Yeovil Town chairman Martin Hellier has said the club is “embarking on a journey of brand modernisation” as it looks to update its crest.
In a tweet posted on his personal Twitter, the owner said the changes would take the club’s “existing, complicated, ‘hand drawn’ club logo to the next level” and promised there would be full consultation with supporters about the changes.
He posted a picture showing the badges of Premier League sides including Arsenal, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur as examples of how the changes may take place.
The post from Sunday morning read: “A heads-up to all fans and supporter groups. Through the correct process of both FA and fan/community consultation, we shall be embarking on a journey of brand modernisation in the coming 12 months, to take our existing, complicated, ‘hand drawn’ club logo, to the next level.
“Full consultation with all parties will follow in due course. Examples attached of how it’s benefited other clubs.”
As well as featuring on the badge worn on the club’s shirts, it is also prominently displayed on the front of Huish Park.
The current crest design is based on Yeovil’s own town coat of arms which it has used since 1954 and depicts John the Baptist taken from the town seals dating back until the 14th Century.
A description on whatsbehindthebadge.com, explains: “The rest of the official arms are made up of the crest which has a Saxon crown and is a symbol of King Alfred the Great, owner of Kingston Manor, and the flames emitting from the crown tells of devastating fires of medieval times. The bull which has golden hooves and horns, represents the agricultural and dairy industries, which contributed to the town’s growth. In the hoof of the bull is a small shield depicting a golden glove, and is symbolic of the town’s staple industry. It is this industry that gives the club its nickname of “The Glovers”. The supporters are a lion from the Earl of Arundel, and the horse from the Horseys of Clifton Maybank.”
There is more to be found in the explanation – read it in full here.
I think it’s fair to state the current crest was designed as recently as 1985, and that we wish to evolve / declutter it, through a process of consultation with the FA / fan base and community.
The current “hand drawn” logo is the only version of it, and is very difficult to replicate across all mediums.
As owners (and more importantly Yeovil born and bred), we have no wish to dismiss our rich club heritage and history.
to be fair theres no loss in exploring the option, and our club is stuck in time. maybe a tasteful rebrand will help us feel in a sense reborn as a club!
Whole heartedly agree George,our past has brought us to where we are today, but it’s time to look and move forward.
All YTFC get behind your club this coming season and let’s have some bumper crowds home and away .C’mon you glovers.
Can’t support a particular new badge without seeing it, but we have to be in favour of at least considering change and modernisation.
I still dislike the new Arsenal badge, but the others shown above look, I think, great!
I think rebrandings that modernise the club’s image, but also draw inspiration from the past are the way to go.
Go too simplistic with a new badge and it can end up looking rubbish.
Think about what happened with West Ham’s badge- if they’d kept the castle in the design, and not just gone with 2 hammers would have been better.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s rebrand in 2005 was a success because it modernised the look, but was inspired by the club badge from 1950s to 80s.
It is annoying that the badge sometimes used by YTFC on social media does not even feature the club’s name. Hopefully that can be sorted out if they update it.