Beneath the Badge 1 : Watford FC

Watford FC are a Premier League football club founded in Watford, Hertfordshire. The club secured promotion to the Premier League in 2014-15 and have been competing in England's top division since, they even reached the FA Cup final last season, eventually losing out to Manchester City. The club was founded in 1881 and fused with Watford Rovers to eventually establish Watford Football club as we know it, in 1898. Before then though there were internal disputes over whether to change them name to Watford Herts (for Hertfordshire). In the years following its formation, Watford FC often played in a blue kit. This changed in the late 1950s when they chose to sport gold kit and black shorts- the colours that are found on Watford's badge today. Following the switch to gold and black the nickname of 'The Hornets' quickly stuck, following a popular vote by the supporters' club. This remains in place today, epitomised by Watford's mascot- 'Harry the Hornet'.

It may seem puzzling then, that whilst Watford are nicknamed 'The Hornets', that their current badge displays no hornets. The most recent Watford badge depicts a red stag's head at the centre of a pentagon, which is split into black on the left side and yellow on the right side. This badge has not always been present, however. From 1968 through to 1974 Watford adopted three different badges and whilst they all contained the yellow and black colours seen today, the stag was discarded for a hornet. However, since 1978 the club has chosen to stick with what looks like a moose, but what is actually a stag. The reason for this is based upon Watford's location in Hertfordshire, a county in England that is known for its vast stag population. This harks back to Watford's earlier days where the stag was placed on the 1950 and 1958 badge. Even Hertfordshire County Cricket Club shares an image of a stag, or a fallow deer- it is an image that has become synonymous with Hertfordshire.

Last year the club raised the question to the fans to design their own badge, calling it: 'Designs on the Future', the new badge will be introduced for the 2020/21 season. It may not be too long before we see the hornet once again taking its place on Watford's crest. It seems once more than Watford's image will continue to change and evolve.