Hartlepool United Football Club, the English club based in Hartlepool and nicknamed Pools, has used a series of distinct crests since its founding in 1908. The club’s visual identity has shifted between maritime imagery and the heraldic hart, a stag associated with the town’s name and seal.
Design and History
For over two decades, Hartlepool United wore a supporter-designed crest featuring a ship’s wheel, introduced in 1995. That badge carried the message “The Town’s Club” and was created before digital and social media became widespread, which the club said made its intricate design impractical to use, particularly at small sizes.[1]
In June 2017, the club unveiled a new crest, describing the redesign as sitting “in the middle of a wider project of refreshing the club’s identity.”[2] The new badge returned to a hart, a male deer, standing on water, a heraldic pun on the name Hart-le-pool.[1] The club stated that the 1995 logo did not reflect the club’s history.[1] The 2017 redesign was created by designer Mick Watson, who discussed the badge on the Howler Radio podcast.[3]
In 2026, the club introduced an enhanced version of its crest, which appeared for the first time on the home shirt for the 2026/27 season. The club described the enhanced crest as representing “an important moment in Hartlepool United’s evolution.”[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The hart has deep roots in Hartlepool’s civic identity. The town uses a seal dating from 1200 that shows a hart at bay in a pool, an illustration of the town’s name.[5] The 2017 club crest revived this motif, placing the hart on water as a visual pun on the town’s name.[1]
The ship’s wheel, which featured on the 1995-2017 crest, reflected the town’s maritime heritage. The club’s 2026/27 away kit later incorporated a tonal ship’s-wheel pattern, described by the club as inspired by the supporter-designed crest worn between 1995 and 2017 and by the town’s proud maritime heritage.[6]
Typography and Design
The 2017 crest was designed by Mick Watson, who joined the Howler Radio podcast to discuss the badge’s design.[3] The club’s reasoning for replacing the 1995 badge centered on practicality: the old crest’s intricate design did not replicate well in many online media and printed items, particularly at small sizes.[1]
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