Source: Football China
On August 28, 2023, the Chinese FA Cup ushered in a new chapter in the 67th anniversary of the event, officially releasing the highly anticipated official mascot - "Captain Dark Horse". This eye-catching release injects more excitement and anticipation into the upcoming FA Cup 1/4 final.
At the end of 2018, the Chinese Football Association solicited design ideas for the official mascot of the Chinese FA Cup from the public, bringing together 103 creative proposals from nearly 100 designers and design companies. After careful selection, fifteen outstanding entries received more than 20,000 enthusiastic votes between March 8 and March 26, 2019. Among the many designs, the "Little Black Horse" scheme created by designer Hu Renwei stood out because of its fit with the brand concept of the Chinese FA Cup and became the official mascot of the Chinese FA Cup. After moderate optimization and improvement, the mascot is officially named "Captain Dark Horse" and will meet fans on August 30 and 31, 2023 at the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The official mascot of the Chinese FA Cup, "Captain Dark Horse", was unveiled with the slogan "Dream as a horse, forge ahead", aiming to encourage all participating teams to forge ahead in the FA Cup, uphold the dream of champions and dare to fight. "Captain Dark Horse" symbolizes the determination to move forward in the face of adversity and the courage to overcome difficulties and obstacles. Even in difficult times, as a captain, he always shoulders the responsibility of riding the storm, enjoying the process of meeting challenges and leading the team to achieve their dreams. The color of the jersey is inspired by the logo of the Chinese FA Cup, symbolizing the fusion concept of "Football for All". We hope that "Captain Dark Horse" will become a model on the green field, inheriting and carrying forward the people's spirit of forging ahead and fearless in the face of adversity. He is not only a symbol, but also a tribute and expectation to all Chinese football lovers and followers.
The appearance of "Captain Dark Horse" is not only a visual focus, but also represents an important step in the brand building of the Chinese FA Cup, and will play an important role in telling the brand narrative of the FA Cup story. He can not only narrow the distance between the FA Cup and fans, act as a communication bridge, promote fan interaction, trigger resonance and heated discussion, and enhance the attention and topicality of the event; It can also enrich the brand connotation, inject new elements into the Chinese FA Cup competition, and open up a broader creative space for future event publicity and promotion.
The Chinese Football Association will continue to strive to improve the quality of the FA Cup, and through the introduction of the "Dark Horse Captain", help the event usher in greater development and upgrading, and make the FA Cup a more attractive and infectious football feast. Let's look forward to the Chinese FA Cup and the "Captain of the Dark Horse" galloping together, growing together and creating the future together!