New club crest revealed by rugby champions Saints

The new crest will be used from the start of the new Premiership season

A new crest has been unveiled by rugby Premiership champions Northampton Saints.

The club said the previous design was not easy to recall and did not feature its core colours of green, black and gold.

The new badge was "instantly recognisable and memorable" and developed after 12 months of research, it added.

Some initial reaction from fans online was negative, with one saying they were "devastated" by the change, while another said they "love it".

Northampton Saints is the latest Premiership club to change its crest

Responding to a club post on X, one fan said they would "never wear a shirt sporting this abomination and I can't imagine many true fans will".

Another said: "I’ve never seen such a bland representation of such a magnificent club."

A more positive fan conceded it was "going to take a while to get used to this" but praised "the fact it's based on our first-known badge".

'Uncomfortable'

The previous crest had been worn on player jerseys since the 1980s.

The club said the new design took inspiration from the shirts worn when it was formed in 1880 and in surveys a "significant number" of people had said they were "open to change".

Chief executive Mark Darbon said he understood "change may be uncomfortable" for some fans but believed "we must look forward to secure the continued relevance, appeal and sustainability of this brilliant club".

In 1884, the player jerseys were scarlet but featured an emblem thought to be inspired by the St James Cross

BBC Radio Northampton sports editor Graham McKechnie said drawing on the club's history "should at least reassure supporters who were worried that the club was abandoning tradition".

"Some will complain, some will like it – in the end if Saints carry on winning and playing in the style they did last season, that’s what will matter most," he added.

The crest being replaced has been in use on the kit since 1984