Tottenham logo bird

The history of football in Britain, and indeed other countries, is vibrant, filled with backstories and elaborate tales that can explain why a club plays in a certain colour shade or why they have a specific emblem on their badge.

Tottenham Hotspur are no different.

The story behind how they eventually settled on their lilywhite shirt and navy shorts and socks is certainly interesting. However, the focus here is how they came to use their now-famous cockerel.

The biography of tottenham hotspur logo png The “Tottenham Hotspur” logo depicts a cockerel standing on a ball. The club’s main rival is “Arsenal,” and the matches between these clubs are called the North London derby. The history of the club’s name, Hotspur F.C., is quite interesting.

It features prominently on their badge, and it helped to give them their nickname, Spurs, which is generally used more often than their given name.

It is believed that a famous knight and his possible love of cockfighting were the initial inspiration behind the nickname, which informed the use of the now iconic imagery associated with the club.

Here are the origins behind why Tottenham use a cockerel so prominently.

A Knight's Tale

Harry Hotspur serves as Tottenham's inspiration

You can trace the origins of Tottenham's nickname and badge emblem back in the 15th century to a renowned English knight who fought in some of the most famous wars in the nation's history.

Henry 'Harry Hotspur' Percy, not the only famous 'Harry' to be associated with Tottenham of course, was that English knight. His nickname of 'Harry Hotspur' possibly comes from his reported interest in cockfighting, a now-banned blood sport that pitted two cockerels against each other.

Tottenham hotspur The Tottenham Hotspur logo history began all the way back in Since then, the team has introduced various different badges and crests. However, most have maintained consistent elements, such as the image of the Cockerel, Tottenham’s mascot.

A 'Spur' is located on the back of a cockerel's leg and can cause serious damage. It is also theorised, however, that it was a name given to him by the Scots that he fought against, as he often dug the Spurs on the heels of his boots into his horse to make it charge quicker. Eventually, the cockerel imagery was naturally conjured up by the media during the early s, as they used this particular avian species to represent Tottenham in cartoons.

'Harry Hotspur' originally came from Northumberland and was a famous member of the Percy family, one of the most ancient noble houses in Northern England.

The house is arguably one of the most influential in English history as their feud with the House of Neville was one of the causes of the Wars of the Roses.

By the age of 24, he had gained considerable military experience, fighting in the Hundred Years' War against the Kingdom of France.

His exploits earned him great favour with King Richard II but, he and his father chose to support the future Henry IV when he returned from exile with the Percy family, helping to depose Richard II. Henry 'Harry Hotspur' Percy was eventually killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury after he rebelled against the King he had helped to put on the throne.

The biography of tottenham hotspur logo Sweeping across the canvas of North London, the iconic Tottenham Hotspur logo beckons—a beacon of history, pride, and fierce loyalty. This emblem is not merely stitched upon jerseys or emblazoned on merchandise; it symbolizes a legacy, etched into the very soul of football culture.

The family name lived on, however, with Hotspur Harry's son, also called Henry Percy, being killed in the Battle of St Albans, one of the first engagements of the Wars of the Roses.

Tottenham's Origins

Tottenham Hotspur themselves come from a much more humble and far less noble background than the man who gave them their famous nickname.

Like many teams that originate from the mid-late s, Tottenham began as a cricket team when two sets of brothers began playing on a field near land that was owned by the Percy family. According to Julie Welch's biography of Tottenham, it is alleged that one set of brothers were completely enamoured by the story of 'Harry Hotspur' and adopted his nickname for their cricket club and subsequently, their football club.

Tottenham became bigger over the next decade.

They originally played on the Tottenham Marshes but could not charge spectators to view the games as it was public land.

New tottenham hotspur logo

The biography of tottenham hotspur logo picture

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This led to their move to a plot of land nearby in Northumberland Park, which was named in honour of the Percy family and their ties to Northumberland in Northern England. However, they eventually grew to be too big for this area, which prompted their move to what would become known as White Hart Lane.

Using the Cockerel Imagery

Tottenham won the FA Cup in as members of the Southern League.

Despite being a professional club at the time, they were considered a 'non-League' side as they were not one of the Football League's founding members. To this day, they remain the last side from outside the EFL to win the FA Cup and will almost certainly be the last club to hold that distinction.

The club eventually upgraded their stadium in the early s in preparation for competing in the first division, and a former player designed the now iconic statue of a cockerel standing on top of a leather football.

Tottenham's badge eventually represented this exactly, with a re-design in being an early version of the modern badge.

The club first used the cockerel on a badge in when they wore it on their shirt for that year's FA Cup final. They beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge, one of the last not to be held at Wembley before

The cockerel stood on top of the West Stand at White Hart Lane for years before Tottenham briefly relocated to Wembley whilst their new state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur stadium was being built.

The cockerel was returned to the club and installed at the top of its new home before Tottenham moved into their new stadium.

The modern badge features the cockerel prominently.

Tottenham premier league titles

Tottenham players

When did tottenham last win a trophy

When did tottenham last win the premier league

Tottenham have utilised the image of a cockerel in each of their crests, though some have been more elaborate, such as the badges throughout the s and s that appeared to look more like a coat of arms. Spurs have used their current badge since , and it is in line with many modern redesigns. Not many modern badges can claim to be as directly in touch with the history of their club as Tottenham's can.