Before the sold-out stadiums, prime-time A-League kickoffs, and multi-million-dollar Socceroo contracts, there was a man standing alone in front of a camera, pleading for a nation to take football seriously.
That man was Johnny Warren.
He was more than a player, more than a broadcaster — he was a believer. In the face of indifference and outright ridicule, he championed a game that few in mainstream Australia wanted anything to do with. Strip Tees' Johnny Warren tee isn’t just about honouring a footballer. It’s about recognising a prophet of the game — someone who saw the future, and spent his life trying to drag the country there with him.
Warren’s story is one of persistence, integrity, and cultural rebellion. While Australia obsessed over cricket and footy, Johnny kept the round ball rolling. He was mocked for it. Dismissed. Laughed off. But he never flinched.
When you wear his shirt, you’re wearing that defiance — and that hope.
Born in 1943, Johnny Warren captained the Socceroos through the 60s and early 70s, playing 42 times for the national team. His greatest triumph came in 1974 when he led Australia to its first-ever World Cup appearance in West Germany. It was a watershed moment for the game — but sadly, not a transformative one. Football still languished in the margins, framed by the mainstream media as a “wogball” curiosity for migrants and misfits.
That framing didn’t sit right with Johnny. And in 2002, he gave it a name: Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters — the title of his memoir and a brutally honest look at how the sport had been ridiculed and marginalised for decades. The book’s name wasn’t designed to shock, but to reflect reality. Johnny had lived it.
He wanted Australians to understand that football had a deep, multicultural soul — one that was vibrant, passionate, and real. He saw a future where it would unite people, not divide them. And he wanted to prove that the round ball could sit proudly beside a baggy green cap or a Sherrin.
He didn’t live to see that vision come to full fruition. Warren passed away in 2004 after a long battle with cancer. But just one year later, in 2005, the Socceroos finally qualified for the World Cup again — ending a 32-year drought. And when they did, his words echoed across the nation:
“I told you so.”
Those four words became his legacy — a catchphrase, a slogan, a mission statement. They're now stitched into the story of Australian football, and they’re printed, quietly and confidently, on the collar of our Johnny Warren tee.
At Strip Tees, we believe in telling stories through artwork, not just icons. The Johnny Warren design is stark and uncompromising — a monochrome portrait frozen mid-sentence, eyes sharp, mouth open. He’s still talking. Still urging us forward.
The golden burst behind his silhouette is deliberate — a rising sun and a nod to his lasting impact. The visual style draws on protest art: bold line work, halftone textures, and the suggestion of urgency. It feels like something you’d see wheat-pasted on a wall. Because that’s who Johnny was — a voice in the wilderness. A lone protester in the sports media wilderness, banging the drum for a game no one wanted to listen to.
Fans of the tee often share how wearing it sparks conversation — especially among older supporters or those who grew up watching him on SBS. But younger fans are drawn to it too. The shirt invites questions: Who’s that? What does the quote mean? Why does this design feel so... different? It opens the door to a football history most people never learned in school — one shaped by immigrants, local clubs, late-night replays, and cold Saturday mornings.
The shirt has become one of our most enduring and best-selling pieces. Why? Because it stands for something. In a market full of flashy kits and commercialised collabs, it cuts through. It’s not just merch — it’s meaning.
And others noticed too.
Strip Tees exhibiting in the National Library in Canberra? We told you so…
We were recently honoured to exhibit our Johnny Warren artwork at the Grit and Gold exhibition at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. The exhibit celebrated the rich cultural history of Australian sport — and we were proud to represent football, a code that’s so often left out of the conversation.
To have our artwork hang beside icons like Reg Mombassa’s was surreal. But also fitting. Like Johnny, we’ve always seen football as more than a game. It’s identity. It’s culture. It’s art.
And now, it’s recognised as such on a national stage.
It was a moment of validation — for Strip Tees, for the design, and most of all, for Johnny’s legacy. We couldn’t help but smile and say it again:
We told you so.
Warren’s legacy lives on not just through tees and exhibitions, but through the Johnny Warren Medal, awarded annually to the best player in the A-League. It’s the sport’s highest domestic honour — and a reminder that every player who lifts that trophy does so in the shadow of a man who spent his life elevating the game.
In the years since his passing, Australian football has had its peaks and troughs. But the cultural shift is real. Football is now mainstream, its players household names, its future bright. And it all traces back to one voice — insistent, unwavering, and unashamedly passionate.
That’s what you’re wearing when you wear the Johnny Warren tee. Not just a shirt. Not just a design. But a message.
Believe. Speak up. Keep pushing.
I told you so.