Club Crests
Stevenage Town (1953-early 1960s)
Stevenage Town first began using a crest on their kits in the early 1950s, with a shield, outlined with a red and black border, featuring the club's initials below a stitched image of a tiger.
While the club's usual nickname was the Stripes, there was a concerted effort around this time to use the imagery of the striped animal and encourage supporters to refer to their team as the Tigers.
The tiger featured on the front cover of matchday programmes, and the players even walked out to the tune of Tiger Rag, a jazz tune first released in 1917.
By 1961, however, the club had switched crest and the new nickname had failed to catch on. But the image of the tiger proved to be longer-lasting, and featured on enamel badges produced by the Supporters Club throughout the mid-1960s.
Stevenage Town (early 1960s-1967)
In March 1958, the town of Stevenage was officially granted its new coat of arms, and it was taken up by the football club in the early 1960s. For most of that decade it was used on the front cover of matchday programmes, until it was replaced by the crest below in January 1968.
The coat of arms feature an oak tree representing Stevenage's rural history and the amount of woodland in the town, and acorns to symbolise growth and prosperity.
A red band represented the Great North Road that ran through the town, while one star was included for each of the neighbourhoods in the New Town.
The older history of the area was recognised with a sword taken from the coat of arms of the Bishop of London, who owned Stevenage in the Middle Ages.
Also featured was the hart of Hertfordshire, which would become the longest-lasting symbol on Stevenage football crests.
It rested its hoof on a cogwheel, recognising the industry taking place in Stevenage - including at the Geo W. King automative parts factory, very close to Stevenage Town's London Way ground.
At the bottom of the crest was a scroll featuring the town's motto, 'The heart of a town lies in its people'.
The town crest was also used as part of Stevenage Athletic's letterhead during the 1970s.
Stevenage Town (1960s)
Stevenage Town's last crest very closely reflected the town's official crest. The most substantial change came to the wording of the scroll, switching from the town's motto to the name of the football club. A few of the colours were also changed, and some of the detailing removed. This crest was used on the club's official handbooks during the mid-1960s, and featured on the front cover of matchday programmes from January 1968 until the club's demise in the summer of that year.
Stevenage Borough (1980-1994)
Stevenage Borough's first crest lasted for 14 years, and was designed by Paul Dixon. It featured the club's name around a black and white circle, resembling a football.
Stevenage Borough (1994-1995)
Upon reaching the Conference, the club changed its crest to recognise the support it had been given by Stevenage Borough Council over the preceding years. The red tick, inset within a simple circle, mirrored the council's logo.
Stevenage Borough (1995-2010)
Major changes were made to the crest in 1995, ahead of Stevenage Borough's first Conference-winning season. It harked back to Stevenage Town's crest from three decades earlier, with the Hertfordshire hart reintroduced in a more prominent position and sitting alongside decorative banners, now coloured red and yellow. As with that earlier crest, the club's name featured on a scroll and a helmet with crown appeared above the main shield. The shield itself lost its tree, with the background changed to red and white stripes.
Stevenage FC (2010-2019)
Chairman Phil Wallace opted to change the club's name after promotion to the Football League, dropping the Borough moniker; the crest changed accordingly.
Stevenage FC (2019-present)
A major rebrand in 2019 created a crest that was more suitable for the digital age.
Designed by Alchemy Creations after consultations with supporters, it is dominated by a new image of the traditional Hertfordshire hart, surrounded by a red circle containing the club name and the year of its formation in 1976.
Inset within the circle and forming the backdrop to the hart are six red stripes on a white background. They represent the Six Hills, and the six neighbourhoods planned for Stevenage New Town, rejuvenating a symbolism last used on the Stevenage Town crest in the 1960s.
A new colour was also added to the mix, with the previous yellow dropped in favour of gold, said to represent the 'gold standard' that the club aims for.
Thank you to Stevenage FC for permission to use the club crest, and to The Broadhall Way for the image of the 1980-1994 crest.