Blackpool Football Club’s crest is based directly on the coat of arms of the town of Blackpool, a practice the club adopted when its badge was introduced in 1899, following the fashion of the time.[1] The current crest shows the Blackpool coat of arms with the club’s full name encircling the badge in orange letters.[1]
Design and History
The town crest in its present form came into being in 1899 and has been used fairly consistently by the football club throughout its history.[2] In 1968, the club opted for a considerably more simplified version of its logo, which contained a Lancashire Rose design with a seagull in full flight.[1] Subsequent small changes led to the current crest, which returns to the Blackpool coat of arms.[1]
In 2019, the club launched a campaign that adopted the popular “Tower Power” logo from the late 1970s and 1980s, which at the time featured on the back of the club’s home and away shirts. This was positioned as a sub-brand to the main crest, incorporating the club’s nickname of “The Seasiders”.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The crest depicts waves and a flying seagull, representing the fact that Blackpool is a seaside town.[2] The official blazon of the arms describes the lower half as “Barry wavy of eight Sable and Or,” with a seagull above, and on the upper section a thunderbolt between a fleur-de-lis and a lion rampant.[4] The fleur-de-lis represents the Banks family and the lion represents the Cocker family, both notable in Blackpool’s development, with the thunderbolt between them referencing the town’s pioneering electrification.[4] The seagull indicates a seaside town.[4]
At the top of the arms are windmill sails, a symbol of the Fylde area of Lancashire.[4] The motto on the bottom is “Progress”.[2]
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