VIRUS HICCUP FOR MERGER

A NEWLY formed football club has been unable to stamp its fresh identity with 500 uniforms held up in China due to coronavirus.

Clarence Zebras were officially launched last November after Hobart Zebras and Clarence United merged, with the club working feverishly to put in place club structures for its men’s, women’s and junior programs, including new uniforms.

But mass shutdowns of Chinese industry and ports due to coronavirus have delayed the new kits, with players trotting out over the weekend in the old clubs’ uniforms for pre-season matches. Clarence Zebras has about half a dozen sample kits of the new uniforms.

The club has been told that a container has finally made it to Brisbane, but will not be able to confirm if their uniforms are in it until clearing customs and quarantine this week, most likely on tomorrow.

“We won’t know until they open it up,” Clarence Zebras football director and men’s NPL coach David Smith said of the mystery shipping container.

“We spent the weekend going through all the old playing strips so we had enough for everyone. We had the women in Zebras strips and men playing in Clarence strips for a practice game.

“It wasn’t our intention to play in these strips but we obviously have to. Everyone’s got gear, we just don’t have new gear yet.”

It is believed Glenorchy Knights and Launceston side Riverside have also had uniforms held up in China.

Although frustrated, Smith was optimistic of the new uniforms arriving in Tasmania before men’s and women’s leagues kick off in mid-March.

“We just want people to be aware that this is where we’re at and why we’re in the old uniforms,” Smith said.