Why do some English teams use triangular corner flags?

The history of football traces the introduction of the corner kick to 1868. The Sheffield Rules – the rules of football practiced from 1857 to 1877, created by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest for the newly formed Sheffield Football Club – were, in fact, the first attempt to regulate football as we know it today. A set of rules that revolutionized the game both disciplinarily and aesthetically. The introduction of the corner kick coincided with the introduction of the corner flags, one of the distinguishing features of the sport, which has also gained importance in the social media communication of clubs. Take note. When a club posts a picture of the corner flag on its social media or official website, or a wide-angle photo of the empty stadium with the only notable detail being the flag, that club is broadcasting an official announcement: not the usual injury report, but, for example, a response to a verdict, the ratification of the annual financial statement, or a change in the board of directors. Usually, a piece of news with a negative or boring connotation for fans.

Aside from all that, there are a couple of curiosities that have always accompanied corner flags: who decides their shape? And who decides their colors? Well, there is no universal rule on this. The International Football Association Board, the body that now governs the game of football, sets some guidelines in its regulations, but none of them are aesthetic: the pole for the corner flag must never be shorter than 150 cm in height and must never have a sharp point, the radius between the flag and the arc must be 1 meter, and the lines must not be thicker than 12 cm. Beyond that, clubs have great freedom, aside from any potential league-imposed requirements. The yellow color is the most popular, whether in a fluorescent version, a more classic version, or in a split theme with alternating yellow and orange blocks. Then, of course, there are clubs that use their own team colors, offering the possibility of seeing blue, white, or red corner flags on the field. Power to imagination, even though all these versions share one detail: their square shape.

As mentioned, however, the IFAB does not regulate the shape of the corner flag, so it is a universally accepted convention. This is also why, in the past, some triangular corner flags in England captured the attention of fans. People questioned why some teams used triangular flags, and the most widely accepted and official version suggests that, according to regulation, the FA Cup-winning teams were authorized by the FA to use triangular corner flags to celebrate their victory. However, there’s a problem. It’s not official, in the sense that nowhere in the Football Association’s regulations is this mentioned. It is, therefore, an urban legend that, in recent times, was inspired by a film in which Cardiff City was said to have introduced triangular flags first, to remind their Swansea rivals of the title they won in 1927. Over the years, this story has been passed down as truth, leading other teams to follow this example. In reality, however, every English club is free to choose the color but, above all, the shape of their corner flags.