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located by Ron Lahav, 2 May 2005The English Football Association's flag was spotted on the Association's web page and flying outside its headquarters at 16 Lancaster Gate, London, W2 3LW. [The FA's headquarters are no loner located on Lancaster Gate, but on Soho Square - Colin Dobson, 18 July 2005.]
The flag is a plain white field with the traditional English Three Lions (King Richard's) and nine red-white roses (of the Lancaster-York peace in the XVth Century). This is the FA's, as well as the English national team's, badge.
This "three-lions-on-a-shirt" badge dates from the late XIXth Century English team international caps. Those caps, awarded to football players on becoming 'international', where at first intended to have been white (of white silk, indeed) with a red rose embroidered in the front (plain white jersey and trunks were the English team uniform up to the 1970s). Nonetheless, the original caps were made out of navy blue velvet with a red rose, which was subsequently substituted by King Richard's three lions.
Guillermo Tell Aveledo, 11 July 2000
I have seen this flag and I think the shade of blue should be darker than that
depicted above. See the current edition of the FA web site, for comparison. This
also features a badge with ten and not nine red roses.
Colin Dobson, 18 July 2005
We have attempted to show only official team flags - i.e. those flying at
official poles on the stadium, or at the team's headquarters. There are a lot of
fan flags, but very few "official" flags.
Jose C. Alegria, 17 April 2005
Football teams "flag-rugs": Having checked with my source of all info
regarding English football, the former President of the Everton Supporters Club,
he informs me that for the past three or four years it has become the custom for
those suppliers catering to various football supporters to issue throw rugs in
the form of club flags. He does not know if they are officially sanctioned by
the clubs themselves, but as he bought an Everton flag/rug at the Everton Club
Shop he assumes that in that case at least he must assume that at least the club
knows about it and has no objection to their flag being used in this manner.
Ron Lahav, 1 May 2005
The arms or logos of many of the teams can be found on the BBC website,
listed according to their leagues in 2005:
Premier
League,
Division 1,
Division 2,
Division 3.
James Dignan, 1 August 2005
Birmingham City FC does not have a flag; however, the team logo is widely
displayed on the usual variety of souvenir items. It consists of a globe over a
football, with a blue ribbon entwined around the two spheres, the whole being on
a white background. On the ribbon are the words 'BIRMINGHAM CITY/FOOTBALL CLUB'
and the date of its founding. The basic colors of the logo are blue and white,
the globe and the football being outlined in that color with a white background,
and the ribbon being a medium blue with the text in white block letters. There
seems to be a wide variation in the shades of blue used on souvenirs etc, and
there are even one or two items with the colors reversed.
Ron Lahav, 7 May 2005
There does not appear to be an actual flag for Bolton Wanderers FC, which is
located in the old mill town of Bolton, about ten miles from Manchester. There
are several versions of the team logo, all in different color schemes, but the
basic design remains roughly the same. A typical representative of these
different varieties of Bolton crests can be found at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_bolton.html.
Ron Lahav, 24 April 2005
Bournemouth FC uses a very stylish
logo which forms the
centerpiece of the unofficial flag used by the club's supporters. It is clearly
the the product of a skilled designer and graphic artist, and is one of the more
striking club logos/flags I have yet seen. The basic element is a knightly
shield, sloping at the sides and tapering to a point at the base, and a
horizontal top, whose line is broken by a football in black and white partially
protruding above it. The central image is a stylized representation of a
football player (or, again to use the British term, a footballer), seen in left
profile. The top of his head is in contact with the base of the football, which
causes it to protrude above the top of the shield, referred to above. The
footballer has his face tipped toward the upper left, and he is shown in white
with his hair defined by minute black crosshatchings. To the left of the
shield the background color is red, while to the right (and separated by the
football) the background consists of vertical red and white stripes. For the
unofficial supporters' flags this image is usually centered on a white
rectangle, although I have seen examples where the rectangle is bordered on all
sides by a thin red line.
