Leicester City FC

When it comes to iconic badges, theirs is definitely up there. The Foxes, as they’re famously known, carry a badge and name recognised worldwide. Their historic achievements - championed weekly by their Minister for Propaganda, Gary Lineker on Match of the Day - and their extraordinary Premier League victory under Claudio Ranieri, have cemented their place in Premier League history.

So, what’s the story behind this badge?

Interestingly,

weren’t always the Foxes. When they moved to Filbert Street in 1891, they were given the nickname the ‘Nuts.’ This was either because Filbert is another name for a hazelnut or due to their ground at the time being on Walnut Street. Or perhaps it was both. Either way, they became known nationally as ‘The Knuts’ (with a K, apparently). Perhaps this is what urged them on to find a newer identity...

So, how did they become the Foxes? In 1949, during the FA Cup Final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester appeared with a fox crest on their shirts for the first time (possibly as a playful jab at Wolves?). That said, the fox emblem had been drawn up in the 1920s but hadn’t yet made it onto their kit. I like to imagine an ambitious kit man, the night before the final, sewing on a fox to make a statement.

But why a fox in the first place? Leicestershire is historically linked to fox hunting – the first recorded hunt supposedly took place in 1696 in the village of Quorn. There’s even a small link to Ipswich; the Royal Navy has had three ships named HMS Quorn, after the Leicestershire hunt. One of the 'Hunt Class' series of ships - all named after famous hunts (makes sense now - they hunt for mines... clever). The most recent one, a mine countermeasures vessel, was assigned to Ipswich as her home base. She visited the Waterfront for public tours in 2014. Her crew were given the ‘Freedom of the Town’ and celebrated with a march through the town centre. I remember visiting before an Ipswich home game, where I vaguely remember queuing behind a line of 8 year olds to pretend to fire a mini gun vaguely in the direction of Harwich.

The fox emblem, then, honours the county’s fox hunting heritage. But what about the white flower in the background? That’s directly taken from the Leicester City Coat of Arms – look it up, and you’ll find a five-petalled flower known as a cinquefoil in the centre. This was the family crest of the noble Beaumont family, whose last in line, Robert de Beaumont, was made Earl of Leicester while journeying to the Third Crusade with Richard I in 1190.

So, the badge’s fox head framed by the cinquefoil is a blend of fox hunting tradition and noble crusading lineage. Better than a budgie, that’s for sure.