RC Strasbourg Alsace, commonly known as Racing Club de Strasbourg, is a French football club founded in 1906 and based in Strasbourg. Its visual identity has evolved through several distinct phases, with the current crest rooted in a design first introduced in 1976 and restored in 2006.
Design and History
The club’s return to its former name in 1976 was accompanied by the creation of a new crest, which took the form of a circle featuring a red stripe on a blue background, with a stork whose wings surrounded Strasbourg Cathedral and the RCS monogram [1]. This 1976 emblem was created free of charge by François Haubtmann and Roland Anstett [1]. It became known as the club’s “historic” crest, worn during the 1979 championship title, the 1992 promotion, and the 1997 Coupe de la Ligue victory [2].
In 1997, under president Patrick Proisy, the club adopted a new logo that supporters never accepted, and which was described as purely commercial and lacking any strong regional symbols [3]. After years of pressure from supporter groups, the historic 1976-style crest was brought back in 2006, the club’s centenary year [1].
In 2012, following the club’s financial liquidation and relegation to the fourth tier, the club was renamed Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace. The new name was reflected in a slight modification of the logo: the word “Football” was replaced by “Alsace,” and the initial A was integrated into the RCS monogram [1]. The change was presented by club president Marc Keller alongside regional and city officials, and was tied to a €600,000 annual regional subsidy [4]. The logo kept its colors, stork, and cathedral; the only changes were the added A after RCS and the word “Alsace” replacing “Football” [5].
The 2012 modification drew strong opposition from the Fédération des Supporters du Racing Club de Strasbourg, which rejected the new version and displayed a 30-by-30-meter tifo of the old logo at the Meinau stadium [6].
In 2016, as the club returned to Ligue 2, a new logo was introduced. The club retained its “Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace” name and RCSA initials, and the new crest was created in consultation with the Region, the City of Strasbourg, the Eurométropole, and supporter associations [7]. The RCSA typography at the center of the logo was replaced by its predecessor, while the mention “Alsace” was kept at the bottom left of the crest [8]. The A was removed from the central monogram after discussions with supporter associations [1]. This 2016 version remains the club’s current logo [9].
Meaning and Symbolism
The historic crest combines several local symbols. The cathedral represents Strasbourg, while the red stripe corresponds to the city’s coat of arms. The stork, a regional emblem of Alsace, is a nod to the region. The blue and white colors also feature prominently, with the full club name “Racing Club de Strasbourg, section football” displayed around the crest [2]. The 1976 crest is noted as the only one in the club’s history to combine all four elements: the RCS monogram, the city coat of arms, the stork, and the cathedral [10].
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