Getting no direct help from the club, I have had to glean what I can from snouts, dustbins, and the web, but I did find out that Huddersfield were playing football for 25 years before they gave any thought to playing the game professionally. This was probably, due to the fact that Huddersfield was the home of Rugby League at the time. Huddersfield turned pro in 1908, according to their website, or 1906, according to another site. Whatever date they turned professional, football was being played in Huddersfield from 1882. They were accepted into the Football League in 1910 and remained at the same location at Leeds Road for 114 years. In those humbler days, players were paid six shillings to roll the pitch each week, something a lot of Premiership players do for millions of pounds, or perhaps a penalty. Like most clubs, their early badges consisted of the town’s coat of arms and Huddersfield were no different. (PIC 1)
The arms were granted by the College of Arms in October, 1868. The design was based on the arms of the Ramsden family of Byrom, owners of the manors of Almondbury and Huddersfield. In the shield are three rams, as well as the ram on the crest with a white Yorkshire rose in its teeth. These refer to the Ramsden family. The castle turrets are symbolic of Huddersfield Castle, and three add symmetry. The crest of a ram’s head is similar to that granted to the borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the previous year, this also referred to the Ramsden family arms. The arms feature the motto “JUVAT IMPIGROS DEUS”, which is Latin for, God Helps the Diligent, also rendered as, God Helps the Industrious, and the common form, God Helps Them That Help Themselves.
The club’s present badge, was the brainchild of Huddersfield commercial director Bill Brook. (PIC 2) In 1970, Bill decided that the club needed a nickname, and came up with “The Terriers”. I have not been able to find out why, but more than likely he owned one as terrier’s are as popular in Yorkshire as flat caps, and tubby lasses. So, the three towers and three sheep disappeared from the existing crest and a dog, sorry, a terrier with its paw on a football was added to make up the club badge. Blue and white stripes are the home colours of Huddersfield Town. While I was rummaging around I unearthed a badge from 1980 that featured the most non-heraldic terrier you could imagine, and it is as terrifying as an old lady’s lap, which is where you would likely find it. (PIC 3) Another one from 2000, sees the badge in the roundel with aspects of the original 1970s badge. (PIC 4) It also sports three stars, as the badge does now but didn’t in its 1970 version. The three stars are a boast to the fact they won the old First Division title three times in a row. I can’t remember that, nor could my dad, but that’s not surprising as it was between 1923 and 1926.
The name of Huddersfield originated from Odersfelt, meaning “I am drunk and can’t pronounce where I am from”. Just kidding as it is in fact from, Oder, a Norse name, and felt meaning field. It appears as Odresfeld in the Domesday Book. As I mentioned, Huddersfield’s home was at Leeds Road until 1994, when they then moved into the 24,000 capacity, Alfred McAlpine stadium. Then it became the Galpharm Healthcare Stadium, The John Smith Stadium, and is also known by its real name the Kirklees Stadium. Grounds now change names as often as their shirts, as they are a slave to sponsorship deals. Although capacity is 24,000 it can boast of drawing crowds of 70,000 but that was for a gig by R.E.M. Fans of “The Terriers” clap their hands together on match days, but this is only because they all hate Bradford. Leeds are also considered rivals. If you want to find more on “The Terriers” then you can go walkies to www.htafc.com
