Manchester City badge to change following fan consultation

Manchester City have completed a consultation with their fans that will see the club change their badge in the near future.

Over the past few weeks the club has spoken to all of its Cityzen members through a questionnaire and a dedicated consultation space at their Etihad Stadium. They also held a series of free sessions with football historian Gary James who outlined the history of City’s crest.

Fans were asked which features of the current design they liked the most, and which they felt were most associated with the city of Manchester.

Kevin Parker, General Secretary of the Manchester City FC Supporters Club, said:

I am delighted that the Club consulted with the fans about our most important symbol. It is impressive that they canvassed our opinions on this matter and that they want to reflect our feedback in the ultimate design.

“On a personal note, while the Eagle badge will rightly live on in fans’ hearts, minds and on football kits for all that it has come to symbolise over the years, I am pleased that we will once again see the round design which has twice featured in our past badges.”

As a result, they’ve now started the process of working with designers to reimagine the club’s identity. The new design will be revealed to the public once its been shared with the club’s Cityzen members.

The current badge came into use in 1997, as the previous one was ineligible to be registered as a trademark.

UPDATE 01/12/15: The Sun have reported that the club are looking into paying for fans to have laser surgery if they want to update any tattoos featuring the old crest once the new one is revealed. Given the value of their recent investment, they can definitely afford it.