Club YLA
The 2019 Women’s World Cup saw over 1 billion viewers. The times are changing. Women’s Football is becoming prevalent now more than ever. And the creation of Club YLA was a big step towards the future of football branding.
Club YLA, formerly the Club Brugge Women’s team, officially rebranded in the middle of 2020. YLA — an homage to one of the most notable Club Brugge supporters, Yvonne Lahousse — introduced a new logo and visual identity along with the name. The rebrand’s goal was to embody the spirit of Lahousse—full of energy and fight, with football flowing through her veins.
The new logo is as bold as ever. The photography is raw and full of energy. It feels authentic—partly due to the models being the players themselves. The merchandise is thoughtfully designed. It’s anything but generic. This rebrand has turned a football club into a lifestyle brand. The future of football branding starts here.
The symbolism behind this rebrand is so clear. It’s a proud proclamation that Club YLA is Club YLA. They’re no one’s “Women’s team”. They’re independent. So many of today’s women’s football clubs tie closely to the men’s sides—and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. If you have a big brand name like Manchester City, it’s standard to leverage it for all teams across all leagues. Sometimes, a football club will tie a women’s side to the men’s team colors or similar crest elements. But the ultimate goal of Club YLA was to be boldly different. And they did just that by disconnecting from the Club Brugge brand...almost.
I am in support of this rebrand—I just wish it was taken further. The side still plays in Club Brugge jerseys that match the men’s side. They still are listed as part of the Club Brugge website. They’re still even named Club Brugge on Google. Club YLA is an all-in-brand—it can’t be half-baked. Without a fully supported proclamation that this is a separate club, the message gets lost. There’d be so much impact behind some incredible YLA all-black kits—after all, this is now a lifestyle brand. And once that kit is up for sale, I’ll buy one—along with some of the crazy cool merch they already offer.
It’s funny to me that this rebrand didn’t make a bigger splash in the design world. But regardless, women’s football has been growing rapidly, and it’s only a matter of time until they outpace their safe, incumbent male counterparts.
