A full summary of the process that shaped Newcastle United's new crest.
For more than two years, Newcastle United has worked with supporters to understand whether the existing crest remained fit for the future and, if not, how it could evolve while protecting the heritage and identity that supporters value so deeply.
The result is a new crest chosen directly by supporters through a comprehensive consultation programme and independently administered poll.
The existing crest had represented Newcastle United since 1988.
While it remained one of the most recognisable symbols in football, specialist design research identified challenges when reproducing the crest across modern digital platforms, broadcast graphics, embroidery and merchandise.
Rather than begin with a pre-determined solution, the club started by asking supporters a simple question:
Does our current crest serve Newcastle United as well as it deserves to?
The response from supporters was clear:
Protect our history and identity
Retain the elements fans associate with Newcastle United
Do not start again from scratch
Evolve rather than reinvent
These principles guided every stage of the project.
Supporters consistently told us that:
What should remain
The castle
The black and white shield
The hippocampi
The lion and pennon
The club ribbon
What should improve
Better visibility on digital channels
Stronger reproduction on kits and merchandise
Greater consistency across all formats
Simpler and cleaner presentation without losing character
What supporters did not want
A complete redesign
A generic football badge
Change for the sake of change
Following the consultation, the club's design team created thousands of design variations before producing three final crest options.
Each option retained the key elements supporters asked to protect while improving clarity, balance and usability across modern platforms.
Supporters were then invited to review and give their opinion on the final three options.
Independent polling process
The supporter poll was developed and administered independently by Octagon. The polling process was designed to ensure fairness, integrity and accessibility throughout.
Poll timeline
Stage | Timeline |
|---|---|
Third-party supplier selected | 23 June |
Poll development | 13 July to 23 July |
Poll testing | 28 July to 3 August |
Unique poll links generated | 4 August |
Poll open | 6 August to 27 August |
Data cleaning | 27 August |
Result shared | October 2026 |
Process safeguards
The independent provider was selected against five key criteria:
Panel reach and scalability
Confidentiality and security
Flexibility
Data reporting capability
Accessibility standards
Who could take part?
To ensure the outcome reflected the views of supporters with a demonstrated connection to Newcastle United, invitations were sent to:
Newcastle United season ticket holders (2026/27)
Newcastle United Women season ticket holders
Mags Members (2025/26)
Mags Members (2026/27)
Official Supporters' Club leads
Newcastle United Women supporters who had attended two or more matches
Total eligible audience: 118,658 supporters.
What question did supporters answer?
Every supporter was shown the three crest options. The order of the options was rotated for each respondent to remove potential bias. All wording was developed to meet Independent Football Regulator consultation requirements. Supporters were asked to select:
Their first-choice preference crest
Their second-choice preference crest
Supporters were informed that the crest receiving the highest number of first-choice preferences would be considered for adoption as Newcastle United's new crest.
Statistical robustness Independent advice recommended a minimum sample of 21,200 responses to provide statistically significant results with 95 per cent confidence. The final survey achieved 27,348 completed responses, exceeding the recommended sample size. The result produced a clear majority outcome.
A total of 27,348 supporters completed the poll.
First-choice preferences
Option C - 64.8%
Option B - 19.0%
Option A - 16.2%
Second-choice preferences
Option C - 53.3%
Option B - 28.2%
Option A - 18.5%
Results by supporter group
The preferred crest achieved majority support across every supporter category included within the poll.
Supporter Group / Winning Crest %
Total Sample - 64.8%
Men's Season Ticket Holders - 65.5%
Women's Season Ticket Holders - 64.4%
Mags Members - 66.1%
Mags+ Members - 65.6%
Newcastle United Women Match Attendees - 71.9%
This consistent result demonstrates broad support for the chosen crest across different supporter groups.
Why the chosen crest was selected
The successful design achieved:
The highest number of first-choice preferences
A clear majority of supporter support
Strong support across all fan categories
The best balance between heritage and modern usability
The design retains the key elements that supporters told us were essential to Newcastle United's identity while improving visibility, consistency and performance across digital platforms, merchandise, broadcast graphics and future applications.
Thank you
The club would like to thank every supporter who took part in workshops, focus groups, surveys, events and the final poll.
Your feedback directly shaped the options that were developed and ultimately determined the crest that will represent Newcastle United.
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Key Numbers
2+ years Supporter consultation and engagement
118,658 Eligible supporters invited to poll
27,348 Completed responses
64.8% First-choice support for the winning crest