The Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association is the oldest in the UK. Formed in Sheffield in 1867 as the first county FA, it is responsible for the administration, control and promotion of grass roots football in the Sheffield region.

In the summer of 2018 Rocca. was brought in to look at the way it promoted itself on digital and print channels. The work culminated in a brand refresh, including a respectful reworking of the logo.

The organisation exists to serve football in the region – from promotion to safeguarding its role is critical to the continued success of the game. Rocca. worked with the marketing team and general manager to define ‘pillars’ of communication. These pillars represent the themes that the FA works across, from safeguarding to regulation.

Logo development

The original Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA logo was created well over 100 years ago. Over time it has been modulated and tweaked to suit new media and shifting tastes. When we were asked to evaluate it, we did so with the utmost respect for its provenance.

Over time the original shield shape has been wrapped with a roundel. The sheaves of corn within the shield have had their detail simplified. This is likely to aide its application to things like strips, where coarse needlework cannot do this type of fine detail justice.

Rocca. approached the task as if a careful painting restoration. Rather than a total modernisation, the logo has received a ‘light touch’ revision. The type around the roundel was made more legible by correcting its direction. The shield has been dropped in order to give more space to both sheaves and arrow arrangement, and the feeling of perspective has been enhanced by contrasting sheaf size and the use of a horizon line behind them, combined with the effective use of colour.

‘With you from the start’

To bring a sense of history to the length of service the FA has enjoyed, the tag line ‘with you from the start’ has been developed. The line sits on a raft of awareness content from digital banners to pull up banners.

The tag line sits on imagery which reflects the working class, industrial heritage of the region, while projecting a feeling of strength, pride and camaraderie.

‘Changing lives through football’

For grassroots engagement, the tag line ‘Changing lives through football’ was adopted, and designers at Rocca. created a marque in order to make it instantly recognisable on grassroots collateral. Here imagery takes a more human approach, showcasing the FA’s work with the young.

The new Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA branding launched on August 1 2018 to a very positive reception. The organisation is continuing to work with Rocca. to explore new opportunities arising from the refresh.