The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced the launch of its new brand identity, marking the first update in almost 20 years. The refreshed identity includes redeveloped logos, with a new crest for the National teams and new distinct identities for the Association and the recently announced League of Ireland identity.
The new brands were developed after extensive engagement with various stakeholders, including FAI staff, players, fans, volunteers, match officials, club officials, coaches, managers, government, Sport Ireland, and commercial partners over the past year. The core goal was to review, redefine, and reinvent what the FAI stands for and how it looks, sounds, and behaves. This process followed the launch of the FAI's four-year strategy in February 2022, where the organization set out to "Build a trusted and respected brand," with the delivery of this new identity being crucial to this.
Our new National Team crest, a nod to the past but set for the future
A symbol that represents our pride, passion, ambition and truly celebrates our iconic Shamrock ☘️⚽️ #IrelandFootball | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/oiHPaglBLA— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 9, 2023
The new national team identity focuses on the unique Irish symbol of the shamrock, with research showing a desire for the shamrock to feature within the new crest, and the bold Irish green being at the heart of the logo.
The decision to create a new and distinct identity for the FAI, separate from that of the National Team, was taken to highlight its role as the governing body of the sport, driving the growth and success of Irish football, as well as the need to create a professional look and feel for the organization and how it engages with internal and external stakeholders.
Jonathan Hill, CEO of the FAI, stated that "Today marks the start of a new era for the FAI as an organization as we unveil our new brand identity." He added that the development of the new brand identities reflects the FAI's commitment to being a best-in-class, modern organization and represents a change in how they will engage with the football community.
Louise Cassidy, Director of Marketing & Communications for the FAI, expressed her excitement about the new identity, which will extend from social media to the national stadium and beyond. She also emphasized that the new identities are much more than a simple logo mark and will enable the FAI to better drive participation, attendance, and engagement with football in Ireland.
“Our new identity will extend from social media to the national stadium and far beyond while also taking pride of place on our national team shirt. The new identities are so much more than a simple logo mark, we now have the assets and resources to really bring our communication and activation to life with our partners. The launch of this new identity today is testament to the hard work of our team and a strong level of collaboration with our many stakeholders whose input we are extremely grateful for. This work will enable us to better drive participation, attendance, and engagement with football in Ireland.”
