January 3, 2022 3.43 pm This story is over 26 months old

Grimsby Town reimagine logo after 50 years – and it has caused quite a stir

Some fans were left furious and the board has apologised
Grimsby Town has updated its crest after 50 years, with the help of Apple designer and Mariners fan Rich Lyons. | Photo: Grimsby Town FC
By Local Democracy Reporter

Grimsby Town Football Club has redefined its crest after 50 years, but may have to U-turn after supporters lashed out at not being consulted on the changes.

On January 1, to mark the beginning of 2022, Grimsby Town’s club crest was redefined with a flag atop the trawler boasting 1878 (the year the club was founded), an altered font and thicker outlines added.

Labelled “New Year, New Era, Brand New”, the design was made by Mariners fan Rich Lyons, who is a designer at tech giant Apple.

Along with the new crest, a brand new custom website was created by local design consultants Source Four, along with the club’s first ever official brand guidelines, aligning Grimsby’s image to make an instantly recognisable brand.

It comes after the club’s takeover by 1878 Partners Ltd in 2020, as Grimsby’s new owners look to mark a “brand new chapter” for the football team following their relegation into the National League last season.

To read the full changes proposed, visit the New Year, New Era, Brand New statement on the football club’s website.

Designer of the new crest Rich Lyons said it was “such an important symbol of our passion for the club” and hopes his “improved version is loved by our fans for decades to come”.

But fans were left frustrated at the lack of communication from the club about the updates, something which the board has apologised for.

In a follow-up statement published on Sunday, January 2, a spokesperson for Grimsby Town Football Club said: “The board promised to seek feedback from supporters on the website over the coming weeks, but we were so convinced about the subtlety of the changes to the crest we failed to consult.

“We got it wrong. Despite significant effort to ensure that we communicated the change well, our social media posts were also delayed by several hours, thus making it appear at first as if the board was being less than transparent on the changes.”

Fans will now be given the chance to vote on whether or not it should be changed, with details on the vote expected in the coming days.

Comedian and lifelong Grimsby fan Lloyd Griffith took to Twitter to amusingly point out what the new crest looks like to some fans, though he says the story behind redefining the badge will make fans “grow to not hate it”.