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This issue of ‘Ma Badge’ celebrates the image on the left breast of Arsenal football club in London, England.

Royal Arsenal was created in 1886 in the south east London district of Woolwich. The district had its own badge which the club looked to for inspiration.

The district has always had a distinctive military history. There are many pubs named after military sections still there today. Along with this there are hospitals and the Royal Artiliery regiment. The club therefore decided to place 3 cannons on its first badge. These were pointing upwards with a lions head at the base of each cannon.

Moving to north London in 1913 Arsenal found a new home at Highbury Stadium in the district of Islington. Soon after they became the first and yet only football club with it’s own underground station which can be found on London Underground’s Piccadilly line.

Arsenal prepared for the 1922/23 season with a game against Burnley. This game came after 4-5 years of war so the country was happy to get back some form of normality.

A new badge was created for this new season with the 3 cannons replaced by 1 cannon facing towards the right with the phrase ‘the Gunners’ to its left. The design was very detailed compared to the last and lasted for 3 years.

The start of 1925/26 season saw the introduction of  the third badge which was now pointing to the left with less detail and still black and white.

1949/50 the badge was changed to include the words Arsenal above a red and white coloured left pointing cannon. This badge included for the first time latin words which read ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’ – ‘Victory grows out of Harmony’

The colours red and green were added to the badge but the effect left the cannon very hard to see as more detail was added to the badge.

2001/2 We were shown the badge with a thick yellow edge with the words of the club written in yellow gothic type. The cannon now in bright yellow with the latin words in red.

During these years the English football industry was rapidly changing. The business of football off the field was becoming very important to what happened on it. As the club looked to the future the decision came to change the badge as financial opportunities came.  

The new badge redesigned the cannon with it now facing towards the right with the redesigned words of the club written above, in a new font.  The background was half red and half maroon with badge edged in gold.                                                                              

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