Newcastle United’s long-expected rebranding and change of the current (yet old-looking) club crest has taken another turn following backlash from supporters over proposed changes.
The club had previously announced intentions to modernize its badge, with an early—and awful—concept circulating and leaking amid internal presentations and fan consultations.
According to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, plans for a radical redesign have now been abandoned, which thank God that’s happening.
“Newcastle are set
to make an imminent decision on the future of their club crest — but plans for a radical change have been ditched,” Hope reported. “Confidential can reveal that the leaked image from last year, which was being used during internal presentations, is no longer under consideration. The anime-style design was not well received by the majority of supporters.”
According to Hope, instead of a complete overhaul, club leadership is now weighing more conservative options.
“Rather, CEO David Hopkinson and his executive team will decide either to do nothing with the current badge or clean up the design, addressing symmetry and aspect ratio,” Hope wrote.
The report adds that Dan Ginger, director of brand, marketing and digital media, has left the club this week. He had fronted the crest project publicly when it was first introduced.
The original target had been to debut a new badge for the 2026-27 season, but that timeline has more than passed now, with kits already getting manufactured and available for sale—depending on where you make your purchases, right?
“The plan was for the new crest to feature on the team’s jersey from the start of the 2026-27 season, but that deadline has come and gone. The aim, if there is a change, is now for the 2027-28 campaign,” Hope wrote. “Creative director Kenny McIver, formerly of Nike, is leading the crest initiative.”
According to Hope, any decision made on the badge will still involve further consultation with supporters. The Newcastle United Supporters Trust had previously raised concerns about the framing of the fan survey process, but that doesn’t look like it will be an issue.
