New English Football League identity has plenty of balls

The Football League – which covers the Championship, League One and League Two in England and Wales, has a new identity that features 72 balls for the 72 clubs in the league.

The new identity,created by Futurebrand, comes as the Football League is being renamed as the English Football League – which will be shortened to EFL for everyday use.

The names of the three divisional titles – the Championship, League One and League Two – will be retained in the rebrand.

The new EFL identity comprises 72 balls divided into three sections of 24, each one representing the three divisions in the league.

Each club in the EFL will also be given their own version of the identity – which will use the club’s colours – which the EFL says the clubs can keep “in perpetuity”.

This is similar to the identity created for Major League Soccer in the USA last year, which was based around a flexible crest system that can be adapted for every club.

The new identity will come into use at the beginning of the next season – 2016/17.

The EFL was established in 1888 and the organisation says this is only the fourth identity in its history.

It says the identity is the result of a “thorough process of consultation” which involved collecting the views of 18,000 football fans and speaking to other organisations in the game, including the Football Association and the Premier League.

The EFL says: “The world has developed rapidly over the last decade, in particular with the growth of digital and social media, and we need to keep pace with that change.

“We all know the importance of attracting a new, younger generation to ensure our clubs continue to play in stadiums full of passionate fans for years to come.

“It is absolutely essential therefore that we project a modern identity that not only resonates with our regular audience but is also easily recognisable to a broader audience of potential fans.”

Discover more:

• Major League Soccer rebrands with adaptable crest system