Ron Lahav, 26 July 2005
The logo for this club can be found at
http://www.ealing-web.com/brentfdfc.jpg. In recent years, until the county
was entirely subsumed into Greater London, Brentford served as the County Town
of the County of Middlesex, and this is reflected on the club logo. The club
logo also appears as a centerpiece on the flags of its supporters; as usual in
these cases this flag is simply a logo on a white bed field. The logo consists
of a shield quartered, with a concave top, vertical sides, and a rounded bottom
tapering to a point. Across the entire width of the shield at the top and
extending in a bias diagonally from lower left to upper right, with each end
scrolled around the outside of the shield, is a black ribbon. Across the face of
this ribbon, also written on the bias, is the word 'BRENTFORD' in large white
block letters in an italic script. As noted, the flag is quartered; this however
seem to have exhausted the heraldic inventiveness and creativity of the logo's
designer. The upper left quarter consists of alternating red and white
vertical stripes, four apiece. At the bottom of this quarter and written in two
lines of black upper and lower case italic script are the word and date 'Founded
1889'. The upper right quarter depicts two bees with black and yellow bodies and
blue wings buzzing around the top of what appears to be the base of a tower with
an arched entrance. The tower itself is red with white mortaring and rests on a
white background. The bees presumably refer to the team nickname. The lower left
quarter consists of the traditional arms of the County of Middlesex, viz, on a
field gules three swords argent with gold hilts to the fly arranged one above
the other, with a crown or above them. The lower right quarter is simply black
with the words 'Football Club' in two lines of italic upper and lower case
italic script.
Ron Lahav, 28 July 2005
Brighton and Hove Albion FC does not seem to have a flag, but it rejoices in
three separate logos, two of them identical except for color. The team is
commonly known as 'The Seagulls', and the eponymous bird appears on all three
logos. The logos show a gull in flight with wings extended on either a
vermillion
http://www.krysstal.com/club_brighton.html or a deep blue background
http://www.worldfootball.org/logo.php/country/ENG/club/1000000022. In both
cases the central image is surrounded by an outer ring giving the name of the
club. There is also a dark blue badge showing the gull but with the club name
abbreviated in block white capital lettering separated by full stops (periods);
this badge is also to be seen on the World Football web site as given above. I
have not discovered any mention of any club flag, formal or informal, but I
shouldn't be surprised if there were some floating around.
Ron Lahav, 1 July 2005
The clearest image of the Bristol City FC coat of arms can be found at
http://www.krysstal.com/images/club_bristolcity.gif. These arms consist
of a red shield with a silver sailing vessel lined in black sailing from right
to left. This vessel has a two-towered castle-like structure amidships, also in
silver and black; atop the two foremasts of the vessel as well as on the two
towers of the castle, silver flags are flying. At the lower left of the shield
is a symbolic representation of the River Severn in light blue, crossed by two
wavy black lines, while to the lower right is a light green cliff. Beneath the
shield is a silver ribbon furled at each end, and with the word 'BRISTOL' in
black block lettering on the left-hand section of the ribbon, the date '1897'
also in black on the small central section, and the words 'CITY F C' likewise
written in black block lettering on the right-hand section. Standing as
supporters to the right and left are two golden unicorns with silver horns,
while above the shield is a knight's casque in silver with black lines. Atop the
casque is an intertwined device in dull green and gold, with a set of scales in
black suspended from the gold portion.
Alternate versions of these arms can be found at the Bristol and West Building
Society and Bristol City Academy web sites. The B&W version has the club coat of
arms in a much reduced format, with the initials 'BCFC' written in red block
letters beneath it. The entire image is on a shield with a white background and
bordered black, all on a red field. The City Academy version is virtually
identical to the B&W one, except that there is no red field.
Telephone conversations with the BC public relations office have revealed that
the supporters' flag simply containing the large version of the club coat of
arms is the most official of the unofficial versions, in that it has been
displayed in the Chairman's office, the Directors' Meeting Room, and a few other
places, although the club has never actually gotten around to make this version
fully official; I forgot to ask whether this flag is currently displayed
anywhere on the club premises. The flags most commonly seen at matches, the PR
wallah told me, were the ones with the club logo (as opposed to simply the club
arms) on the red field, as seen on the B&W web site; apparently these have been
given away regularly at various local branches of the building society or else
were sold with proceeds made available to charity. Finally, I was told that in
recent years the club logo on a white field has been seen as well.
