BADGES
Sunderland
The Black Cats
From shipbuilding imagery to a heraldic coat of arms, Sunderland’s crests have evolved alongside the city. The club’s red-and-white identity has remained the constant thread throughout every redesign.
THE STORY
Sunderland’s crest history reflects the club’s connection to the city and its industrial heritage. From the 1960s, the club used a series of shield-shaped badges featuring the red-and-white stripes, the club’s initials and a prominent ship, reflecting Sunderland’s historic relationship with the River Wear and shipbuilding.
The design evolved through several variations between 1963 and 1997, with changes to the colours, typography and treatment of the ship and central AFC emblem. In 1997, Sunderland introduced the elaborate coat-of-arms-style crest featuring two lions, a shield, a ship and the motto “Consectatio Excellentiae”, meaning roughly “The pursuit of excellence.”
Unlike many clubs that have repeatedly simplified their identity, Sunderland has retained this more traditional heraldic crest as its principal badge. The Black Cats, meanwhile, remain an important part of the club’s wider visual and cultural identity, even though they are not the central symbol of the current crest.