Reaction to new Leeds United crest trending on Twitter

Leeds United are trending on Twitter after a less than thrilled reaction by supporters to the club unveiling a new crest.
New Leeds United crest.New Leeds United crest.
New Leeds United crest.

New badges are not new to United as more or less every decade they have a change of direction, but the design of the new crest has gone down badly with fans, who have taken to social media to make their disapproval known.

The Elland Road club say six months of research and consultation with 10,000 supporters went into the final design, which shows the famous Leeds United salute and the club’s full name instead of the LUFC on the current badge.

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In a statement, the club said: “As we approach Leeds United’s centenary in 2019, we asked our fans and other people close to the club what the next 100 years means for them.

“We received great feedback and were blown away by the passion and depth of engagement.

“The abbreviation rather than spelling out Leeds United in full contributes to the crest being unrecognisable. We wanted to say who we are with pride: We are Leeds United.

“The new crest depicts the ‘Leeds Salute’, which over the decades has been an expression of the passion that connects Leeds United’s fans and players on and off the pitch and all over the world.

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“It is used extensively, and notably on match days when with right hand on heart fans sing the club’s famous song ‘Marching on Together’. Leeds United owes everything to the supporters who have stood by the club through thick and thin. We are delighted and proud to reveal a new crest that reflects the passion and loyalty that runs deep through the club, and celebrates the fans at the heart of our identity.”

Managing director Angus Kinnear said: “In the past year we have worked very hard as a club to re-engage fans and the wider community across Leeds. We have seen season ticket sales soar and gates have regularly exceeded 32,000 at Elland Road – we are very grateful for the loyal and unwavering support we have received.

“Once we heard that there was a desire for change to help herald a new era for club, it became of primary importance that the new crest clearly reflected who we are. Everybody knows how proud and passionate the Leeds United fans are, but since I arrived at the club, I have been in awe at the unique connection between the fans and the team.

“Updating the crest is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we are proud to have a new crest that is authentic to Leeds United and honours the quality and loyalty of our fans. It is a symbol of ‘strength in unity’ and a proud expression of the club’s identity and history.”

The new crest, however, has initially gone down like a lead balloon with the design coming in for the main criticism rather that the decision to come up with a new one.