Ron Lahav, 30 July 2005
The arms of the Club are the arms of the City, with the exception of the
motto. The arms at the krysstal site are a simplified version of the city coat
or arms at, for example,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bristolarms.PNG.
André Coutanche, 1 August 2005
The Burnley FC, known as the Clarets, have a very beautiful heraldic
achievement of arms which can be seen at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_burnley.html. I have been unable to find any
information as to whether the club uses a Banner of Arms for either a formal or
an informal flag, so on present evidence the club has no flag.
Ron Lahav, 18 June 2005
Cardiff City Football Club plays in the English League, and their team is
nicknamed 'The Bluebirds'. This is reflected in their crest, which is shown on a
sky blue background and which can be found at
http://www.bluebird-electric.net/bluebirds.htm. The unofficial team flag is
simply an enlargement of the logo on its background, a team crest centered on a
sky blue rectangle.
Ron Lahav 29 June 2005
Charlton Athletic is one of the lesser known London sides in the Premiership.
I have been unable to find an actual flag for the club, although my source on
all matters related to English football tells me that he has seen Charlton
supporters waving flags of different colors with the team logo or crest in the
center. This crest is very striking and modernistic, and can be found on the Web
at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_charlton.html.
Ron Lahav, 7 May 2005
Crewe Alexandra FC has neither a flag nor a particularly interesting logo.
For the record, its colors are red and white.
Ron Lahav, 3 July 2005
Derby County Football club uses an informal flag in the form of a logo on a
plain field. In the center of a white rectangle is the club logo, which consists
of the outline of a stylized ram in dark brown with a golden horn. This is
merely an extension of the club logo per se, which can be found at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_derby.html.
Ron Lahav, 7 June 2005
When I contacted the PR Office of Doncaster Rovers to inquire about a
possible flag, I was referred to the manager of the club shop. He informed me
that he had never heard of an actual flag, but that he sold a large variety of
items such as white t-shirts, anoraks, trainer tops, baseball caps, etc, with
the club logo. The logo is quite unusual, and shows the left profile of a man
wearing a winged helmet, with a gold cloak spread out over his shoulder and
chest. The club crest appears in the shape of a brooch; it is a standard shield
divided horizontally white and red, with the white Yorkshire Rose in the center
of the bar and the initials 'D.R.F.C' beneath. I am not sure who or what the
helmeted figure is supposed to represent. The manager also mentioned that during
WWII many of the Polish military and RAF personnel stationed in the area became
keen 'Donnies' supporters because of the team's crest, although the design
antedated the war by several decades; since the fall of the Communist regime in
that country several DR supporters clubs have been established in Poland. The
logo can be seen at
http://www.footballhotels.co.uk/images/doncaster.gif.
Ron Lahav, 6 August 2005
Gillingham Town FC, appropriately known as the Gills, is based in the town of
the same name in the County of Kent about 45 miles SE of London. The side has a
very distinctive flag, very simple but quite effective for a sporting team. The
flag is a black rectangle with the large block letters 'GFC' written in bright
blue in the center. There is also a club logo, which seems to exist in two forms
or rather colors; I have been unable to determine which is definitive: at
http://www.nutrocker.co.uk/animatedgifs8.html the shade of blue to the right
of the shield is very dark, almost navy, while at
http://www.eastendvilla.co.uk/images/gillingham.gif the shade of blue is
bright blue. Now
nutrocker.co.uk
seems to have a definitive lock on team logos, but on the other hand the blue in
eastendvilla.co.uk is the
same shade as the coloring of the letters on the flag, so I guess it is a case
of 'yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice.'
Ron Lahav, 2 July 2005
Hartlepool United FC takes its name from the fact that it actually represents
both Hartlepool and its neighboring Urban District of West Hartlepool (although
I understand that since 1974 both former Urban Districts have since been
subsumed into one Borough named Hartlepool). The area was a major shipbuilding
and maritime center for much of the 19th and and 20th Centuries, and this is
reflected in the team logo, which is the basis of the supporters' unofficial
flag. The logo consists of a 12-spoked red ship's wheel, with a black and white
football at the hub. Above the device are the words 'HARTLEPOOL UNITED/FOOTBALL
CLUB' in two dark blue lines, and beneath the wheel is the motto "The Town's
Club" also in dark blue
on a white ribbon.
