9 Premier League Clubs That Have Changed Their Badge

One of the most important parts of a football club is its identity. This is painstakingly forged in the image of the fanbase, notable players, the stadium and, most pointedly, the club badge. These designs can make clubs instantly recognisable, even for people not interested in football.

Many teams have updated these key identifiers in the 21st century. Some clubs have included historical references in their logos, while others have changed to mark new eras at the institution. New designs can often be met with mixed reactions from fans, with some club’s redesigns being seen as controversial.

Manchester United, Newcastle United and Ipswich Town are the only current Premier League clubs not to have made any alterations to their badges since 2000. The vast majority of the division has been far more proactive. Here’s a closer look at the top-flight teams that have made the most noteworthy design overhauls in recent years.

9 Aston Villa

Year of change: 2024

Incredibly, Aston Villa have had five different logos since the start of the new millennium and made yet another change ahead of the 2024/25 season. From 2000 to 2007, the club had a shield design with claret and blue stripes behind its famous yellow lion, with the club name in a bar above and the word ‘Prepared’ below the big cat.

The first rebrand came in 2007 when then-owner Randy Lerner decided a new, more minimalistic emblem was required. The rebranding saw a slightly different shape, an entirely blue background to replace the stripes and the full name of the club replaced by ‘AVFC’ at the top of the badge. A star was also added inside the shield to mark Villa’s European Cup triumph of 1982.

A minor change was made in 2016, when the word ‘Prepared’, which had appeared in every logo since 1992, disappeared, and the claret outline was removed. This shield was used until 2023/24, when the club moved to a round logo for its kits, which was a nod to the design used between 1973 and 1992. Confusingly, the previous shield was still used for non-matchday media and items. The rounded badge unusually saw the lion flipped in the opposite direction, as it was intended to show the club ‘facing forward’.

Although this crest was initially intended to mark a permanent change, it only lasted one season before another new emblem was announced. The latest design is a slight update on the previous shield, although the full name of the club returned to the bottom, just below the founding year.

8 Brentford

Year of change: 2017

Brentford changed from their former shield logo to their new rounded shape in 2017, when the club decided they needed a new logo to be more “recognisable, iconic and practical to use”. The club’s previous badge, first used in 1994, incorporated the Middlesex arms within it, which was the only feature removed for the new crest, with every other element of the design making the migration over to the circular iteration.

The crest now features a prominent bee in a nod to the club’s nickname, the Bees. The actual name of the club and the year of foundation also appear on either side. The rounded badge has become popular in recent years, and then-Brentford chief executive Mark Devlin said: “The old crest wasn’t really fit for purpose in a digital age.”

7 West Ham

Year of change: 2016

West Ham updated their crest in 2016, with a new shield shape replacing a design that had been in place in various colours since 1980 (aside from two years between 1983 and 1985 when the club simply used their famous crossed hammers). The old logo featured Boleyn Castle prominently in its design and the two hammers, but the historic stately home was removed in the updated logo, marking the club’s move away from the Boleyn Ground to their new London Stadium.

The new logo also features the word ‘London’, which is meant to reflect the club’s status as one of the biggest clubs in the capital city. The shield shape is a nod to the bow of the HMS Warrior, which was the first warship built and launched at Thames Ironworks, the shipbuilder whose factory team formed the original iteration of West Ham United.

6 Manchester City

Year of change: 2016

Manchester City’s 2016 rebrand was to bring back the design that they had for most of their history – the now instantly recognisable rounded logo. The club had similar designs from 1960 until 1997 when they decided to move to an entirely different shape.

The old logo was introduced as a result of the club’s previous round badge being ineligible for trademark registration. It featured an eagle, the arms of the city of Manchester and a shield, as well as three golden stars above the badge, which were purely for decorative purposes. The shield included a golden ship as well as the three stripes to signify Manchester’s three major rivers. These two elements are the only ones that were included in the new logo, as the eagle, the stars and the Latin phrase ‘Superbia in Proelia’ – ‘Pride in Battle’ – were removed.

5 Everton

Year of change: 2014

Everton have had multiple logos since the dawn of the 21st century. In that time, the Toffees’ badge has always sported the same design elements, most notably the famous Everton Lock-Up, which has sat as the centrepiece of the club’s badge since 1978, although it initially featured as early as 1938.

The famous Latin phrase ‘Nil Satis Nisi Optimum’ – meaning ‘Nothing but the best is good enough’ – has also been a mainstay on their logo, although it was controversially removed from the short-lived 2013 redesign, before returning when the badge was updated again the year after. The 2014 redesign was partially done by the fans, as the Goodison Park board responded to the backlash and apologised to the club’s fans. The current logo also saw the design of the Lock-Up return to its previous appearance, having also been updated in the ill-fated 2013 effort.

4 Brighton

Year of change: 2011

Brighton & Hove Albion reverted to a design similar to the one used by the club from the 1970s to the ’90s. The Seagulls’ logo change was in time for their move to the Amex Stadium in 2011, and along with the new ground came a new identity off the pitch.

The south coast side had previously used a shield design, in a primarily blue colour with red around the outside, although the red was removed for the new design, to match the club’s kit scheme. Special logos have also been used on occasion, with the Brighton coat of arms appearing on Albion’s centenary shirt in 2001/02, and a lone seagull being used on the club’s kits between 2002 and 2004.

3 Tottenham

Year of change: 2006

Tottenham Hotspur’s current badge was introduced in 2006, replacing the old logo that had first been used as long ago as 1983. The previous design featured the familiar cockerel on a ball which is still in use today, although it was accompanied by a banner including the Latin club motto: ‘Audere Est Facere’, ‘To dare is to do’. This slogan was removed from the badge in 2006.

The old design was used between 1983 and 1995, and then between 1999 and 2006, with the years in between seeing two temporary, more unfamiliar logos deployed. The pared-back, modern design was labelled as ‘sleek and proud, athletic and elegant’, and is one of the most recognisable badges in the league thanks to its unique shape.

2 Chelsea

Year of change: 2005

Chelsea’s current round badge has been in use since 2005 and replaced the previous version that had represented the club since 1986. The new design was brought in to mark the club’s 100-year anniversary and has remained ever since, with a slight colour alteration in 2006.

The logo is inspired by the design Ted Drake introduced in 1953. The legendary Arsenal striker’s arrival as manager sparked several changes as Drake sought to quash the club’s long-standing relationship with the Chelsea Pensioners. A sketch of one of the army veterans had formed the centrepiece of the club badge before Drake introduced the rather more imposing figure of a lion. The Blues’ badge has since become one of the most recognisable in world football and is one of few that became less minimalistic following a rebranding.

1 Arsenal

Year of change: 2002

Set to use the club’s famous cannon on the kits for the 2024/25 campaign, the club’s crest will remain a part of the identity of Arsenal. Introduced in 2002, the design replaced the famous old logo that the Gunners had used in different iterations since 1949. The 2002 change was made to ’embrace the future and move forward’ ahead of an impending move to the Emirates Stadium.

The new logo removed the Latin motto, ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’ – ‘Victory grows out of harmony’ – and was introduced to bring a new modern crest to the club, while still paying homage to their history and heritage. A special edition of the badge was used in 2011/12 to commemorate Arsenal’s 125-year anniversary, which featured 15 laurel and oak leaves on either side of the logo.