Next up on our tour of Italian cities and their football teams is the ancient city of Padua. Nestled a few miles inland from Venice in the north-east corner of Italy, it has a remarkable history. They are represented on the pitch by Calcio Padova who are currently plying their trade in Serie B amongst the likes of Ashley Cole’s Cesena. Formed in 1910, their best days came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, recording a third-place finish in Serie A. Since then, they have bounc

Mainz, Germany. Located on the west bank of the Rhine River – Northern Europe’s most important trade route. It sits opposite Wiesbaden and close to Frankfurt, making it an important transport hub for the wider region. Its football team, FSV Mainz 05 (founded in 1905 – hence the 05, as many German teams do), has in recent decades cemented itself in the Bundesliga without really challenging for the top positions. A few Europa League forays and a quarter-final appearance in the

A club founded in 1904 (hence of 04), with a huge history, a massive fan base, and one of the strongest traditions of supporter involvement in European football. Relegated recently, yes – but back again now in the Bundasliga and ready to mix it with the big boys of the continent. They have a proud history, able to boast 7 league titles, five German Cups and a UEFA Cup win. They are the 6th biggest club in Europe if using club membership as a metric. To understand Schalke, th

Hamburg SV (Sport-Verein = Sports Club) is a German Bundesliga team from the large and important port city of Hamburg. It is, like many European and Asian teams, a multi-sports club, but its most famous and biggest team by far is its football club. Since their foundation in 1919 they’ve had some remarkable success down the ages: six-time German league champions and winners of the German Cup three times. Last season, they won promotion back to the top division, and this seaso

This is a glorious badge, for a club representing a town with a glorious past. Did Darlington build the modern world single-handedly? If they didn’t, they gave it a damn good go. So, let’s do the National League North outfit the honour and #GetTheBadgeIn. Firstly. The team. The club. The Darlos. Founded in 1883, they initially played in local leagues until becoming one of the founding members of the Third Division North in 1921. In 1925, they won that league and were promoted

Have the Guns Fallen Silent in Crayford? The heyday of British power was fueled be adventure and bravery overseas – but also a lot of extremely hard graft back at home overseen by some of the most technically minded and skilled workers in the world. And it happened in places like Crayford. Formerly part of Kent, now within the London Borough of Bexley, Crayford didn’t just supply the men who went to war – but also the women who produced the weapons and ammunition that sustain

Fish. Peasants. Royals. Rebels - and now a 5th tier Football Team which will be playing some of the biggest and most historic names in English football next season...For a club that not long ago was dealing with debt, unpaid players and uncertainty, it’s been quite a ride. So, congratulations to the 2026 National League South Champions - and let's #GetTheBadgeIn for Worthing FC 🐟🐟🐟 Let's start with the basics: Where is Worthing? Worthing sits on the south coast, just

Alright. Here we go. The one I’ve been dreading. Dreading because I’m an Ipswich fan – and as much as I wish nothing but ill fortune on my fellow East Anglian team – I must begrudgingly admit that their badge and city history is probably one of the finest around. Long ago, the North Folk and South Folk used to be united under several different flags and kingdoms – so I suppose I can take solace in that their history is also one shared by all of the East Angles – and that incl

Jump now to Yemen and do Al-Wehda SCC the honour of looking behind them and their remarkably historic home city, Sana’a, and #GetTheBadgeIn! First, the name. Al-Wehda—we’ve seen this before across the Arab world—it means ‘United’. There is an Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi, an Al Wehda in Saudi Arabia, and an Al Wahda in Damascus—and I’m sure dozens more. Formed in 1954, they have played a huge role in Yemeni football and cultivated a fierce cross-city rivalry with Al-Ahli (‘The Natio

Right. There’s a lot going on with this one, so let’s keep it tight and #GetTheBadgeIn for the 1985 Serie A champions, Hellas Verona. Hellas Verona FC are a professional side based in Verona, currently playing in Serie A. They have one league title (1985) which still stands out as the only top-flight win by a club from a non-regional capital. Founded in 1903, they have spent much of their history between Serie A and Serie B, with their strongest period in the 1980s when they