The supporters' flag consists of this logo centered in the middle of a white
rectangle. The logo itself is visible at
http://www.nutrocker.co.uk/images/60x60/soccer60x60/hartlepool_united.jpg.
Ron Lahav, 13 July 2005
Huddersfield Town FC has a variety of logos, of which only two will be given
in detail here. A modern variation based on the shield of the traditional
heraldic logo (q.v.) can be found at
http://www.krysstal.com/images/club_huddersfield.gif. This is a double
ringed circular seal with white as the background color for the outer ring. At
the top of this outer ring are three large gold five-pointed stars, and the
words 'HUDDERSFIELD TOWN' in thin stylized black block letters at the bottom.
The central image consists of six white and five blue pales at the top, with a
white bordure beneath them. In the center is an upward-pointing chevron, also
with a white border at the bottom and with a white Yorkshire Rose at the apex of
the chevron; a blue five pointed star is at the center of this rose. The bottom
of the central image is a gold field on which a black drawing of a Yorkshire
terrier can be found at the very bottom. The dog has his right paw over a brown
football.
A much more elaborate logo can be found at
http://www.gwgame.net/lotts/HUDFC.jpg. Most of the elements in the former
logo have been redrawn, but I have been unable to ascertain which is the older,
although my guess is that this version is. The number of pales has been reduced
to five blue and four white, and the border beneath them has been narrowed in
size although still white. The chevron no longer has a border between it and the
bottom portion of the crest, and it now has two white Yorkshire Roses without
stars, one in each bend of the chevron. At the bottom the background color has
been changed to gold, and the Yorkie has been removed from his place at the
bottom to be replaced by a ruined tower in white and black. The crest is now
mantled in blue and white, with a knight's casque in white with a red visor and
epaulettes and a blue and white cord wound around the top. Atop this casque sits
our friend the Yorkie, now in the same background color as the lower part of the
crest. Curling around the base of the crest is a pale blue ribbon with the words
'HUDDERSFIELD TOWN AFC' written in white block letters. The entire achievement
of arms is placed on an irregularly shaped dark blue mound.
If these two versions weren't enough, additional redrawings of the Huddersfield
logo can be found at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/sport/images/football_logos/huddersfield.gif,
http://www.nitrocker.co.uk/images/60x60/soccer60X60/huddersfield_town.jpg,
http://www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/football/engdiv2/huddersfield.gif,
and finally
http://www.zerozero.pt/img/logos/equipas/2583_simbolo.gif.
Given this plethora of logos, one would logically expect that at least one of
them would be used as the basis of some sort of flag.
Ron Lahav, 4 August 2005
Although Hull City FC does not appear to have a formal flag, they possess
such a multiplicity of logos that I am certain that at least one of them is used
as the basis for an informal flag. Among these logos is a very striking one
which can be found at
http://www.footballhotels.co.uk/images/hull.gif. This depicts a shield
divided into two unequal portions. The upper part of the shield has a black
background color and features an image of the Humber Bridge in ultramarine.
Between the columns of the bridge are three golden coronets. The lower part of
the shield has an orange background color, and features a stylized full frontal
view of a tiger's head in black. Beneath the shield is a gray ribbon bordered
black and folded into three unequal parts; the large central fold contains the
words 'HULL CITY A.F.C.' in black block letters, while on the left and right
folds respectively is the word and date 'Est.' and '1904.'
The second logo can be found at
http://www.nutcracker.co.uk/images/60x60/soccer60x60/hull_city.jpg. This
logo also uses a shield format, but it is far less complex. The upper portion of
the shield is likewise black, but contains the words 'HULL CITY AFC' in white
block letters without full stops after each letter in 'AFC', as well as no image
of the bridge. The lower portion of the shield is a paler shade of orange, and
features a tiger's head proper in 3/4 profile facing left. Traversing the bottom
of the shield about 3/4 of the length down is a ribbon in black with the words
'THE TIGERS' in white block letters on the central fold of the ribbon. A variant
of this shield can be found at
http://www.4football.net/hull/crest.gif. In this version the background
color of the lower part of the shield is a yellowish orange, and the ribbon at
the bottom is similarly colored, with black borders. The words 'THE TIGERS' are
written in white block lettering on the central fold of the ribbon.
