Newcastle United new crest update after fan backlash - official response to leaked design

Newcastle are updating its club crest for the 2026-27 season, and a fan consultation process is officially underway.

Supporters were asked to complete a survey following a club statement announcing the proposed crest change last week. The results of that survey and further information were shared at a Fan Consultation Workshop at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.

Newcastle first started the process in August 2024 as an initial brand strategy process before two consultations with the Fan Advisory Board and club staff. The current fan consultation process is the first of two, with the second intended to present fans with a final say on what the crest is.

During the process, the club have worked with Octagon, ‘the world’s largest marketing and sponsorship consulting practice’ specialising in sport.

Is the current NUFC crest fit for purpose?

This is the message Newcastle’s brand team wants to get out there with the current crest, inspired by the city’s coat of arms, is ‘complex’, ‘asymmetrical’ and ‘not fit for purpose’ when it comes to standing up to the sleek designs of rival clubs.

While the club are clear in wanting the fans at the heart of the decision-making process, a decision has already been made that the crest will change.

Newcastle United crest change details emerge

Newcastle’s crest change process is being led by the club’s director of brand, marketing and digital media, Dan Ginger and creative director Kenny McIver. Both are boyhood Newcastle United supporters with McIver joining the club last summer after six-and-a-half years as Nike’s Global Design Director.

Last week, the club presented supporters with a process showing three potential routes for the future of Newcastle’s club crest: Refine, revive or reinvent.

Refine would be a sharper, simplified version of the current crest. Revive would be an updated version of elements from previous crests, while reinvent would be an entirely new crest created from scratch.

Following internal consultations and the feedback from supporters, the reinvent option is now understood to be completely off the table. The club’s stance is that it will be refining the existing club crest, with no major overhauls.

A circular redesign was described as ‘bleak’ and won’t be considered by the club, who want to maintain the crest’s unique and instantly recognisable silhouette. Newcastle also ruled out a ‘retain’ option of keeping the badge the same.

NUFC crest survey results

The survey season ticket holders and members were asked to complete found that 85% understood the issues with the current crest and 83% were in favour of updating the crest to honour the club’s heritage.

The survey found that the castle is viewed by supporters as the most important element of the Newcastle crest, despite only taking up a small portion of it. The black and white shield is the next most important element, followed by the ribbon and then the seahorses. The flag and the lion holding it are viewed as the least important elements.

Newcastle United survey backlash

Newcastle’s crest survey was criticised by supporters for its ‘incredibly leading manner’ with the Newcastle United Supporters Trust writing a letter to chief executive Darren Eales to express their concerns.

The letter read: “While two members of our Board are also part of the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) and have rightly emphasised through FAB that this is a significant decision requiring thorough consultation with all supporters, we find it difficult to view this survey as a genuine example of such consultation.

“The survey is framed in an incredibly leading manner throughout, and it is hard to see how any meaningful fan engagement or reliable conclusions can be drawn from it.

“Furthermore, we do not believe the survey in its current form can produce results which would satisfy Clause M9 of the Football Association's Rules of the Association: "A Club must be in a position to evidence that the majority of its supporters are in favour of a material change to its club crest prior to making any such change."

“As it stands, the survey is not able to provide information on whether the majority of our supporters are open to the idea of making a material change.

“To comply with FA rules, we strongly urge you as a club to provide a new survey, written in a neutral tone and to include an option for supporters to indicate that they do not wish to pursue any change at all.

“As a Heritage Asset our club crest is a vital symbol that unites our city. We only ask that FA guidance is properly followed in the consultation process.

“We appreciate that the club has shared its concerns regarding the current crest with supporters. However, as the crest is a recognised Heritage Asset and a vital symbol that unites our city, we simply ask that the consultation process strictly adheres to FA guidance.

“By doing so, we are confident the club will receive valuable and valid feedback from supporters to help guide this important decision.”

Newcastle have not responded publicly to the letter or issued a new survey and have instead presented the findings from the original survey to supporters.

If Newcastle are found to have not to have followed the proper processes regarding a crest change, the Football Association could block a potential change.

Newcastle United leaked crest

Last week, our sister-title NewcastleWorld leaked a concept crest Newcastle United had produced.

Newcastle confirmed that the leaked crest was artwork produced by the club before the consultation process. It was also stressed that there are multiple iterations and designs that have also been looked at, and fans will have a say as to what the final crest will be.

At the very least, the leaked image shows just what kind of crests the club are considering at this stage.

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