Al Shabab. In Arabic, it means ‘The Youth’. There are teams of this name in almost every Arabic country, from Iraq to Saudi Arabia to the UAE. In Syria, the Al Shabab team comes from the city of Raqqa. And boy, does Raqqa have a history. Both ancient and modern, it has been at the very centre of world affairs for over a millennium. The team has struggled to establish itself in the Premier League and currently plays in the second division. However, as we will see, the conditio

Bexhill United, currently sitting mid-table in the Southern Combination League Premier Division (the… 9th(?) tier of English football), have an incredible story to tell. So, let’s jump straight in and #GetTheBadgeIn for the pirates of the Sussex coast. Let’s begin with the town to provide the context before we deconstruct their new, funky badge and (not so new) nickname. Bexhill-on-Sea sits on the coast of East Sussex, just along from the slightly more famous Hastings. Indeed

Historic and world famous university town. Famed for their football? Not so much. Not yet. Not recently. But. That isn’t to say that the U’s don’t have a long history themselves. They were close to being one of the Premier League’s founding members, finishing 5 th in the Second Tier (today’s Championship) in 1992 and having reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in their past. More recently they have bounced around between the 5 th and 3 rd tiers – winning the FA Trophy

This is an absolute beauty of a badge and I had a lot of fun researching it. One of those that you assume is so simple, with maybe just one story behind it, but you begin to unwrap it and you end up going down one of the deepest rabbit holes. So, without further ado, let’s #GetTheBadgeIn for Real Club Celta de Vigo! The city of Vigo in Galicia (that bit of northern Spain that sits above Portugal and looks out into the Atlantic) is about as historic as you can get. Built on a

Kilmarnock. Damp air, heavy skies, long winters – and fantastic poetry. And, it would seem, squirrels. Not sure about the squirrels. Let’s go about twenty miles South-West of Glasgow to visit this town of around 50,000 souls and #GetTheBadgeIn to see what we can learn about them, their football team and those squirrels. On the pitch the team dates back to 1869 making them one of the oldest teams in Scotland and the oldest team currently in the SPL. They date back to the days

What connects one of Islam’s greatest battles, the British Empire and…. Brendan Rodgers? A team currently sitting 4th in the Saudi Pro-League has an absolutely incredible story to tell… so let’s #GetTheBadgeIn and see what we can learn from Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah FC. At first glance their badge looks like a very simple, modern and minimalist logo, but in fact it is carrying a huge amount of history behind the brand. Al-Qadsiah’s identity strips things back visually, but

I love old badges like this one, steeped in heraldry and tradition. Blackpool's is an utter beauty with a tonne to unpack. So, let's waste no time and #GetTheBadgeIn and see what it can tell us! Football in the town initially grew out of church teams and school sides, with the club having roots going back to Victoria FC in the 1870s. After splits, disputes, and a decisive meeting at the Stanley Arms Hotel in July 1887, a single club was formed to represent the whole town. By

A badge built on a coat of arms, a club born in a bicycle factory, and a history shaped by industry, resilience and symbolism. So, let’s #GetTheBadgeIn, and see how Coventry ended up with one of the most distinctive crests in English football. Coventry City began in 1883 when workers at the Singer bicycle factory formed a team. Factory sides were emerging everywhere at the time, and Singer’s workforce—skilled, organised and hard working — felt they had something to offer on

In the heart of Catalonia, set along the beautiful Mediterranean costline, sits a football club whose badge carries far more than colours and initials. FC Barcelona are not just one of the most successful teams in world football; they are a symbol of regional identity, political resistance, cultural pride and sporting excellence. Few clubs anywhere can claim that their crest tells the story of a people as clearly as Barcelona’s does – so let’s unpack it as we #GetTheBadgeIn.

In Northern Kazakhstan, where pine forests meet open steppe and blue-grey hills fade into mist, sits a football club whose badge carries industry, legend, and deep steppe memory. FC Okzhetpes are not just a provincial side playing out of the small city of Kokshetau – approximately a three-hour drive north of the capital – and set among some of the most beautiful forests and lakes you will ever find. They are a club shaped by factories, horses, mountains, and a story about fre