In sport, a club crest is the term used to describe a

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

used by a

sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

. Such a logo is also often termed a badge. The logos of many clubs are inspired by heraldic design. In Association football, club crests did not always hold their current importance. In the case of Aston Villa Football Club, while the rampant lion was associated with the club from near its inception in 1874, the earliest known crest, the Lion Rampant To dexter (''facing left'') on a shield with motto " Prepared", was first documented in the club program of 1st September 1906. The use of the term ''crest'' to describe a logo derives from the misconception that a crest refers to any emblem that is heraldic. In heraldry, a crest specifically refers to the element of a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

which appears above a helmet. Due to the heraldic design of many club logos, they are sometimes regulated in regions with

heraldic authorities A heraldic authority is defined as an office or institution which has been established by a reigning monarch or a government to deal with heraldry in the country concerned. It does not include private Heraldry societies, societies or enterprises w ...

. In Scotland, some club logos have been deemed "an heraldic device" by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Because heraldic devices must be authorised by this court, some clubs have been required to change their logos to designs which are not heraldic. Alternatively, a club may apply to have its logo authorised by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Similarly, the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

has regulated club logos, with at least 25 football clubs in England and Wales having designs authorised by the college. In those cases, the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

was granted heraldic badges, which were subsequently licensed to the appropriate clubs.

References

Logos Sports symbols Sports terminology {{sport-stub

See also

References