The crest history of CA Banfield reflects the club's long development from its British-influenced origins in the late nineteenth century to the distinctive green-and-white striped identity associated with El Taladro today. Although the earliest badges used very different colours, the traditional shield shape has remained a recurring feature throughout the club's history.
Between 1896 and 1900, Banfield used a simple shield featuring alternating brown and yellow vertical stripes. The design reflected the club's earliest years, when its identity and colours had not yet developed into the familiar green and white seen today.
In 1900, the crest changed completely. The striped design disappeared and was replaced by a vertically divided shield featuring dark grey and blue. This short-lived badge represented another experimental phase in Banfield's early visual identity.
A further redesign arrived in 1903, when the shield was divided into four quarters of red and white. This checkerboard-style emblem remained in use until 1919, making it one of the longest-lasting of the club's early crests.
In 1919, Banfield adopted green and white on its crest for the first time. The basic quartered design of the previous badge was retained, but red was replaced by dark green. This marked an important moment in the development of the colours that would eventually become synonymous with the club.
The familiar striped identity emerged in 1936. Banfield abandoned the quartered design and introduced a white shield containing narrow vertical green stripes. This established the visual concept that, with numerous refinements, has remained the foundation of the club's crest ever since.
In 1961, the badge was given a more distinctive shape with several pointed sections across the top. The green-and-white vertical stripes remained, while the initials “C A B”, representing Club Atlético Banfield, appeared across the centre. A gold outline provided additional definition.
The 1967 redesign introduced a more rectangular upper section displaying the full name “BANFIELD” in white. Green remained dominant, with three prominent white vertical stripes extending through the lower part of the badge.
In 1972, this concept was refined with a stronger black outline and slightly different proportions. The club name remained prominently positioned across the top, while the vertical green-and-white pattern continued below.
A significant change occurred in 1986. The word Banfield disappeared and the club returned to the initials “C A B.” The crest consisted of three broad vertical sections – green, white and green – with a distinctive pointed white centre extending towards the bottom.
In 1991, the full BANFIELD name returned across the upper section. The crest again featured multiple green-and-white vertical stripes and a pointed central base, combining elements from several previous designs.
The 1993 redesign simplified the badge once again. The club name was removed and the initials “C A B” were positioned individually across the vertical stripes. The unusual multi-pointed top introduced in the 1960s returned, creating the basic shape associated with the modern Banfield emblem.
In 2002, a thin gold border was added around the green-and-white shield. The initials remained across the centre, while the proportions and stripe widths were refined to create a cleaner and more balanced appearance.
Further adjustments followed in 2006, with subtle modifications to the border, colours and overall proportions while maintaining the traditional green-and-white striped shield.
An important symbolic addition appeared in 2009. Following Banfield's historic victory in the 2009 Apertura championship, a gold star was placed above the crest to commemorate the club's first Argentine top-flight league title.
The badge was updated again in 2014. The gold outline was replaced by a more understated border and two gold stars appeared above the shield. The familiar initials C A B, vertical green-and-white stripes and characteristic pointed upper edge remained unchanged.
A special commemorative crest was introduced in 2016 to celebrate 120 years since the club's foundation in 1896. The anniversary design placed a smaller traditional Banfield shield inside an elaborate white-and-gold emblem. The dates 1896–2016 appeared above it, accompanied by decorative gold stars and laurel branches.
The 2014–Present crest continues to represent Banfield's established identity. Its combination of the distinctive shield shape, green-and-white vertical stripes and C A B initials provides a clear visual connection with designs used by the club since the middle of the twentieth century.
CA Banfield Juniors Club History
Founded in 1896, Club Atlético Banfield is one of the oldest football clubs in Argentina. Based in the city of Banfield in Greater Buenos Aires, the club is known as “El Taladro” (The Drill) and has developed a strong identity around its traditional green-and-white colours and its historic home, the Estadio Florencio Sola.
Banfield was founded on 21 January 1896 by members of the local community, many of whom were of British origin. Like several early Argentine clubs, its development was closely connected with the railway network and the British community that had helped introduce organised football to Argentina. The club took its name from the town of Banfield, itself named after British railway executive Edward Banfield.
During its earliest years, Banfield competed in the developing Argentine football competitions and became one of the clubs that helped establish the sport outside central Buenos Aires. The club initially experimented with several different colours before green and white eventually became its permanent identity.
Banfield enjoyed considerable success during the amateur era. It won the Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires in 1920, one of the important national cup competitions of the period, establishing the club among the notable teams of early Argentine football.
Following the introduction of professionalism in 1931, Banfield spent periods outside the highest division before establishing itself more firmly during the 1940s. It developed a reputation for attractive attacking football and for producing talented players despite operating with fewer resources than Argentina's largest clubs.
The famous nickname “El Taladro” emerged during the 1940s, when an impressive Banfield team became known for overwhelming opponents. The expression compared the side with a drill, suggesting that Banfield could bore through opposing defences. The nickname became permanently associated with the club.
One of Banfield's most celebrated early teams competed during the 1951 championship. The club produced an exceptional campaign and finished level on points with Racing Club, forcing a championship playoff. After the first match ended in a draw, Racing won the replay, leaving Banfield narrowly short of what would have been its first professional league championship. Nevertheless, the 1951 side remains one of the most important teams in club history.
The following decades brought frequent movement between Argentina's divisions. Banfield experienced relegations and promotions but repeatedly rebuilt itself, maintaining a strong following in the southern Buenos Aires metropolitan area.
The club's home became an increasingly important part of its identity. The Estadio Florencio Sola, located in Banfield, developed into one of the traditional football grounds of Greater Buenos Aires. Its close relationship with the surrounding neighbourhood reinforces Banfield's character as a strongly community-based institution.
Banfield enjoyed another important period during the 1990s and 2000s, establishing itself more regularly in the Primera División and developing a productive youth academy. The club became particularly respected for identifying and developing young footballers before transferring them to larger Argentine or European teams.
Among the most famous players developed by Banfield is Javier Zanetti, who began his professional career with the club before becoming a legendary figure with Inter Milan and the Argentine national team. Other notable footballers have also emerged through Banfield's youth structure, strengthening the club's reputation for player development.
The greatest achievement in Banfield's professional history arrived in 2009. Managed by Julio César Falcioni, El Taladro produced an outstanding campaign in the 2009 Apertura championship.
Led by players including Santiago Silva, Banfield finished ahead of its rivals to become Argentine Primera División champions for the first time. The championship was a historic moment for the club and its supporters, finally delivering the professional league title that had narrowly escaped Banfield in 1951.
The success also strengthened Banfield's presence in international competition. The club has participated in major South American tournaments including the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, representing El Taladro beyond Argentina.
A fundamental part of Banfield's identity is its fierce rivalry with Club Atlético Lanús. Their meetings are known as the Clásico del Sur (Southern Derby) and constitute one of the most important rivalries in Argentine football outside the country's traditional major clásicos.
The rivalry is driven primarily by geography. Banfield and Lanús are neighbouring communities in the southern part of Greater Buenos Aires, and the two clubs represent communities located only a few kilometres apart. Generations of supporters live alongside one another, giving the derby an intense local and social dimension.
Although Banfield has other competitive relationships with clubs from southern Greater Buenos Aires, Lanús is unquestionably its principal rival, and victory in the Clásico del Sur carries particular importance for both sets of supporters.
