Newcastle United have announced their plans to replace their club crest, which has been used since 1988, as part of a digital rebrand that will roll out next season.
The club says the current badge’s intricate design, based on the city’s original coat of arms, doesn’t fit the modern game.
In an email to fans on Friday, the club admitted the decision wasn’t taken lightly. “We love our crest. It’s iconic and has stood us through unforgettable triumphs and testing times,” read the message. “But it was created in a different era. It doesn’t always translate well in today’s digital world.”
The current badge features two seahorses, a lion on a castle turret, and the St George’s flag – a nod to the city’s seafaring and defensive heritage.
But the execs at St James’ Park say it’s too fiddly for modern branding. “It needs to show up clearly and confidently across everything from kits to screens to merchandise,” the club added.
Fans have been asked to submit their ideas on what should stay, and a vote will follow next week. The fan advisory board has been consulted, and the club promises it won’t be a radical overhaul.
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Though there is no reference to Saudi Arabia, whose Public Investment Fund owns the club, fans are divided. Many fear it’s a risk to dilute a symbol that’s been with us for nearly 40 years.
“Refine and revive is our recommended approach,” the club told its members. But for a city and fanbase steeped in tradition, even the smallest change can feel seismic.
How many times Newcastle United’s crest has been changed?
From seahorses and Latin mottos to minimalist “NUFC” circles and magpies on the River Tyne-Newcastle United’s badge has been reinvented four times since 1969.
Each version told a new chapter: the proud city arms (1969), the club’s first true identity (1976), stripped-down simplicity (1983), and the iconic 1988 crest we know today.
Even a one-season gold tribute marked 125 years of Toon history.
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