Newcastle United supporters appear open to the idea of a badge refresh under new owners

Is it time to talk about Newcastle United's badge? That was a question asked earlier in the month when Chronicle Live published a feature that looked at the past, present and future of the club's crest.

We interviewed a historian, a sign maker, a design studio director and a sculptor and wrote over 3,000 words as part of a new weekend long-read series we've launched on ChronicleLive. The article was prompted by the fact Newcastle's badge will be 35 years old next summer, and one of only three in the Premier League that haven't been refreshed since the millennium.

I'm nervous of a badge update, but with all aspects of the club under review since its ownership changed hands, an update is likely to happen at some point in the not too distant future as Newcastle set the tone for their new era. At the end of the article was a small survey that asked three questions: Would you like to see Newcastle update their badge? If the club did decide to update the badge what would you prefer? What is your favourite badge of the four worn by Newcastle?

I posed an identical question last year as part of a wider kit survey piece on ChronicleLive. Over 4,000 fans took part, and the sentiment among supporters 12 months ago was 'don't touch it', with over 80% saying "no" to the idea of an update.

In 2022, however, the picture is different. Granted the sample size is smaller, but still more than 300 Newcastle fans took part. This time say they would like to see Newcastle United update their current badge, say they wouldn't like to see an update, with unsure.

So, what's changed? Well, the ownership of course and already there is a strong trust in the current custodians to get things right. From players to stadium infrastructure, the