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Congupna FCFrom the Weekly Times
ONE of country Victoria's most uniquely nicknamed clubs is going back to its roots.

Congupna Football Club, in the Murray league, has adopted a new jumper depicting its moniker of "the Road".

The guernseys, still in Congupna's traditional red and white, now feature a road - complete with dotted line - as a diagonal sash.

Roaders president Debbie McColl said finding a balance between history and rejuvenation was behind the image change.

"We needed to purchase new footy jumpers and wanted to make them more modern," McColl said.

"In the process we have embraced our namesake of 'the Road', so it was a good chance to incorporate that.

"We are still keeping the red and white and our logo, but thought it was fitting to incorporate our footy club's history, which dates back to the 1950s."

With the history of the Roaders so complex, the jumper overhaul has been an extensive task.

Early in the 20th century, when the region of Congupna Road outgrew the nearby township of Congupna, it caused the initial settlement just north of Shepparton to die off.

Naturally, when the football club was formed, it adopted the name of the community.

In 1963, the word "Road" was officially dropped from the town of Congupna Road, meaning there was once more a town called Congupna.

The football club took a year to catch up after the word "Road" was removed from the town name and won a premiership in 1963 as the Congupna Road Football Club.

Remarkably, a year later, it won as Congupna. Fifty years on, the players and supporters still chant "Carn the Road" or "Carn the Roaders".

"We took our jumpers to our annual meeting and had them approved by the board, but we've also included our supporters and members (in the decision)," McColl said.

Still awaiting its jumpers, Congupna began with a 10-goal trouncing of Tocumwal on Good Friday in its alternative Fremantle-theme strip, as the Bloods also wear red and white.

The Roaders will wear new guernseys from Round 3.

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