Ron Lahav, 10 July 2005
The version you see most of the time currently, on replica kit and so on, is
the second. However, the point is moot, since the KC Stadium does not have a
flagpole (it's quite new as well), so no flag.
Ian Sumner, 11 July 2005
There is an informal flag used by supporters of Ipswich Town FC, which
consists of a white rectangle on which the club crest, as depicted at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_ipswich.html is centered. There are also
several club rugs produced by various manufacturers which resemble a vertical
flag with the club crest centered on a field which looks suspiciously like RAF
blue, some of which have additional lettering at the top and/or bottom of the
rectangle.
Ron Lahav, 5 June 2005
No flag known. The club logo consists of a heraldic shield quartered
alternatively red and blue with a white cross dividing the shield; each
quartering has a heraldic emblem in it - a wheat sheaf, but aside from what
appears to be a Scottish Thistle in the lower right I can't make out the details
otherwise. It would appear that whoever designed the logo spent too much time in
the Dominican Republic. Above the shield is a straw hat of the type commonly
known as a 'Boater', having originally become popular during the
Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race during the early years of the 19th Century. This hat,
together with the team nickname 'THE HATTERS', refer to Luton's history as the
center of the English hat-making industry, from before the Industrial Revolution
until quite recent times, when men ceased wearing hats on a daily basis.
Ron Lahav, 6 July 2005
The crest of the club has a number of disparate elements; the background
color is either a light or an olive green, with a yellow bordure surrounding a
canary in its eponymous color perched on a twig. One claw of the bird obtrudes
upon what could either be a clock face (it has the 9 o'clock position marked) or
the sun; in any event this is also canary yellow. In the upper left of the
shield are a stylized representation of the Norwich city walls, which date from
medieval times, and an English lion in its common medieval presentation. Both
the wall and the lion are likewise in canary yellow, with the wall above the
Lion. I am reliably informed that there is an unofficial flag which is
rectangular, with a light green background, and with the elements of the crest
in the center minus the bordure.
Ron Lahav,19 May 2005
The team logo is available at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_forest.html; it consists of a stylized tree
underneath which are three wavy lines, supposedly representing the River Trent,
and the word 'Forest' in an artistic upper/lower case script. The logo is in red
on a white background, and the unofficial club flag is the same except that it
is centered on a white rectangle.
Ron Lahav, 4 July 2005
Plymouth Argyle FC, in the South West of England, does not seem to have a
flag. Their logo is quite simple but effective - a full-rigged sailing ship in
white on a black or dark grey shield.
Ron Lahav, 27 June 2005
I have been unable to find an actual flag for the Portsmouth Football Club.
However, a complete achievement of arms for the club can be found on the web
site of the Portsmouth Association of Disabled Supporters, which can be found at
http://uk.geocities.com/padsforpompey. Pompey is the nickname for the city
of Portsmouth. The central shield of the arms, namely the gold crescent and star
on a dark or olive green field, is generally used as the club symbol.
Ron Lahav, 15 May 2005
Preston North End FC uses an informal flag consisting of the club crest
centered on a bright blue rectangle, with the words 'Preston North End FC'
written in white block letters beneath the crest. The text appears in various
sizes and in three rows, with the bottom row in smaller size lettering. The
crest itself can be found at
http://www.eastendvilla.co.uk/images/prestonnorth.gif. The symbology of the
crest is overtly Christian, in that it consists of a Lion and a Lamb lying side
by side in front of what I assume to be a full moon, since it is orange and
appears on a blue background. A Cross is slung over the Lion's left shoulder.
Several English football clubs use Christian symbology in their heraldry, but I
have never been able to discover the reasons for this.
Ron Lahav, 6 June 2005
Reading FC seems to have two informal flags, both using logos on a plain
field and either red or white backgrounds. The logo however is very interesting,
and is semi-heraldic in design. It can be seen at
http://www.itpartnerships.co.uk/events.htm. The logo is in the form of a
seal similar to the American municipal seals and consists of a circular format
divided into an outer and an inner ring. The logo itself has an external border
of crimson and an internal one of black fimbriated gold. The background color of
the outer ring is white, and at the top are the words 'READING FOOTBALL CLUB' in
blue block lettering; at the bottom of the outer ring are the words 'EST. 1871'
similarly written.
