Just outside of Manchester, there is a little place called Oldham, or as they say oop north, Owdem or Owldum, and it is from the local dialect that the owl on the badge of Oldham AFC originated. (PIC 1) This latest badge, or logo as they are now called, has a shield shape, with the club’s colours decorating it. The name of the club is at the top and fiercest owl I have ever seen stares out menacingly from the centre of the shield. “The Latics” as they are nicknamed, from the letic in Athletic, were formed in 1895, and this is displayed at the bottom of the badge.
The previous badge had a much cuter looking owl sat on a football, with the club’s name underneath in a banner. A blue diamond finishes what in my mind is a far better design than that of the present logo. (PIC 2) The club must think so too, as I noticed on the EFL show last night that Oldham was playing with a version of this badge to celebrate 125 years, 1895-2020. It had lost the blue diamond and replaced the club name in the banner with, ‘125 years’. It’s also an improvement on the one before that, which basically looks like a sign for an underground station. (PIC 3) I would like to take this opportunity to thank, Oldham Director/Chief Executive, Alan Hardy, for his help in getting the following information to me. Alan contacted me before the present badge was unveiled, and it’s the owl we are interested in as it has been ever-present.
Alan informs me, that the previous badge in picture 2, was designed and introduced in about 1982. It was adopted in part from the town’s coat of arms. (PIC 4) As you can see, the owl that the club uses on its badge appears four times on the coat of arms. Firstly on the shield, this is derived from the former arms of Oldham, which in turn comes from the arms of the Oldham Family. The owls are simply a pun on the local pronunciation of the word Oldham, which as I mentioned sounds more like Owldum. The three owls on the shield are divided by a gold chevron, and on the gold chief at the top of the shield are three red O`s, the initial of the town. Originally they were three red roses, the red rose is the emblem of Lancashire. On the crest sits the other owl, and again from the former Oldham arms. The owl is shown on its rock rising from a gold circlet, charged with the three rings of the shield. The supporters are two red griffins, one from the Caddertons and the other from the Chethams, both of these families being branches of the de Traffords. The collars they wear are derived from the arms of the Radcliffs, and from each collar hangs a white heptagon, symbolic of the seven authorities in the area. On the left-hand heptagon is a black mullet or spur. The spur refers to spikes of metal worn on boots to hurry up a horse, and they are from the arms of the Asshetons. Spurs and whips are now frowned upon so are no longer used to quicken the pace of a lazy horse. On the other is a black saddle, there to represent Saddleworth. The saddle is a derivation of the name Saddleworth, and means a settlement on a saddle-shaped ridge. The town’s motto ‘SAPERE AUDE” translates as, Dare to be Wise. The second word AUDE is again a play on the pronunciation of the word old, as in AUDE…ham, and of course, an owl is thought to be wise. I don’t know how wise it is to sit on a football as you will get kicked off it sooner or later, but that is where the wise old owl sits on the club badge.
The name Oldham originates from the Middle English word Ald, meaning old, and Holm which means, Island or dry land. Home to Oldham Athletic is Boundary Park, which they inherited from Oldham County in the late 1880s, and after some DIY opened officially in 1904. Today it is a 13,513 capacity all-seater stadium, and due to its proximity to Manchester, local rivals United and City are always made welcome there, at least by the bank manager if not the supporters. For more on “The Latics” it would be wise to go to www.oldhamathletic.co.uk
