The North Carolina Courage is a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team based in Cary, North Carolina. The club was formed on January 9, 2017, when North Carolina Football Club acquired the rights to the NWSL’s 2016 champion Western New York Flash and renamed the team North Carolina Courage.[1]
Design and History
The North Carolina Courage crest was introduced alongside the team’s founding in January 2017. The crest blends two distinct visual traditions. It incorporates a stylized lion, a major component of the old Carolina Courage logo from the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), while retaining the brand identity of the club’s parent organization through the signature North Carolina Football Club star and the separated triangle.[1][2]
The colors of the crest mirror those of the men’s side, North Carolina FC, uniting the two teams under the North Carolina Football Club umbrella while maintaining their individual identity.[1] The parent organization’s rebranding changed the team colors from royal blue and bright orange to navy, gold and red.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to the club’s official brand page, the crest’s elements carry specific documented meanings. The white five-point star sits between the “N” and “C” and is a stark symbol of the star on the North Carolina state flag. The star embodies North Carolina as a whole and represents the state’s admission as the 12th US state. The lower right point of the club star, in the shape of the geographical Triangle area, stands alone to place emphasis on the club’s location.[4]
The lioness makes up the base of the NC Courage crest, and its design is a direct reflection of the WUSA’s Carolina Courage logo. The lion’s head from the original Carolina Courage crest was transformed into the head of a female lion to better reflect the team as a group of professional women.[4]
Typography and Design
The crest features the letters “N” and “C” flanking the central star element, with the separated triangle positioned at the lower right of the star. The official brand page describes the star as sitting between the “N” and “C” crest elements.[4] The designer of the North Carolina Courage logo has not been publicly documented.
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
