Nike - MMXV Commemorative Asian Cup Champions Book
In 2015 the Socceroos created Australian football history by claiming the Australian national football team’s first major trophy win, becoming Champions of Asia in the 2015 Asian Cup held around Australia. With Australia’s relatively short football history by international standards, this success will forever be considered as one of the major foundations of our football story. Not Our Field’s football publication, LOCALFC joined forces with Nike to commemorate the historic event with ‘MMXV’, a 130-page limited edition printed publication featuring Local FC photography by Chad Gibson, who covered the entirety of the Socceroos’ journey to victory. The collaboration includes exclusive interviews by ex-professional footballer, Gibson, with present and past Socceroos and Head Coach, Ange Postecoglou who introduces the book with his Foreword.
Editions 1-23 were presented personally by Gibson in Germany to the victorious Socceroos’ squad in custom-designed, handmade boot bags with a printed silk pocket-square donning a photograph from ‘MMXV’ to be worn in the team’s suits. Australian football history is firmly connected with Germany, as in 1974 the Socceroos attended their first World Cup as semi-professional footballers. In 2015 our national team returned to Germany as invited guests of the current World Champions, as Champions of Asia, profoundly reflecting significantly far football has developed in Australia.
Gibson’s personal experience as a footballer made him acutely aware of the speed at which successes pass and was intent on creating a physical memento for these footballers that allowed them time to reflect on their own journeys throughout the tournament. Along with Gibson’s unique style of football photography which is at once dramatic, emotive, intimate and highly attuned to action and technique, images are accompanied with quotes by players represented which provide a unique insight into moment during the 90 minutes.
Understanding the historic significance of ‘MMXV’, LOCALFC and Nike spared nothing in attention to detail, specifying the highest quality uncoated stocks, designing a unique paper collating system featuring section-sewn bright white and powder green stocks which demarcate matches and exclusive interviews, with art direction and hand-drawn feature player illustrations by Cecilia Humphrey, adding to the intimacy of the project.
NOF was responsible for the full creation of the project, from photography and interview content to identity, book design and art direction, to final print design and delivery.
For the Squad.
Ahead of the victorious squad's next international match, LOCALFC went to Germany to present MMXV to the Socceroos. Our Asian Champions were set to play the World Champions, Germany, in an historic return as global competitors on the same stage our Australian football history was launched, as semi-professional footballers in 1974 in our first World Cup.
