Profiling the Most Iconic Club Badges in the Premier League

Profiling the Most Iconic Club Badges in the Premier League

The Premier League is home to some of the world's biggest clubs. Every week, billions of people around the world tune in to watch the thrilling action on the pitch. Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal are among the famous teams competing in the English top-flight. Each side has an iconic badge that tells its story and provides supporters with a true sense of belonging.

This article will profile some favorite club crests from Chelsea and Everton to Newcastle and Tottenham. Each boasts a unique tale developed over a century of football.

Arsenal

Arsenal FC Primary Logo 2002 - Present
Arsenal is one of the biggest and most successful teams in England. In recent seasons, the Gunners have consistently been in the title race, with football enthusiasts backing the club via BetNow Sportsbook to lift the Premier League trophy. However, for those taking advantage of live betting options and bet builders each game week, the wait will go on after Arsenal were again pipped to first place.

Despite not winning the title in 20 years, Arsenal is still instantly recognizable, with followers around the world knowing who the badge belongs to when they see it. The club, which was founded in 1886, has long featured a cannon on the logo, and that is where the team gets its nickname, the Gunners.

The current version of the badge has been used since 2002 and was created to mark a bold new era with the move from Highbury on the horizon. It is a shield with two shades of red inside and a blue trim, with the prominent gold cannon defining Arsenal.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa is one of the most storied clubs in English football history, so it is little surprise that the crest's traditions and heritage have remained largely untouched for nearly 150 years. The Scottish lion on the badge and the line 'Prepared' have been there since the club's formation in 1874.

Club chairman William McGregor also founded the Football League in 1888 and arrived in Birmingham due to the strong Scottish community in the city. Villa won six league titles under his stewardship, and so he is one of the most important figures in the team's history.

McGregor decided that the lion from Scotland's royal crest should also represent Aston Villa, and the team has continued that regal element, with Prince William a fervent supporter of the club.

Since the turn of the century, Villa has had seven iterations of its badge, each following a similar theme. The crest now features the lion, with 'Aston Villa' and 1874 proudly displayed underneath.

Chelsea

Chelsea FC Primary Logo 2006 - Present
The current Blues badge was officially introduced at the start of the 2005-06 campaign, the club's centenary year. It was heavily based on the crest used between 1953 and 1986. It features a heraldic lion in blue holding a staff.

Altering the badge came at an essential time in the club's history at Stamford Bridge, with Roman Abramovich arriving to buy the club a couple of years ago and guiding the team into a new trophy-winning era. Appointing manager Jose Mourinho, the west London club was transformed. In the 20th century, Chelsea had only won one league title in 1955 but lifted the Premier League trophy five times between 2005 and 2017. This followed a similar pattern to the 1950s when Ted Drake took charge of the side, began modernizing the club, and changed the original Chelsea pensioner crest with a new slick blue lion badge after a season using the initials CFC.

The version used today is synonymous with iconic players like Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, and John Terry, and the success the trio enjoyed at Stamford Bridge, so the badge will always conjure happy memories for the Blues faithful.

Everton

Everton FC Primary Logo 2014 - Present
Everton's first crest used the EFC initials entwined on a blue shield in the 1920s. Then, though, for much of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the team shirt didn't feature a badge; instead, the Toffees played in plain royal blue shirts. However, while it wasn't present on the jerseys, a badge was designed by former club secretary Theo Kelly in 1938 and resembles the crest Everton proudly wears today.

Prince Rupert's Tower has been linked with the area since 1787 and still stands on Everton Brow in Netherfield Road today, meaning Blues can drive past and visit the site whenever they choose. The iconic tower is accompanied on the badge with the Latin motto 'Nil Satis Nisi Optimum', which means 'Nothing but the best is good enough'. In 1978, the club's 100th anniversary, the tower featured on shirts with the letters EFC. The modern badge also features wreaths and the year of foundation, 1878; various versions have been used since 2000.

The badge Everton proudly wears on its shirts was introduced in 2014. However, it came after a 2013 redesign was met with widespread disapproval among the fanbase. The club apologized and allowed fans to vote on the next crest, with three to choose from. Nearly 80% of supporters who took part voted for the crest being used today.

Liverpool

Liverpool FC Primary Logo 1999 - Present
The Liverpool badge is one of the most famous in the world. The liver bird symbol is instantly linked to the football club and the city it calls home. For the first 75 years of the Reds, the liver bird was featured in shields and crests. In 1968, the emblem was placed above the initials LFC.

In 1992, Liverpool's centenary year, a new badge commemorating the landmark was commissioned, including the Shankly Gates. A year later, twin flames were added on either side to act as a symbol of the Hillsborough memorial outside the stadium. The badge was modernised again in 1999 and is used on all club merchandise and branding.

Supporters travelling to Anfield for the end-of-season celebrations proudly wore their shirts and the famous Liver Bird on their chests. Showing their commitment to the cause, fans worldwide flocked to the city to join in with the title party, and locals and tourists celebrated together as one, bonded by their love of the football club.

Manchester United

Manchester United FC Primary Logo 1998 - Present
Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and so the badge is perhaps one of the best-known football crests on the planet. The original version of the badge was derived from the city of Manchester's council coat of arms. What remains in the current iteration is the ship, which is sailing.

The club's nickname is the Red Devils, inspired by Salford Rugby Club. A devil also features on the badge, which has been on the players' shirts since 1973. It has remained the same since, though it was refreshed and emboldened in 1998. Sir Alex Ferguson's side won a historic treble a year later, synonymous with the Scottish manager's sustained success.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United FC Primary Logo 1988 - Present
Newcastle's famous black-and-white stripes and the magpie, the club's nickname, are incorporated into the badge. The club's current crest was first introduced in the 1988-89 campaign and includes the city's coat of arms. The castle represents the city, and two seahorses show Tyneside's connection with the sea.

The Magpies first featured the coat of arms on the shirt in 1969, and this remained until 1976, when a scroll at the bottom in Latin, reading 'fortiter defendit triumphans'—which translates into 'triumphing by brave defence'—was also used.

For the next seven years until 1983, Newcastle had a round badge featuring the club's name, a magpie, the castle, and the River Tyne. For much of the 1980s, the team played with shirts featuring the initials NUFC with the 'C' horizontal over a small magpie.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur FC Primary Logo 2025 - Present
Tottenham have featured a cockerel in their crest since beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1921 FA Cup final. Harry Hotspur, who the club is named after, was said to dig in his spurs to make his horse go faster and spurs are associated too with fighting cocks.

It is the club's symbol. In 1910, former player William James Scott made a bronze cast of a cockerel standing on a football, which was placed on top of the West Stand at White Hart Lane. For nearly 40 years, the cockerel featured on the players' shirts in a shield before sitting on a ball like the sculpture in the late 1960s.

Between 1956 and 2006, Tottenham used a heraldic shield featuring different landmarks associated with the local area. The Latin motto 'Audere Est Facere', which means 'To Dare is to Do,' was also included, and the saying is still used on Tottenham branding and merchandise today. For the last two decades, the Tottenham crest has been a sleek and elegant cockerel standing on a ball and is synonymous with the north London club, which lifted the Europa League in May.

Overall, club crests are massively important to the club. They mean a great deal to fanbases and local communities and represent the history of the football team. While many of the emblems have been altered over the years, clubs always ensure that the essence and meaning of the badge remain.

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