After lengthy deliberation from our judging panel, who had the unenviable task of whittling down 40 entries to just 8, the London FA are proud to announce the finalists for our Logo Limelight Contest!

Our finalists will now go head to head for your votes! Over the weekend, we will be running Twitter polls where you can vote for your favourite badge, starting Friday 27th August at 5pm and ending Tuesday 31st August at 12pm. The badge with the most votes will win our prize!

Check out below each finalists’ badge and their stories to help you make your decision.

Hackney Women

The club has turned 35 years old this year. We are the oldest all-out LGBTQ+ Club in London, possibly England. Established in 1986, against the backdrop of anti-gay sentiments linked to AIDS and the introduction of Section 28, the club created a logo that was designed to empower all women. This was particularly for LGBT women at a time when it was illegal to promote their identity. It was decided to use the female symbol as a basis to show that the club is built by and for all women. The black and white colours symbolise inclusivity of all ethnicities and again is meant to show the club’s status as an inclusive environment for all women, from all demographics and minorities. At the time it was established this was particularly potent in British society. In 2016, to mark the 30th birthday, the logo was updated to include the slogan ‘playing with pride since 1986’ - an easy decision to make, with the word ‘pride’ having multiple meanings (support of LGBTQ+ community, female empowerment in a male-dominated environment etc). The founding date was included in the text as a permanent nod to our enduring history and to celebrate and remember the strong women who established and fought for the club’s viability originally in the 1980s.

Instagram - @hackneywfc

Twitter - @HackneyWFC

Cambozola

Whenever anyone makes their debut for Zola the first question they ask is where does the name come from?

It’s actually a straightforward story: the blue and white kit was compared to Cambozola cheese and the name stuck. That’s why there is a massive cheese on the badge.

But there is more to it than that.

Cambozola has existed for more than 25 years. Over that period some great goals have been scored, probably a few more have been conceded and there have even been a couple of promotions.

Above all else, though, we have been about friendship and the joy of playing football. I’m proud of the badge because it represents that spirit.

Like any club, players come and go, but many keep following our matches. Plenty come back for annual ‘legends’ games. The badge links all these people together, that long lasting spirit which is why we play football in the first place.

We have even taken this badge abroad, to the Cambozola factory team in Germany.

Yes, we’re named after a cheese, but there is much more to the club (and the badge) than that.

Twitter - @cambozolafc

Canada Water

Our badge incorporates and represents the history of the local community / area, and we are proud of it as it replicates togetherness, hard work & commitment and a together we can attitude though the strength of its community and surrounding areas as its a symbol of a family club who look to help and provide opportunities to those in need whilst supporting there development

Twitter - @canadaWaterFC
Instagram - @canadawaterfc

Elever Eleven

The 11 in our badge symbols my mother's favourite number, also the age she was when she passed as she was born on a leap year. 44 years of age in real years. The 11 also stands for the players in the club. Élever is a meaning to elevate the 11. To push the 11. To uplift. So the 11 is the symbol of the club on a whole. The circle fit with the triangle is a symbol of alchemy. It's quintessence that can turn base metals into gold. The colours of our badge are black/white/gold for obvious reasons.

Instagram - @elevereleven

Twitter - @elevereleven

Peckham Town

Our badge was designed to represent the history of the club and the local area. The bottom left quadrant represents the River Peck that mostly flows underground from One Tree Hill to the Thames via Peckham. The black background of this quadrant represents the black identity of the founder and chairman of the club, as well as many of the volunteers and players at the club over our forty-year history. The middle yellow stripe is a nod to Del Boy's Robin Reliant car in Only Fools & Horses, which is of course based in Peckham! The top left quadrant is merely the St George's Cross, as a club based in England. The red and white hoops on the right of the badge are the club's usual home shirt design. The red & white hoops were chosen, as as the time, we were not aware of any other clubs with that combination. The royal blue surround completes the logo and is the third club colour. We are proud of our badge as it reflects our history, the local community and the club colours.

