A list of all Premier League badges ranked: Which is the best one of them all?

A list of all Premier League badges ranked: Which is the best one of them all?

Kevin Omuya
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM

The English Premier League badges are recognizable icons that connect the 20 clubs that make up the Premier League to a shared history and culture. These logos represent more than just a team's history or future goals; they also represent the spirit of the devoted fans who have always and will always support them.

Premier League Badges
The badges of the top four teams in the Premier League, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Manchester United, are the clubs who have qualified for the UEFA Champions League on May 24, 2023, in Manchester, United Kingdom. Photo: Visionhaus
Source: Getty Images

This article explores all English Premier League badges and their impact on football and the bonds they build between teams and their passionate fans. From complex patterns to subtle allusions to a team's legacy, these badges convey tales beyond the field and define the ethos of a top English football league.

Premier League badges ranked

The Premier League's latest badges are rated on complexity, colour scheme, historical importance, and attractiveness. The following are Premier League Badges of 2023.

20. West Ham United

Premier League Badges,
Close-up of the badge of West Ham United outside the stadium before the Premier League match at the London Stadium, London. Photo: Mike Egerton
Source: Getty Images

The East Londoners have used Green Street House (sometimes called Boleyn Castle) as the centrepiece of their symbol for more than a century. There is a persistent urban legend that West Ham's home field, the Boleyn Ground, was one of the locations where King Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn.

Perhaps more so than with Aston Villa or Burnley, West Ham has made the colours of claret and blue iconic throughout Europe. With a history that goes back to its days as Thames Ironworks FC, the club's nickname, "The Hammers," refers to the club's long-standing connection to the ironwork industry in the surrounding region.

19. Bournemouth

Premier League Badges Ranked
General view of the AFC Bournemouth badge pitchside before the Carabao Cup, third round match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth. Photo: Steven Paston
Source: Getty Images

The emblem features a football player heading the ball over the crossbar and the club colours of red and black. The painting celebrates Dickie Dowsett, one of Bournemouth's all-time leading scorers.

Since 2006, Cherry Bear has had Vital Bournemouth as a proud sponsor. One of AFC Bournemouth's most enduring sponsorships can be traced back to the club's mascot, Cherry Bear.

18. Burnley

What Are Premier League Badges On Football Shirts,
The official Burnley club badge on a corner flag during the Sky Bet Championship between Burnley and Sheffield United at Turf Moor on April 10, 2023, in Burnley, United Kingdom. Photo: Joe Prior
Source: Getty Images

The Stork at the top of the crest commemorates the Starkie family, early settlers to the Burnley region. In its mouth, it carries a Lacy knot of the de Lacy family, who owned Burnley in the Middle Ages. The town's cotton history is represented by the Stork's perch atop a hill covered with cotton plants.

The town's cotton history is represented by the Stork's perch atop a hill covered with cotton plants. The Towneley family's "Hold to the Truth" is the town's motto, and the hand below it symbolizes that.

17. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Premier League Teams And Badges,
The official Wolverhampton Wanderers FC club badge on a home shirt on May 3, 2023, in Manchester, United Kingdom. Photo: Visionhaus
Source: Getty Images

Starting with a single leaping wolf on their shirts in the late 1960s, Wolves eventually expanded to three in the mid-1970s. The present emblem was last updated in 2002. However, the original "wolf head" design dates back to 1979.

The club's signature black and gold colours stand out from the rest of the English Premier League. Their inspiration comes from "Out of Darkness Cometh Light," the City's slogan. When there is black, there is no light; yet, when there is gold, there is light.

16. Chelsea

Premier League Badges 2023,
A detailed view of the Chelsea badge is seen inside the dressing room before the League Cup match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Brisbane Road on January 25, 2023, in London, England. Photo: Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC
Source: Getty Images

The current Chelsea crest, which has been in use since 2005, is the club's fourth significant redesign of the range in the club's history, which spans over a century. Since its foundation in 1953, the Blues' predominant colour has been blue, and its logo has always included a lion.

15. Brighton & Hove Albion

Best Premier League Badges,
Brighton and Hove Albion club badge during the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton, on February 13, 2021. Photo: Neil Hall/PA
Source: Getty Images

The sea is represented with martlets (a common bird in Sussex heraldry) and coral on the Brighton shield. After being rebranded as The Dolphins for the 1974–1975 season, Brighton & Hove Albion FC updated their club crest the following year. But it only lasted until 1977, when the seagull logo was adopted, and the team has been known as the Seagulls ever since.

14. Fulham

Best Premier League Badges,
Fulham FC club badge on the corner flag during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Craven Cottage on August 30, 2022, in London, England. Photo: Visionhaus
Source: Getty Images

In 2001, to bring the club into the 21st century, Fulham unveiled a radical new badge design, ditching the club's historical coat of arms in favour of a shield bearing the club's initials, "FFC." The club's black and white colours would be even more uninteresting if not for the addition of just one lone crimson detail.

13. Sheffield United

Premier League Badges 2023
A general view of a Sheffield United badge on a corner flag before the Premier League match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Photo: Rui Vieira
Source: Getty Images

The two crossed swords reflect the City's steel manufacturing legacy. Sheffield formerly supplied 40 per cent of Europe's steel production. These are placed underneath a white Yorkshire Rose, the county's emblem for centuries (in contrast to the traditional red Lancashire Rose).

12. Aston Villa

Premier League Teams And Badges
The Aston Villa badge is on the bench during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City at Villa Park on December 08, 2019, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Photo: Chris Brunskill
Source: Getty Images

They employed a roaring jungle cat as the centrepiece of the design, complete with the club's letters so that everyone could see them and a star to remind their opponents that they had won the European Cup in 1982.

