The Cult of the Baggy Green

For the last 35 years, Trevor Huon has been making caps for a living. Only, it isn't any ordinary cap he makes, but arguably the most famous sporting cap in the world: The baggy green.

"It is indeed a proud feeling to see a top cricketer wearing a cap that you have made with your own hands", he tells us with a lot of pride. The entire process from cutting the cloth to putting the crest, to stitching it all together and eventually giving it shape through steaming takes Huon not more than 20 minutes, but has given him a lifetime of satisfaction.

Albion Sports in Sydney, a company that made caps and clothing for the army during World War-2, started making the baggy green in the late 1950s, before the factory was shifted to Melbourne a few months ago. The initial years saw the cap being issued to Australian test players ahead of each tour as part of their kit. In fact, a few former Australian players were known to use the cap for 'non-cricketing' purposes. Bill Lawry apparently used the cap while cleaning his pigeon's nest, whilst Bill Ponsford reportedly wore the cap to protect his hair while painting his house. Ian Chappell is believed to have have never kept any of his baggy green caps. The status that the baggy green enjoys in Australia today is thanks largely to the efforts of Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. The two former captains introduced the practice of wearing the same cap for the duration of their entire careers.

"When Ricky Ponting's cap was getting in a fair share of disrepair a lot of the media started reporting on the state of his baggy green rather than how well he was doing on the cricket field. Because it was getting noticed so much, we had to make a few discrete repairs to it. Ricky was very very nervous and very very particular about what we were doing to his baggy green. When you see someone like Ricky Ponting idolising his baggy green, it shows how important it is to them. Therefore we have to treat it pretty well ourselves", says Brendon Denning, CEO, Albion Sports

While Albion sports in Melbourne are the only people in the world who make these caps, the copyrights still remains with Cricket Australia; which means, the baggy green cannot be sold or given away to anybody other than a cricketer who has played for Australia.

"It is amazing when someone walks into the factory and looks and says you make baggy green? Can we get one?", Huon tells us. "But we have to turn them down. It would be degrading if we started handing these out. Plus we are not allowed in the first instance."

Brendon adds, "Lot of visitors to our headquarters here love to pick up the baggy green and feel it and touch it. But we are pretty careful about what else we let them do to it."

The cult status that the cap enjoys amongst cricket fans around the globe and not just in Australia, selling them as souvenirs or memorabilia would make for a very profitable business venture. But for the makers of the baggy green the pride of making the cap is worth many millions.

Former Australian captain Kim Hughes once said, "The baggy green sums up Australia. It sums up the mateship; the Anzac spirit; the refusal to take a backward step."

Enough history and pride there to turn the rest of the cricket world 'green' with envy.