Reported recently – Cardiff City football club’s association with their team colour has been threatened with change by the club’s Malaysian owners who want to change the colour of the team kit from blue to red.

Whilst Cardiff City Supporter’s Trust are concerned with the implications of “changing a century of tradition”, the club’s Malaysian owners believe red to be a more dynamic colour and also a significant colour for Wales.

Although colour is important to visually differentiate teams on the playing field, it can also have a very positive effect on the performance of a team. Here in the UK, three of our most successful football teams, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool F.C., wear red as their team strip. Red is a very ‘physical’ colour representing the qualities of courage, stamina, activity and strength.

Much heraldic and cultural symbolism is associated with colour, and in Malaysia culturally, the colour red represents the very same values as those it represents in colour psychology.

The colour of Cardiff City’s current team strip, blue, relates to the mind and ‘logical thought’. In terms of colour psychology therefore, the team’s strength may be in their ability to ‘out-psych’ the opposition or develop a better strategy for play. Culturally the colour blue in Malaysia represents truth, loyalty, perseverance and justice. It may be the view of Cardiff City’s owners that whilst (blue) team loyalty is commendable, the red qualities of strength, courage and stamina are going to win them the game!

Explore Colour in Your World

What is colour? Why does it have an effect on us and how can we harness it’s effects?

A one-day workshop for all those interested in finding out more about colour – Saturday July 21st 2012

click here for more details and to book

Recent research from the University of Rochester suggests that men pictured wearing or surrounded by the colour red are found to be more attractive or sexually appealing by women. The study also noted that women perceived men wearing red T-shirts to have a higher status than those wearing blue T-shirts.

Superman – brains and brawn then?

Considered the ‘male energy’ colour, the impact of red is on the physical self. It motivates, increases energy, stamina and courage. Red is our ‘drive’ – our get up and go, so it’s perhaps no surprise that this colour might signal to the girls an alpha male quality whilst blue communicates logic, thought, authority and trust. We have quite literally a choice between brains or brawn!

See the full ‘Women attracted to men in red’ article as appears in Yahoo! Lifestyle

More about the study at the University of Rochester

Learn more about the ‘super powers’ of colour! in:colour training and workshops