Soccer and Design: New England Soccer League by Icarus FC

Hello everyone, and welcome to the debut of a brand new series called Soccer and Design. With these articles, I'm hoping to do something different: draw attention to the creative designers who work with lower level soccer clubs. 

Icarus FC has done work with several lower league clubs, like Gold Coast Inter AFC, and has done plenty of concept work to create a look book of sorts for people interested in what he can do. He graciously shared the work he's done with me to create the New England Soccer League, a hypothetical league of twenty teams based only in New England. This will include logos for each team, and a brief explanation of how he came up with that design. Check it out.

For reference, here is a map of where all the teams in the New England Soccer League are located.

​Androscoggin FC is located in Brunswick, ME. Love the use of flags in soccer crests and took the colors from Camp Androscoggin in Wayne, ME.

Bostonia AFC’s crest is a mash-up of the Boston city seal and the Boston and Maine Railroad emblem.

Bangor Athletic Club’s crest shape is taken from the Bangor Aroostook Railroad Line.  Nicknamed The Tigers, a name given to workers in Bangor’s once massive logging industry.

Cantabrigia is the medieval latin name for Cambridge - fitting for towns that are home to arguably the best universities in their respective countries. The Cantabs royal emblem and blue and yellow colorway is a reference to... a Swedish friend I have in Cambridge?

Charlestown FC navy and gray are an ode to the river that runs through the neighborhood as well as one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the US Navy.

The Burlington Green Mountain Boys are named for Ethan Allen’s militia in the 1770’s. The crest shape is taken from the Rutland Railroad, also known as the Green Mountain Gateway.

Hearts of Worcester is inspired by Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian. Based in Worcester, the club is named for the city’s nickname as “The Heart of the Commonwealth” and the logo and colors are derived from the city’s flag. Other nicknames for Worcester include “Wormtown” and “The City of Seven Hills”.

Lewiston & Auburn United is a merger of Lewiston FC and Auburn FC.  The crest shape is taken from Sporting Club de Coimbre of Portugal. For a city with a francophone tradition this crest makes little sense. Should probably rethink this one.

Clube Desportivo New Bedford is another club with an immigrant tradition. The red, yellow and green are an ode to the city’s Portuguese population and the sperm whale and anchor are a reference to the city’s whaling tradition.

Northampton Athletic Club is one of the 3 clubs in the first division from the western side of Massachusetts. The indian feathers on either side of the ball are taken from the city flag as are the blue yellow and green colors.  The ox-bow shape that holds the olde english “N” is a reference to the painting by Thomas Cole.

Fenway FC is blue and red for obvious reasons. The triangular shape is an ode to the Citgo sign at Fenway Park and is taken from FK Austria’s logo when it was owned by the cigarette company Memphis.

Hartford FC’s Blue and Gold are taken from the city flag. Can’t remember the inspiration for the crest but the Hartford lettering is taken directly from the New York, New Haven, Hartford Railroad.

Augusta Kennebec FC is the Main-e club of Augusta, ME.  The colors are taken from the city flag and the moose is emblematic of the state’s many majestic animals.

Lowell Khmer FC is a club founded by the city’s Cambodian refugee population in 1987.  Lowell has the nation’s largest cambodian population for a city of its size. The triangle and colors for the crest are taken from the flag of the Khmer Empire.  The crest is topped by a silhouette of Angkor Wat and Lowell’s founder, Francis Cabot Lowell makes an appearance as well.

New Haven Elms FC is named for the city’s nickname, “Elm City”.  The Elms crest has a traditional Spanish shape for no reason whatsoever. Go Elms

The Pittsfield Bears represents beautiful Berkshire County in the NESL. The logo is a reference to the form Pittsfield Cubs minor league baseball team. Western Massachusetts has lots of bears.

Portland Football Club is the largest club in Maine.  The ship and blue of the crest represent Portland’s famous maritime tradition. Resurgam, meaning “I will rise again” is the city’s motto.

Providence Football Club is nicknamed the Bee’s due to Providence’s reputation during the industrial revolution as a “behive of industry”. The bee logo is stolen taken directly from Brønshøj BK in Denmark.

Royal Amoskeag is based in Manchester, NH.  Amoskeag Manufacturing Works, based in the city, was at one point the largest cotton mill in the world. The Royal is taken from Manchester’s nickname, “The Queen City”.  The crest shape is taken from SAS Espinal in France.

South Boston Athletic Club represents South Boston’s Irish population. One of the more obvious crest’s in the NESL.

The Springfield Chicopees are so named for the river that runs through the city as well as the neighboring city of Chicopee.  Chicopee is a Nipmuck word meaning “violent water”

Vermont Republic FC is located in the small town of Charlotte, VT.  The Blue and Green and the 14 stars are taken from the Vermont Republic Flag. The Republic existed from 1777 to 1791 when Vermont joined the United States.

You can find out more about Icarus FC by following them on Twitter or Instagram, or by visiting icarusfc.com. And of course, for a free mock up and quote, you can contact Icarus FC at [email protected].