MELBOURNE CITY F.C.BRANDING
Melbourne City Football Club, formerly known as Melbourne Heart, is a professional football club based in Melbourne, Australia, that participates in the A-League, Australia’s highest level professional football (soccer) league. In 2014, Melbourne Heart FC was purchased by the City Football Group which announced that it would be rebranded to Melbourne City FC, along with a new logo and new kit designs for the next season.
The new home kit took the white from the club’s previous kit along with the sky blue of other City Football Group teams Manchester City and New York. Meanwhile, their away kit centered on the team’s history; in particular, the red and white colors – its foundation colors, which was in line with the wishes of their fan base. Both sets of kit were designed by Nike, which was announced as the team’s official uniform supplier.
The Melbourne City FC badge was inspired by the heritage of Melbourne and its state, Victoria, while also celebrating current features of its local economy, society, and environment. This included a sky-blue circle surrounding a red cross, which represents the city of Melbourne’s official crest, and also included a sheep, cow, whale and ship in the four white sections. The sheep is based on an Australian Merino, a breed of sheep, while the bull is a Holstein breed – both animals have been a key part of the local economy. The whale represents a Southern Right Whale, a whale that can be spotted frequently off the coast of Victoria. On the other hand, the ship reflects the ship seen in the badge of Manchester City FC. The heart shapes on each side of the badge represent the team’s origins and logo as Melbourne Heart, before it became Melbourne City FC. Meanwhile, the crown at the center of the logo represents the heritage of the city of Melbourne and its historical link with England – the home of Manchester City FC.
Ferran Soriano, CEO of CFG, stated that: “Following a lengthy consultation with the club’s members, partners, the FFA and a range of other stakeholders, we believe the changes announced today will strengthen the club’s ties with the community to which it belongs while expanding its ability to grow commercially and harness the many benefits of belonging to the City family.”
Scott Munn, CEO of Melbourne City FC, said: “The club has worked hard to create an identity for Melbourne City FC that reflects the traditions of its existing fan base and embraces the many sporting, operational and commercial benefits that are provided by our association with Manchester City FC and New York City FC.”