To mark the return of the Herts Falcons to the National Baseball League (NBL) this year, the team is unveiling its new logo which incorporates features from the club’s early years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Herts Baseball Club was founded in 1996. At that time the official club name in its constitution was Falcons Baseball Club. The team’s name was the Bushey Falcons as the team’s home field was located in Bushey, Hertfordshire, near Watford.
In their first year they played a series of friendly games to prepare for entry into the BBF leagues in 1997. Their ignominious start was a crushing 51 – 6 loss against the Old Timers on 17th July 1996. It was not until 3rd November 1996 that they recorded their first ever victory, winning 4 – 9 against the Southend Piers.
In their first league season, they played in the BBF Southern Conference Division Three.
From the photo archives we can see that, in the years between 1996 and 2000, the official uniform was a white pinstriped jersey with what appear to be the letters “B” and “F” on one side of the chest. They wore black baseball pants and a navy blue baseball cap with a red logo which is difficult to see the details of in photos available to us. Perhaps there are club members who still have that cap and jersey and can send us a photo.
In 2000 the team introduced a new jersey. It was still white with black pinstripes but this time it had the team name “Falcons” in red letters across the chest written in a classic baseball script font and a tail under it. It is this insignia which the team has now adopted as its logo – an opportunity to celebrate its history. The baseball cap worn at the time was black with a red letter “F” on the front.
At its Annual General Meeting at the end of 2001, members decided to change the club’s name under its constitution to Herts Baseball Club and since then the team has competed in the BBF leagues under the name Herts Falcons.
As the number of players increased, the club decided to form additional teams. Its second team was launched in 2005, initially adopting the name Herts Falcons 2. As more teams were added, it was decided to give them their own names and so the Herts Hawks, Herts Raptors and Herts Eagles were born.
In 2008 the club unveiled a new uniform. Gone were the black pants and pinstripes and in their place was an all white uniform with black piping and the name “Herts” in red across the chest. The logo on the baseball cap also changed from the letter “F” to the letter “H”. This will be the sixteenth season that Herts teams wear this uniform and this year there is a record number of seven Herts teams in the BBF leagues.
With their new logo, the Herts Falcons will be making their return to the NBL when the league starts next month. It’s a pivotal season for the Falcons for many reasons. The team needs to find a way to compete and re-establish its position in Britain’s top league. The club, as a whole, is also making a big push with its NBL Pilot Project to see if British baseball is ready to start bringing fans to the ballparks. The NBL Opening Day is on April 16 when the Falcons travel to the Sheffield Bruins.