Following criticism Leeds United announces further consultation with fans on the design of new crest

Yesterday we reported on the unveiling of Leeds United’s new crest and the reaction it received from fans. As a result of said reaction, the club has decided to reopen the “consultation process” after a petition featuring 50,000 signatures emerged in the first 12 hours of the logo’s release.

Despite the new crest featuring what is known as the “Leeds salute” – a fist placed over the heart – it was widely mocked online with many comparing it to “a Gaviscon ad”. The petition was started by one of the club’s fans, Steven Barrett, who gained 50,000 signatures by 7pm yesterday evening (24 January), addressing his criticism to Leeds United’s owner Andrea Radrizzani. Shortly after, Leeds’ chief executive Angus Kinnear announced that they will be consulting with fans further before introducing the new crest next season.

Having initially championed the new crest, he responded to the negative feedback saying: “We always knew that the introduction of a crest, particularly one that is so bold and such a break away from the traditional conventions of football club crests, was going to create debate and may be controversial.”

“We had confidence in the process we went through to arrive at the design but today we’ve been overwhelmed by the feedback,” he added, stating that it’s partly why he loves working for Leeds United. “The passion and enthusiasm and the commitment of the fanbase is quite astounding. We put the supporters at the heart of everything we do and we are here to make them proud and so, based on some of the feedback we’ve received, it’s evident that the process wasn’t extensive enough and we need to seek further consultation with our fans as we don’t want to do anything that the majority of the fanbase doesn’t believe in.”