Junior Herd – Macarthur FC
Building a kids’ club brand that connects community, family and football.
Industry Sport, Football
Scope Brand strategy, brand identity, creative direction
We needed a brand that felt
fun, accessible, and authentic
— one that could speak to kids
and parents alike.
The Challenge
Junior Herd began as a free and paid membership program for young fans, but sign-ups were low. The club needed a clearer value proposition and stronger emotional connection with grassroots players and their families.
Our goal was to reposition Junior Herd as a community-first brand that felt fun, local, and authentic, one that kids could love and parents could trust.
The Objective
To build a vibrant, family-first identity that would:
Reach 10,000 sign-ups
Lift NPS and brand equity for Macarthur FC
Deepen emotional connection between club, families, and young players
Drive a 10% uplift in ticket sales and year-on-year engagement across programs
Increase year-on-year spend across merch, clinics and programs
The Strategy
We began with a brand strategy workshop with the Macarthur FC team to unpack audience insights, values and ambitions.
The vision was fun, local and full of community spirit, never forced or corporate. Inspired by Minecraft and LEGO, we used a modular creative approach built around the club’s mascot, Arthur the Bull.
Ideation & Creative
The creative phase focused on energy and accessibility.
I explored modular, block-style layouts and playful mascots to make the brand feel alive. Arthur the Bull became the hero of the system, connecting kids across age groups.
Key insight: The brand needed to feel inclusive, fun and unapologetically local.
The Brand Suite
The logo was designed to be bold, chunky and kid-aligned. Arthur’s horns became a flexible design motif used across merchandise and patterns.
A bright, modular system was built around Macarthur FC’s core palette, with an amplified yellow added to inject energy and joy.
Deliverables included:
Primary logo and secondary lockups
Branded pattern system
Colour palette and typography
Mascot illustration system
The Brand in Action
Junior Herd shows up across every fan touchpoint, from match day to membership packs:
Drawstring bags with bold logo prints
Member cards and lanyards
Match Day Passport and stickers for gamified interaction
Each element reinforces belonging, excitement, and community pride.
The Result
Feedback from Macarthur FC has been overwhelmingly positive. The brand now feels ownable and exciting, not just to kids, but to parents and local clubs.
Early results included:
Membership growth within the first week of launch
Clear distinction between free and paid memberships
Stronger emotional connection forming with families and local fans
This season, membership has grown by almost 20%, with strong uptake of the Junior Herd Premium tier.
Natalie delivered exceptional work redesigning our Junior Herd brand for Macarthur Bulls FC. She led the team through quantitative and qualitative research to understand our audience and positioning, then brought everything to life with a revitalised brand and comprehensive suite of assets. The rebrand was positively received by our fan base and gave us a fresh, exciting perspective on our Junior Herd brand positioning. Natalie was excellent to work with - fast, efficient, and thoughtful throughout the entire project. Highly recommended.
Mark Jensen
Chief Commercial Officer, Macarthur FC
The Reflection
Designing for an audience spanning ages five to 14, and their parents, was both a creative challenge and a joy.
The success came from finding the balance between imagination and trust. Arthur the Bull gave the brand heart, but it was the process, asking the right questions, deep collaboration and clear strategy, that made the work stand out.
