Hellas Verona FC

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 also reached two Coppa Italia finals and played in Europe. Their colours, yellow and blue, come from the city’s coat of arms, and their nicknames, “the Mastiffs” and “the Scaligeri”, link directly back to Verona’s medieval rulers.

So let’s break it all down bit by bit.

Verona: A northern Italian city at the foot of the Alps. Settled since Roman times - the centre is packed with ruins, most notably the Arena—one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. This is clearly a city where sport and spectacle have been part of daily life for over two thousand years.

Verona has a long history, as you’d expect. This was not just a Roman outpost; it was a

strategic one. Sitting at the crossroads of key routes through northern Italy, it became something worth fighting over. Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Lombard—most had a go at controlling it. In 402, a Roman general defeated the Visigoths here, and not long after, the Ostrogoths made it a centre of their rule. Verona has spent long periods being fought over, rebuilt, and then fought over again, which tends to shape a place. This has all helped turn Verona into one of Italy’s most visited and beautiful cities. It is also the setting for two of William Shakespeare’s plays, including Romeo and Juliet.

It is an Italian gem amongst many other Italian gems.

So far, so clear. Verona. But… why Hellas?

In 1903, a group of students from Liceo Scipione Maffei (a local high school – it still exists) decided to form a football team. When it came to naming it, they chose “Hellas”—the Greek word for Greece—because many of them were studying Classics. And just like that, “the Greeks” were born. Three years later, they played an exhibition match inside the Roman amphitheatre itself to build support. It worked. The club quickly established itself as the city’s main side.

Then came the war. Football stopped during the First World War, and when it resumed in 1919, the “Greeks” merged with local rivals Verona to strengthen their position—forming the club we know today. As for the colours—yellow and blue—they come directly from the city’s coat of arms, which features a yellow cross on a blue background, not unlike the Swedish flag, although that appears to be coincidence and I can’t find any connection.

Ok, so that’s the name and the club’s colours. What of the badge itself?

Let’s start with the ladder…

By the 13th century, control of Verona fell to the della Scala family, also known as the Scaligeri. They ruled the city for over a century and turned it into a serious regional power. Under figures like Cangrande I della Scala, Verona expanded its influence and hosted figures such as Dante Alighieri. The key detail, badge-wise, is their name. Scala means ladder, and the family used it as their symbol… it is basically a pun.

Herladic puns like this come up a lot in English clubs too. Wycombe Wanderers have a history linked to the Sweyn family (Swans) Oldham (Owls from the name) and Port Vale has a connection to the Sneyd family (which used a scythe as their symbol, based on a word play).

So, the Scaligeri ladder still appears on Hellas Verona’s badge today, connecting the modern club directly to the city’s medieval rulers. The Scaligeri also left behind clear signs of their power—fortifications like Castelvecchio and the Scaliger Tombs—so their impact is still easy to see around the city.

Ok, so what explains the two dogs?

Well, one of the key figures in the rise of the Scaligeri was Mastino I della Scala. His nickname “Mastino” — meaning mastiff — as in the dog with a reputation for villence. He was an aggressive and forceful leader, appointed capitano del popolo (“the people’s captain”), a role that gave him authority to act in the name of the citizens. He drove out rivals, crushed opposition, and then turned that same aggression outward, leading campaigns against nearby cities such as Vicenza to expand Verona’s control. That edge has not entirely disappeared—Verona and Vicenza still share a fierce football rivalry today. This picture of the chap in minifigure embraces it all - from his family's crest on the shield to the mastiff on his head.

So there you have it. What do you get when you mix Ancient civilisations, powerful ruling families, attack dog Renaissance city leaders and a group of classic students with a passion for sports?

Hellas Verona FC - the Mastiffs.