Instagram - @PeckhamTownFC

Twitter - @PeckhamTownFC

North East Lions

We started the team with players from both north and east London with the mantra that our players will never gave up and have the heart of a lion.

The lion reflects our passion to be a force for good, to give opportunity to those in the community to have a focus to channel their energy and to roar with their success through their association with the club as a means of providing positivity where it may not always exist in their everyday lives for the local areas we attract players from.

The lion is a symbol of the king of the jungle, and we want our players to be kings in their areas - supporting others to grow and develop, being strong and fearing no one to define themselves and their journey in life.

Twitter - @northeastlions1

Instagram - @north_east_lions

Neuro Pathway

Our badge comprises an image of a brain and a football. Our club name is Neuro Pathway FC. Our club philosophy is to create new Neuro pathways for children. This is to rewire the brain for optimal performance and improve their learning process, both in football and in education. We are proud that we can cultivate optimal learning experiences for children.

Instagram - @neuropathwayfc

Venezia Dons

Ten years ago this year, six 12-year-olds met on the school bus on their way to their first day at senior school. In less than a minute, a bond was formed, a bond that wouldn't be broken for the next decade, a bond that found its roots entrenched in a love for all things football - on arrival at school on that first day, as fate would have it, we were all placed in the same schoolhouse: Welldon (see: the dons).

Subsequent years went by, the boys were divided by club loyalties, but united by their passionate support of England. They joined the Wembley stands for Euro & World Cup home qualifiers and sat in their parents' living rooms for away games - accompanied by a vindaloo or jalfrezi and a peshwari naan wherever they were. Times were good.

Sadly, as adulthood beckoned, the realities of university life emerged swiftly on the horizon. The boys, only previously divided by club loyalties, were to be divided by hundreds of miles of land and sea as they spread themselves across the country from North to South, East to West. Fortunately, whilst not on the pitch, the football itch continued to be scratched as the 'group chat' became alive with the sound of football, as the communal passion for the game continued in spirit.

Before the inevitable distribution of the group across the country and the impending doom facing our social and competitive football ambitions, a last hurrah was planned. Six boys, six back packs, one continent, dozens of trains, a handful of buses and one football. The lads landed in Napoli late on a warm July evening, this was followed by time spent in Roma & Fiorentina where they dribbled, passed, crossed and shot their way round the streets and squares of these great Italian cities before finally arriving in the spiritual home, that is, Venezia. Having become well accustomed to the cobbled Italian streets and the unpredictable bounce of the ball, the group decided it was time to find some opposition for a sweaty 38 degree lunchtime kick off. It didn't take long trekking the backstreets of the old town that we stumbled across another group of six kicking a ball in a quiet square. Without a word of Italian spoken, the hand gestures were made and a game of six a side was duly arranged. The setting was perfect. This would be their Wembley, this would be their San Siro.

Later on, the boys sat in a cabin in their sleeper train to Munich savouring the sweet taste of their first win on the road. It felt symbolic, it felt like a pivotal moment in the destiny of the dons, but a critical juncture for the future of grassroots football. The three University years that passed after that all-conquering trip to the continent were slow and arduous, the vacancy of life without the football had become a reality. But once completed, there would be no doubt that the boys would re-convene stronger than ever to revisit their ambition to achieve sporting immortality on the Sunday league pitches of South London and bring about the inception of a club that would be a reference point for those who would come thereafter. A place that they could bring new friends and acquaintances from around the country to join and meet one another with the shared goal of greatness, camaraderie, mutual respect and support, a decade on from that morning on the school bus.

So when brainstorming names for their new club, it only seemed right that the dons, credited Venezia as their spiritual home bringing the cultures of Italy & England together. It was simply a message from the heavens that these two great nations were also brought together on Wembley Turf for the final of EURO 2020 in the same year. Our badge is dark blue and light blue to represent the colours of our school house, with a Winged Lion as our main badge feature which is the emblem of Venice, with a golden star to signify that Venice victory. That is how the Venezia Dons got their name, and how they got their badge.

Instagram - @veneziadons

Twitter - @VeneziaDons