Those to whom Carlton means everything have unhesitatingly committed their names to the famous old dark Navy Blue guernsey, released to commemorate this the 150th year of the founding of the football club.

From young to old, Members have pledged their support for what they also realise is an all-too-rare opportunity to have their names share space with all Carlton senior players past and present on the precious fabric.

22 year-old Michael Wilson of Rowville has been following Carlton since 2000. Then eight years of age, Wilson had no say in the matter. As he said: “Mum followed Carlton and so did my late grandma who got me onto them. She grew up in Malvern, but went to Carlton games every week because she was a fan of (Alex) Jesaulenko”.

Wilson saw the opportunity to commit his name to the guernsey as once-in-a-lifetime”.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, it is the 150th year and I won’t be around for the next 150, so why not?,” Wilson said.

“I committed to the jumper back in March. It’s a nice thought to share space with the Carlton greats and I reckon I’ll be wearing it to the occasional game.”

Therese Mitchell, a 58 year-old employee of RMIT in governance, and a Carlton supporter since the age of 10, has a very personal reason for committing her name to the guernsey. Her mother’s first cousin was the Carlton 1938 Premiership player Bob Green – one of 1152 senior players featured on the precious football fabric.

“Bob’s name is on the guernsey and I thought if my name is on it the guernsey will come to me and eventually go to my nephew Rory as a hand-me-down,” Mitchell said.

“I never saw Bob play, but I know that he was a great player for Carlton.”

Mitchell said that the commemorative jumper, with its throwback monogram to that worn by the Carlton Premiership players of 1914/15, also reinforced the connection with the team for whom she passionately supported.

“The jumper furthers the tradition of the club and embodies the spirit of the place,” she said. “It’s a spirit now shown by Dylan Buckley and I want to see more of it out on the ground.”

John Karantzis, a 44 year-old Melbourne-based lawyer, also appreciated that here was a rare opportunity to further commit to the old dark Navy Blue.

“It’s an honour to be associated with those  players’ names. I’m a part of history and I’m proud of that,” John said.

“I’ve supported the club basically since I was born. One of the earliest influences was Alex Jesaulenko and the ’79 Grand Final against Collingwood. I watched that game on the telly, I was ten then and it made a big impact on my life.

“In the years since I’ve indoctrinated my wife and my two children into becoming Carlton supporters.”

The Blues will be wearing the 2014 Members Guernsey for the Round 10 match against Adelaide.