of the Challenge Cup through to the Victoria Football Association competition, hundreds of young men proudly donned the distinctive chamois lace-up.

Since May 1897, when Carlton captain Jimmy Aitken led them onto Brunswick Street Oval for the fledgling VFL’s season opener, more than 1200 young men have upheld the tradition that comes with wearing the famous old dark Navy Blue guernsey.

Today, more than 150 years since its inception, the Carlton Football Club’s young men and women continue to bring honour to the old dark Navy Blues, as they strive to own the future in an increasingly competitive national landscape.