The central image is quartered as follows; first, per fess argent and azure
three and two; second; gules with a black lion passant facing dexter; third,
likewise gules but containing a black crown: and fourth, per fess argent three
and two. In the center of this image is an old-fashioned football in brown
seamed black and with a white border.
Ron Lahav, 9 June 2005
The Rotherham United FC logo exists in two forms, both listed on sites which
appear to be equally definitive. At
http://www.krysstal.com/club_rotherham.html the logo consists of a red
shield with what looks like four sails of a windmill with a small red dot in the
center, resting on a football. An alternative version, with a completely redrawn
football and a black dot in the center of the windmill, and the edges of whose
sails are likewise in black, can be found at
http://www.nutcracker.co.uk/animatedgifs8.html. In both cases the logo is
shown on a white background, and I should not be surprised if Rotherham
supporters did not wave an informal flag or two, but as to which design is
definitive is open to question.
Ron Lahav, 5 July 2005
Sheffield United FC, commonly known as 'The Blades' with reference to the
tradition of cutlery manufacturing in Sheffield, has neither a formal nor an
informal flag, according to
http://www.krysstal.com/club_sheffunited.html. The club logo consists of a
circular format with a thick red outer ring bordered white internally. At the
top of this circle are the words 'SHEFFIELD UNITED F.C.' in white block letters,
and the date '1891' is similarly written at the bottom. The central image is
black, and depicts two white scimitars crossed at the hilt at the bottom of the
image, with a White Rose of Yorkshire at the top. The symbolism likewise refers
to Sheffield as a traditional center of sword and knife making.
Ron Lahav, 11 June 2005
Sheffield Wednesday FC is one of two of the football clubs in that city.
Sheffield Wednesday are known as 'The Owls', and the owl features prominently on
their logo. The club flag is essentially the club logo on a blue rectangle.
However, this flag is not to be found on the club web site. The flag can be
found at
http://www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk/images/casestudies/owls_logo.gif.
Ron Lahav, 12 July 2005
Southampton FC, otherwise known as the Saints, do not seem to have an actual
flag, but there is a logo which is vaguely heraldic in its composition. I have
been reliably informed by several acquaintances that even if there is no actual
club flag in a formal sense, the supporters of most sides simply take the crest
or logo and affix it to the center of a rectangular piece of cloth, usually in
the team colors. The Southampton flag, therefore, would consist of perhaps eight
or ten vertical red and white stripes with the club logo somewhere on it. If it
were in the fly it might possibly be mistaken for a US Coast Guard ensign, but I
would guess that the logo is in the center of the rectangle. Any such flag,
however, is, I stress purely an informal arrangement on the part of supporters
and is not necessarily approved by the club itself, and this is true of most
club crests, seals, or logos as well.
The Southampton logo can be found at
http://www.krysstal.com/club-southampton.html.
Ron Lahav, 16 May 2005
There do not seem to be any flags used, although there is a very elaborate
heraldic display at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_stoke.html. For their part, the Stoke
supporters' web sites shows a very simple shield, again with no sign either that
this is used as a flag. This can be found at
http://www.stokecityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/CustomerCharter/0,,10310,00.html.
Ron Lahav, 17 June 2005
Sunderland FC (officially Sunderland AFC, the 'A' standing for 'Association'
- Association Football being the original name of the sport and referring to the
rules formulated by the Football Association) has a heraldic coat of arms which
can be found at
http://www.weephillie.co.uk/newbadge.gif. The badge shown at this site has
apparently recently been redrawn. There are several versions of Sunderland
flags, which seem to follow two basic patterns or designs. Both patterns feature
the coat of arms on a plain field rather than an actual Banner of Arms.
Background colors vary from white to black, gray, russet, and others. Some
flags, particularly those which use the plain white background, are simply on a
plain field. However, other flags (including some white ones) have the words
'STADIUM OF LIGHT' underneath the arms. This refers to the new state of the art
grounds of the club. This slogan appears in gold, white, black, red, and green,
any of which can appear on any colored background. These words can appear either
in the form of a horizontal line directly underneath the arms, or in the form of
an arc. The motto of Sunderland AFC is 'Consecratio Excellentia'
('Consecrated to Excellence').
