Centre d’Esports Sabadell Futbol Club, commonly known as CE Sabadell FC, is a Spanish football club based in Sabadell, Catalonia, founded in 1903. The club’s visual identity is closely tied to its distinctive blue-and-white quartered playing kit, which has earned the team the nickname “arlequinats” or “arlequinados” (harlequins).
Design and History
The club’s badge has undergone numerous changes throughout its history. According to LaLiga, the badge has had 23 versions prior to the current one, which the club has been using since 1988. [1]
The club’s origins date to 1903, when it was known as Centre Sports. After internal divisions in 1910, the football section split to form Sabadell FC, and the two entities merged on 22 November 1911 under the name Centre Sports Sabadell FC. According to the club’s official website, this merger is reflected in the badge, which incorporates a small panel separating “Centre d’Esports” from “Sabadell FC.” [2]
The club’s quartered shirt design dates to 1913. Before that year, the team wore a striped version between its foundation in 1903 and 1913. [1] The blue-and-white harlequin pattern became so central to the club’s identity that it now defines both the playing kit and the club’s nickname. The club’s official website describes the blue-and-white arlequinada as “the history of a club that has lived a thousand battles.” [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s identity is built around the blue-and-white quartered pattern, which is directly tied to the harlequin nickname. The pattern is so distinctive that it is used to describe the club itself: the official website refers to the “sentimiento arlequinado” (harlequin feeling) as central to the club’s identity. [3]
In 2023, the club celebrated its 120th anniversary with a special commemorative logo. The logo was designed by Pau Quintana, a student of Graphic Advertising at the Escola Illa (School of Art and Design Illa), who won a competition among the school’s students. Quintana was described as a club member since childhood. [4] The commemorative logo appeared on the club’s official shirts during the 2023 season. [5]
The club’s official website notes that the badge has incorporated the separation between “Centre d’Esports” and “Sabadell FC” since the 1911 merger, a detail that preserves the club’s institutional history within the crest itself. [2]
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