Aston Villa set to anger fans after new official announcement
Dan Plumley believes Aston Villa will have angered some fans after officially announcing a new club crest this week.
The club announced on their official X account on Friday (31 May) that the crest will change for the upcoming season once again, following a change in 2022 to a round crest.
When asked if changing the crest could help or hinder the club financially, expert Plumley admitted that it could go either way as there’s no way of pleasing every fan when making the decision.
“It’s both, I think is the honest answer,” he exclusively told Villa News.
“If you look at it through all lenses of the fans, there are some times where a new design if it is innovative or creative and it looks good it might appeal to a different market. Of course, we know these clubs have business operations and fans all the way around the world, so it could appeal to some.
“You’re never going to win with that because on the other side of the equation is that you’re going to upset some fans who like the old badge and the tradition and history behind it. Every club that’s changed their badge, even in the tiniest detail, has gone through this period where some fans are going to hate it and some might like it, and other fans are nonplus with it and are in the middle.
“I guess where it would hurt you from a money point of view is where it was so bad that the fan base stopped buying the kits and stop buying things with club badges on them. I don’t think the data supports that, even though clubs that have changed badges will say people are still buying the shirts.
“I think it needs a really strong reaction from a large majority of the fan base to really turn it so that it stays the same, but again, you can’t really win on this one because you’re going to upset someone along the way as much as some people might be on board with it.”
Aston Villa fans will prefer the new badge
Aston Villa have had an incredible season in 2023/24 with their round badge, earning Champions League football for the first time in their history with a top-four finish.
However, all the club’s previous success came with a shield crest and now they have gone back to the more traditional style of crest for the coming year too.
The round badge was voted for by fans but widely criticised for it’s similarities to the Chelsea badge at one point, and going back to the older badge with a more modern twist will surely be a very popular decision among the fan base.
As Plumley states, there’s no way of pleasing everyone and some will prefer the round badge. But so long as the crest isn’t universally hated as it was by Leeds several years ago then it’s unlikely to matter too much.
Villa fans won’t be boycotting any merchandise as a result of this decision, and with a Champions League season to come they’re moe likely to sell even more replica kits than usual so fans can be part of this historic upcoming campaign.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have confirmed a club-record deal worth millions.
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