And to ensure everything is in order, the word "PREPARED" has been written across the base. What exactly it is meant to convey is still unclear. To add some variety to its claret and blue slab, the Birmingham giants would have been persuaded to retain the stripes of crests past.

11. Arsenal

Premier League Badges,
The Arsenal badge at the Emirates Stadium. Photo: AMA/Corbis
Source: Getty Images

Since the club's establishment in 1886, when the Borough of Woolwich coat of arms was a major inspiration, the Arsenal crest has included a pair of cannons. The military and the people in that region are pretty close. One of the original three cannons that adorned the crest has been removed, but the new North Londoners' signature gold, white, and red colour combination is still front and centre.

10. Luton Town

Premier League Badges Shirts,
A pin badge of Luton Town FC of the English Premier League: Photo: Matthew Impey
Source: Getty Images

The bee represents Luton's famed straw-plaiting business on the white cross and the hive in the upper right corner. The honeybee is a universal symbol of industry, and the pack alludes to Luton's historic prominence in the straw-plaiting trade. The rose and the thistle are symbols of Scotland; nevertheless, the Napier family crest includes the rose.

9. Manchester United

All Premier League Badges,
The official Manchester United badge on a corner flag during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on February 4, 2023, in Manchester, United Kingdom. Photo: Joe Prior
Source: Getty Images

Like their fiercest rivals 'City', Manchester United's crest has a ship honouring the Manchester Ship Canal above a shield. Of course, accompanying the security as the major attraction of the range is possibly the most renowned and respected of all Premier League or perhaps global mascots, the Red Devil.

Sir Matt Busby popularized the moniker "Satanic being" among the Old Trafford club's fanbase. But now it has taken on far greater significance, not the least of which is giving the club's crest a more modern appearance.

8. Manchester City

All Premier League Badges
The Manchester City club badge. Photo: Chris Brunskill Ltd/Corbis
Source: Getty Images

Like many other northern squads, City places a premium on oceanic proximity. The badge's diagonal stripes represent Manchester's three rivers, and the ship itself is based on the City's ship canal.

One incredibly bizarre component of City's crest is the inclusion of three stars above, which, whilst typically symbolizing some form of club success, in this instance, illustrates absolutely nothing. One can read the Latin phrase "Superbia in proelio," which translates to "Pride in battle," hanging at the badge's base.

7. Newcastle United

All Premier League Badges
Newcastle United club badge. Photo: Mike Egerton
Source: Getty Images

The seahorse represents the City's deep connection to the sea, while the castle is a drawing of Norman Keep, often called "The Castle." United's crest pays homage to the team's historic black and white colours while drawing heavily from Newcastle's coat of arms (a patriotic touch).

6. Nottingham Forest

New Premier League Badges
Detailed view of a Nottingham Forest branded corner flag displaying the club badge. Photo: Andrew Matthews
Source: Getty Images

After the club won two consecutive European Championships, he added two stars and three wavy lines to symbolize the River Trent. The stars reflect Forest's back-to-back European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough, the first of which came only two seasons after he brought them back into the top division.

5. Brentford

Best Premier League Badges,
Brentford club badge on the exterior of the Brentford Community Stadium, in Brentford, United Kingdom. Photo: Visionhaus.
Source: Getty Images

A group of Borough Road College students were profiled in the media for supporting their buddy Joe Gettins by attending his games. The students would rally under the school slogan "Buck up, Bs," with the "B" being for Brentford or Borough. However, the report assumed they were saying "bees."

4. Everton

Premier League Badges 2023
A general view of the Everton badge outside the Goodison Park in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Photo: Simon Stacpoole
Source: Getty Images

Traditional elements of the crest, such as the Latin phrase "Nil Satis, Nisi Optimum," which translates to "Nothing but the best is good enough," have been kept by the Toffees. Roberto Martinez would say the same thing, but the badge is not top-notch.

This rating system says it is below average. The Beacon, an iconic structure in Everton, continues to be featured prominently on the emblem, which is otherwise unchanged other than for its traditional blue colour scheme.

3. Tottenham Hotspur

New Premier League Badges
General view of the Tottenham Hotspur badge. Photo: David Davies
Source: Getty Images

The bird is a cockerel, and former Spurs player William James Scott drew it in the early 20th century perched on top of a football. This was done as a tribute to Harry Hotspur, who is widely believed to have been the club's namesake and who famously wore spurs on his fighting birds.

2. Crystal Palace

Premier League Teams And Badges
A general view of the club badge at Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers Football Club. Photo: Stephen Pond
Source: Getty Images

When Crystal Palace adopted the eagle as their emblem in the 1970s, they struck gold. The original Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire in 1936, but a magnificent depiction of the beast proudly displays a football in its curled claws on the club's current emblem. The logo is black and silver, which is not the standard colour scheme at Selhurst Park.

1. Liverpool

New Premier League Badges
A Liverpool badge outside Anfield in Liverpool, England. Photo: James Gill
Source: Getty Images

Bill Shankly made Liverpool's complete uniform red to make them seem the best. Before the 1960s, Liverpool's shirts, shorts and socks added a lot of white to their stripes. The club's iconic tagline, "You'll Never Walk Alone," is also included on the emblem.

In the 1960s, the team employed the slogan, which has become integral to American football lore. Liverpool's iconic city emblem, the liver bird, has seen various redesigns over the years but now has a badge that does it justice.

Final word

The English Premier League badges are long-lasting icons that go well beyond sports to represent the identity, history, and undying love that characterize football supporters. They have stood the test of time, becoming permanently etched in the minds of football fans across the globe and helping to keep alive the fascinating saga of English football.

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Authors
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Kevin Omuya
Kevin Omuya is a Content Writer with 4 years of experience who joined Sports Brief in 2022. In 2019 he held a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Digital Media from KCA University.