Star (football Badge) - Standardised Significance

Standardised Significance

The first team to adopt a star was Juventus, who added one above their badge in 1958 to represent their tenth Serie A title. This was an extension of the existing convention by which the reigning champions are entitled to display the scudetto on their shirts for the following season. The star was later formally adopted by some organisations as a symbol for ten titles.

The Turkish league introduced a similar scheme in 2000, with one star per five titles.

In 2003 Rangers displayed 5 stars above the badge on their shirts to symbolise winning a world record of 50 League championships.

Football in Germany has two official star systems operating in parallel. In 2004, the DFL, which governs the Bundesliga (the top 2 divisions), introduced Verdiente Meistervereine (roughly "distinguished champion clubs"). This has a sliding scale of 1, 2, 3, and 4 stars for 3, 5, 10, and 20 titles. It includes only Bundesliga titles, excluding titles from before the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, and from the former East German League. Dynamo Berlin (playing in the fourth level) unilaterally began wearing three unapproved stars for its East German titles. In November 2005, the DFB, which governs non-Bundesliga football, allowed former champions playing outside the Bundesliga to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles. In 2007, Dynamo Berlin switched to a single approved star inscribed with the number 10. Greuther Fürth retains three silver stars on its club logo, but not on it shirts.

Major League Soccer's previously informal system, one star per MLS Cup title, was standardised in 2006, with the exception that defending champions will wear the MLS Scudetto, like the Serie A system, for one season before adding a new star.

Since 2006, all Swedish football clubs that have won ten or more Swedish championships (except IFK Norrköping) have added a star above their badge.

The same system has applied in the Dutch Eredivisie from the 2007–08 season onwards. This innovation was suggested by PSV, after the club won its twentieth title in 2007. Ajax currently have the right to wear three stars since they have won the league more than 30 times. PSV have the right to wear two stars with their 21 league titles, while Feyenoord and HVV Den Haag can add one for their 14 and 10 titles, respectively. HVV won all titles before 1915 and is currently playing in the fourth level of the Dutch league system.

In Malta, Floriana, Valletta and Sliema Wanderers boast 2 Golden Stars on their badges having won 25, 20 and 26 titles, respectively, while Hibernians have one star thanks to their 10 titles. No other team in the Maltese League has the golden star on their badge.