Ipswich Town Football Club, the professional club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, has used a crest featuring the Suffolk Punch horse since 1972. The current badge is a shield-shaped crest with a white Suffolk Punch horse, a local draft horse breed, standing over a football with wavy lines beneath it, surrounded by the club’s name.
Design and History
Ipswich Town’s shirts did not carry a crest until the mid-1960s, when the club adopted a design based on the Ipswich coat of arms. That early design featured a gold lion rampant guardant on a red background on the left half and three gold ramparts on the right half.[1]
In 1972, the crest was redesigned as the result of a competition. From the hundreds of entries submitted, the club chose the design of Mr John Gammage.[2] Gammage explained his thinking: “Buildings and animals dominate most heraldic designs so I immediately thought of the Suffolk Punch horse.”[2] He described the horse as “a noble animal, well suited to dominate our design and represent the club.”[3]
The badge was modified in 1995 after consultation with a Supporters Forum. The turrets of the Wolsey Gate were moved to the top of the crest, the Suffolk Punch was made bolder, red was incorporated instead of yellow, and the words “Football Club” replaced “FC.”[2][1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Suffolk Punch is the oldest English breed of working horse and is native to Suffolk, the county where Ipswich is located.[3] The horse has remained on the badge since its introduction in 1972, including through the 1995 redesign.[3]
The turret elements on the crest reference the Wolsey Gate, a historic gateway in Ipswich.[1] The club’s traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks.[4]
Typography and Design
The 1995 modification changed the lettering on the crest from “FC” to the full words “Football Club.”[2] The same redesign also replaced the yellow border with red and made the Suffolk Punch figure bolder.[2]
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