Doncaster Rovers Football Club, an English club based in South Yorkshire, is widely identified by its Viking warrior crest. The badge features a gold Viking warrior in a helmet and cloak, resting a sword over his shoulder behind a small shield marked “D.R.F.C.” The shield uses red and white panels and includes the white rose of Yorkshire.[1]
Design and History
The first “crest” worn by the team appeared in 1911-12 when the club’s initials were embroidered onto the centre of the shirt in large lettering.[2] In the 1948-49 season, the team wore shirts with “DRFC” embroidered onto a black shield edged in red. In 1950, the lettering appeared out of a red shield edged in black. This was briefly replaced in 1952-53 with the Doncaster coat of arms.[2]
The town coat of arms reappeared in 1966 on a red rectangle and then, from 1967 to 1972, on a red disc.[2] The familiar Viking crest appeared for the first time in 1972 on programme covers and then on players’ shirts in 1975.[2] The commonly accepted story behind the new design is that the manager of the time, Maurice Setters, was casting about for a new design when an advertisement for Rover cars caught his eye. Although it has not been possible to verify this story, it seems plausible as Doncaster is not known for having Viking connections.[2]
In 1979, a new crest without the Viking was designed to go with Rovers’ new white Sereena strips. This was replaced in 1982 when Hobott took over as the club’s kit provider and added green as an accent colour.[2] The Viking crest was revived in 1987 and became firmly established as the supporters’ favourite, appearing on the various combinations of red and white worn over the following nine seasons.[2]
Prior to the 1996-97 season, the club had planned to wear the Doncaster borough crest and 2,000 were made up but had to be discarded when the council objected. A club official drew a rough sketch of the Viking badge and the result was a poorly designed badge.[2] The familiar Viking returned in October 1998 picked out in white and with the club’s name underneath. This was replaced the following season by a full colour version.[2]
Between 1999 and 2001, the club produced kits under its own “Viking Leisurewear” brand. The second of these introduced a brand new crest of obscure design, with the only link to previous versions being the inclusion of the Yorkshire rose.[2] When Vandanel took over as kit supplier in 2001, they introduced hooped shirts recalling Rovers’ pre-war heritage. Furthermore, the popular Viking crest was reinstated: this was identical to the 1999 version but with the “Doncaster Rovers” lettering omitted.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Viking crest replaced Doncaster’s old civic coat-of-arms badge in the early 1970s after the local council denied the club continued use of the town arms.[1] The Viking gives Rovers a more distinctive club symbol, separate from the older civic crest.[1] The badge’s red and white panels reflect the club’s traditional colours, while the white rose of Yorkshire connects the crest to its regional heritage.[1]
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