Northampton Town Football Club, nicknamed the Cobblers, is an English professional club based in Northampton. The club’s visual identity has been shaped by its nickname, which references the town’s historical shoe-making industry, and by the heraldry of Northampton itself.
Design and History
Northampton Town’s crest history includes several distinct phases. After the club’s success in 1963, the town’s coat of arms was added to the team’s shirts, where it was worn until 1967. A new crest appeared between 1978 and 1982, when it was replaced by a simple monogramme. When the team switched to an all-claret kit in 1983, a stylised letter “C” appeared in place of a crest. Another new crest appeared in 1988, a semi-abstract affair based on a ball being struck by a football boot.[1]
In 1992, a proper crest was introduced, based loosely on the Northampton coat of arms but with sufficient differences to make it distinctive. These included a slipper, celebrating the area’s long association with shoe-making.[1]
In 2006, the board decided on another change of image and a new crest was designed. This featured elements from the traditional badge but rendered in a dramatic, modernist style. This crest proved unpopular with supporters, who mounted a campaign for the traditional crest to be reintroduced. Their pressure was successful, and for the 2010-11 season, a new version of the older badge was introduced.[1]
The club confirmed the change in May 2010. Chairman David Cardoza told the official website, “In response to comments from supporters we will be phasing the traditional crest back in over the summer and that will once again be our official club badge, with the official changeover date of July 1st.”[2] The crest worn since the 06-07 campaign was replaced by the original club crest.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
The current crest includes a dragon, which stems from the image of a dragon on the club’s crest, which also includes Northampton castle and a shoe.[3] The shoe at the centre of the crest reflects the club’s nickname, the Cobblers, a reference to the town’s historical shoe-making industry.[4]
The club’s traditional colours are claret and white.[5] The club adopted the municipal claret and white colours after moving up to the Midlands League in their early years.[1]
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