Manchester City was formed originally as West Gorton, St Mark’s, in 1880. Seven years later they changed to Ardwick FC, and were playing at Hyde Road. In 1894, Ardwick FC became a Limited Company and at the same time changed their name to Manchester City. They continued to play at Hyde Road until August 25th 1923, when they played their first match at Maine Road, pulling in a crowd of 60,000. Man City has had a few badges in their time, and in their early days as Ardwick FC they used a quartered shield with AAFC in the light and dark blue quarters. (PIC 1) This stood for Ardwick Association Football Club. The picture is not the actual badge, as I have only seen a black and white copy of it, so I made picture one, and it can’t be far off. They used this until the name and badge changed in 1894, the badge City chose was the City of Manchester coat of arms. (PIC 2)
These arms were granted to the city in 1842. The golden bands or diagonal stripes on red are derived from the arms of the Lords of Manchester, who ruled the city prior to 1301, and are meant to symbolize the three rivers which run through Manchester city centre. They are the rivers, Irwell, Irk and Medlock. Above this is a ship. A ship! That’s what I thought in full sail as well… in Manchester. I know they’ve got a canal, but a ship! In this case, it is just a symbol of trade and enterprise throughout the world. The crest shows a globe covered in bees, this is related to the ship in as much as it is representing the world that all the goods of Manchester were exported to, and the bee as always in heraldry represents activity, busy as a bee as they say. The bee has become a major symbol of Manchester.
This is from Wiki: “The worker bee is one of the best-known symbols of Manchester. It was adopted as a motif for Manchester during the Industrial Revolution, at a time when Manchester was taking a leading role in new forms of mass production and symbolises Mancunians’ hard work during this era, as well as Manchester, was a hive of activity in the 19th Century. HMS Manchester was nicknamed Busy Bee, after the Manchester bee symbol, and the bee is depicted in the ship’s crest”. The 2009/10 away kit of Manchester City was inspired by the Manchester bee featuring a black shirt with yellow shoulder inserts. Following the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing the bee emblem gained popularity as a public symbol of unity against terrorism, appearing on protest banners and graffiti. Tattoo parlours both in and outside Manchester began to take part in the Manchester Tattoo Appeal in which they offered bee tattoos to raise money for the victims of the attack”. (PIC 3) Back to the arms, and the supporters, an antelope and lion, are derived from the arms of King Henry IV, Duke of Lancaster. The lion stands for bravery and the antelope stands for peace. Lancastrian roses adorn the supporters. The motto “CONCILIO ET LABORE” translates as, By Counsel and Work. Manchester City were happy to use this crest for seventy years, until 1964 when they used a round crest, with the ship and the diagonal stripes remaining in the shield, and the words Manchester City in the roundel. (PIC 4) It changed very little, until the Lancastrian or Lancashire rose replaced the stripes in 1974. (PIC 5)
The next and most famous badge was unveiled for the 1997/98 season. (PIC 6) This badge at first glance looks like something a German might wear on his uniform while marching through Poland, so I will let someone from the club explain the badge, in case I get myself in trouble. This was written at the launch of the badge, and many thanks, to Ian Howard for getting back to me from Man City, and enclosing the following information. This shield was initiated for a variety of reasons according to City Chief Executive Mike Turner: “First and foremost, we wanted to develop a new image for the 21st Century, at the same time we did not want to lose sight of the club’s heritage and that’s why nearly every element of the badge has a link to the past”. The rest of the badge does reflect the club and the city’s history. Mike adds: “We will still be using the city of Manchester coat of arms on club blazers and stationary, it should also help with mounting problems we have been having with counterfeit goods”. Thank you, again Ian. Added to the familiar shield is a golden eagle taken from a City of Manchester crest issued in December 1957. A Latin phrase, decided upon by the club which states “SUPERBIA IN PROELLO” which means, Pride in Battle. Three stars are added to give the badge a more continental feel and added to the shield are the club initials MCFC. The ship, as well as being from the coat of arms, is also now symbolic of the Manchester Ship Canal. The present badge has moved forward by going back to 1974, with the difference being the established date and the three rivers being represented in the stripes, ironically the only thing missing from the 1974 badge. (PIC 7)
The Roman name for Manchester was Mancunium. Chester is from the Roman word Caster, meaning fortified settlement, and a fort was erected in AD 79. The Man in Mancunium is believed to have originated from Mamucium, meaning breast-shaped hill. No need to explain the nicknames of Manchester City as they are self-explanatory and are “The Blues” as well as “The Citizens”. Manchester City moved from their home of Maine Road in 2003 and moved into their new home, the City of Manchester Stadium, or The Etihad Stadium as it is now known. The stadium was built for the commonwealth games in 2002 and has a capacity of 55,000. Of course it goes without saying who Manchester City’s rivals are, so I will go without saying. For more on MCFC make a beeline to www.mancity.com
