The use of logos as distinguishing symbols in sports and as a way to express a team’s unique identity, history, and values became a common practice in the early 20th century. Over time, these emblems evolved from simple visual representations, often featuring just the teams’ names or cities of origin, to the more elaborate designs we’ve come to know today. 

This means that some crests have histories almost as fascinating as those of the squads they represent, reflecting the numerous transformations they’ve gone through from their inception to the present day. This is especially true of clubs with a long and storied past, such as Fulham Football Club, one of the oldest football clubs in England, with a history spanning 146 years.  

A quick journey back in time will help us uncover the many faces that this now-famous badge has had over the years. 

The beginnings 

The club was founded in September 1879 as Fulham St. Andrew's Church Sunday School F.C. by members of the Church of England on Star Road in West Kensington. In 1888, the team changed its name to Fulham Football Club, and one decade later, in 1898, they turned professional and joined the Southern League's Second Division, being the third football club from London to do so, after Arsenal and Millwall. To celebrate the transition from amateur to professional sports, Fulham unveiled the first of ten different badges that would be used throughout the club’s history. 

This first version of the crest was a black, angled shield with red borders, a typical design for that era, featuring two crossed swords. The FFC initials in red were written inside the shield, around the swords. The colour choice reflected the club’s kit, which at the time consisted of red and white halves. While the first crest was rather modest and very different from the current logo, it holds a special place in the club’s history, marking a milestone in its evolution and laying the foundation for future iterations. 

The second badge (1931 – 1945)

The first redesign brought some major changes to the crest. The only element retained from the initial logo was the shield frame, although it was shaped differently this time. The two crossed swords and the FFC initials were replaced by a stylised image of Craven Cottage – the iconic pavilion that the club built on the site of an old hunting lodge to serve as their headquarters, alongside the adjacent stadium. The club’s name was written above and below the image, and the entire crest maintained a simple black-and-white palette. 

The third, fourth, and fifth badges (1945 – 1972)

After World War II, the logo went through several more changes. This is when the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham’s Coat of Arms began to be incorporated into the crest, featuring its distinctive elements: a sailing ship, the two crossed swords, and blue wave motifs, evoking the area’s maritime and civic heritage. A banner reading Fulham FC was placed below the shield. The design from 1945 had a red background, which was later changed to a white one in 1947. An updated version of the logo was introduced in 1951, removing the banner with the club’s name for a cleaner look. 

The sixth badge (1972 – 1977)

This next crest was a brief stint in Fulham’s logo history, used for only five years, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. It marked a departure from the previous styles, leaving behind the shield and the detailed motifs, and focusing entirely on the club’s initials, FFC, written in a bold, stylised script. The simple monogram was an attempt to modernise the team’s image and strengthen its branding.  

The seventh badge (1977 – 1982)

It wasn’t long before the traditional motifs of the sailing ship, swords, and waves returned, but in a simpler form than the designs from earlier decades, in keeping with the clean, modern aesthetic the team had embraced. The shield shape returned, comprising a simplified version of the Hammersmith & Fulham Coat of Arms, with the two golden criss-crossed swords outlined in red, set against a background of blue waves symbolizing the river Thames. The ship sat atop the shield, featuring a red Tudor rose, and a red scroll with the club’s name was included underneath. 

The eighth badge (1982 – 1995)

The eighth iteration of Fulham’s badge maintained the central elements of the former design, but the shield was replaced with a circular emblem, and the colour scheme also changed slightly. The golden swords were now white, and the ship was depicted in black, white, and blue. An arched wordmark "FULHAM FOOTBALL CLUB" bordered the outer top side of the logo. However, after just two seasons, the club reverted to the 1977 version.  

The ninth badge (1995 – 2001) 

The 90s are widely regarded as marking the beginning of the modern era in football, as it was a period of numerous changes, including the increasing commercialisation of the sport, investments in stadium development, safety concerns, greater awareness of the common injuries sustained by players, and so on. 

For Fulham, the 90s brought another logo change, with a modern interpretation of the 1945 crest. The Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham’s Coat of Arms was simplified, and a castle turret was placed on top, with the red Tudor rose on the flag. 

The tenth badge (2001 – present) 

And so, we’ve reached the tenth and final logo, the one that football fans all over the world have come to know today. This new crest was introduced in May 2001, following Fulham’s return to the top division of English football, and its first season competing in the Premier League. The logo depicts a shield in black and white, the club’s traditional colours, with the red initials FFC in a stylised form placed at the centre.

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