Ron Lahav, 1 June 2005
The Tranmere supporters flag consists of the heraldic arms of the club, which
are dark blue on a white background, extended to form a LOB on a white
rectangle. I have attempted to trace the origins of these arms, which I believe
are based on either the former Birkenhead arms or on those of the Egerton
family, who were leading landowners in the area, but I have thus far been
unsuccessful. The person with whom I spoke in the Rovers Press Office did not
know their origin. The England version of the Tranmere supporters' flag can be
found at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_tranmere.html.
Ron Lahav, 11 July 2005
West Bromwich Albion FC is located in Birmingham, and has invariably either
just been relegated or just been promoted. While there is no official flag,
there seem to be a number of unofficial ones, as apparently is the case now with
most English football sides. As these flags are generally in the team colors or
the pattern of the team strip, I would assume that these would consist of the
team crest either on a flag divided blue/white or else b/w/b, or they would
follow the striped pattern of the team strip with the crest in the middle of a
series of vertical stripes in the team colors. The difficulty arises because
there seem to be two separate and distinct versions of this team crest. For
example,
http://www.krysstal.com/club_wba.html indicates that the stripes are a
medium blue and white, and the bird (a thrush) sits on a branch with bright
green leaves and bright red flowers. On the other hand, the
official club web site presents the stripes in a darker blue, with the
branch and flowers also in darker shades. I suppose that this is a case of one
paying one's money and taking one's choice. I would bet that both versions of
the crest
are available.
Ron Lahav, 18 May 2005
There are at least three unofficial flags for the Hammers. All feature
versions of the club crest as depicted at
http://www.krysstal.com/club_westham.html. The first version is violet, with
the team crest and motto as depicted, including the light blue bordering. The
second version is simply a logo on a plain field, also violet, with the central
heraldic elements of the crest and the scroll but without the light blue bordure
setting it off; in other words, the crest is not differentiated from the flag
itself. The third flag is a vertical bicolor, violet-gold-violet, with the club
crest (including light blue bordure) in the center of the gold stripe. I
understand that after the Hammers secured the victory in the playoffs which
returned them to the Premiership, a number of yet more 'informal' informal flags
appeared, using the basic design of V-G-V and the crest with light blue bordure,
but with various texts in violet or light blue featuring the words 'Back Home
Again!' or 'Back in the Premiership' in various arrangements both above and
below the logo.
Ron Lahav, 8 June 2005
Another very large supporters flag
was spotted by Jan Mertens draped on a house in London. It consists of the
St. Georges cross flag of England with simple crossed black hammers in the upper
hoist.
Jan Mertens, 3 January 2006
In my opinion, this is almost certainly a football flag, as the car parked in
front of the house is bearing two of the now very common St. George's car flag
variants, this time with the three lions crest of the Football Association (and
the England national football team) superimposed upon them. As Dean pointed out,
West Ham (in east London) are known as the hammers. Such displays have become
increasingly common in recent years during international football tournaments
and no doubt will once again be prevalent during World Cup Germany 2006.
Colin Dobson, 3 January 2006
The wide variety of West Ham United flags used can be seen on a photo of the
crowd in the stand at
http://www.ukexpert.co.uk/photopost/data/597/4whu1_5300026.jpg (upper left
corner shows the thin hammers on the St. George's cross).
Jan Mertens, 4 January 2006
Wigan Athletic seems to be one of the few top flight English football clubs
which does not have even an informal flag or flags. Several versions of the club
logo, which is also heraldic in form, are extant; although none is cited as
being official, I would guess that the version which appears on the club's own
web site would be as close to that as one would get:
http://www.wiganlatics.premiumtv.co.uk.
Ron Lahav, 4 June 2005
The Wolves, as they are known, are one of the oldest and most famous sides in
English football, and their logo, as shown at
http://www.krysstal.co/clubs_wolves.html is one of the most widely
recognized. This logo serves as the centerpiece of two informal flags used by
Wolves supporters, which are thus both LOBs. The first one is bright blue, the
color of the team jersey, with the logo in the center, and the second is simply
white. My own preference is for the bright blue flag, as the logo would probably
stand out more clearly than on the white flag.
Ron Lahav, 14 June 2005
