The Aston Villa rebrand has been an ongoing topic of debate amongst the fanbase.
The club had redesigned their badge in 2022, becoming the first club to do so since the Premier League introduced rules which stipulate clubs must engage with supporters regarding any major changes to club badges or colours.
Over the course of their 150-year history, Aston Villa have had a number of different badges but plans were announced by the club in 2022 to review their emblem as well as how the club appears visually.
The new badge that was brought in for the 2023/24 season was designed with the idea of becoming a globally recognisable brand and allowing the club to grow internationally.
The circular crest that has been seen on Villa’s shirts this season is set to change again for next season, though, with a crest replacing the current circular shape.
Part of the initial rebrand included the decision to have the club name itself on the badge rather than ‘AVFC’, with the idea that the club rebrands itself to exclusively be referred to as ‘Aston Villa’ and not ‘AVFC’.
However, this has proven more difficult than it first appeared and Kieran Maguire of the Price of Football podcast has explained why.
Aston Villa badge change has financial implications
There is no question that the primary motivator behind the club’s rebrand and badge change was financial.
By making the club more globally recognisable as a brand, Villa believe they will see their international fanbase grow and subsequently be able to profit from previously untapped markets.
However, there has been confusion around Villa for some time, with the old badge and new badge both seen in various different places and the club being referred to both as ‘Aston Villa’ and ‘AVFC’.
The reason for this is that the Villa hierarchy have changed the on-shirt badge for the 2023/24 season – which is what is broadcast globally – but kept the old badge everywhere else.
Maguire has explained why the rebrand has only ended up being a partial rebrand, with the club now in limbo with yet another new crest coming next season.
Maguire explained the bizarre initial reason for the change first, saying: “There was a concern in the Villa hierarchy that international/global fans wouldn’t know what ‘AVFC’ stood for.
“Now I’m thinking, if you’re thinking of supporting Aston Villa and you don’t know what ‘AVFC’ is for, perhaps football’s not for you. But that’s why I believe it’s being replaced with the words ‘Aston Villa’.”
Maguire then went on to explain that the financial implications of changing everything associated with the club from the previous branding to the new design has proven an unforeseen stumbling block and is the reason for the dual branding approach we are currently seeing.
The Price of Football co-host said: “The original intention was to then extend that brand transference to everything to do with the club and somebody – probably an accountant – has said ‘have you worked out how much this is going to cost?’.”
It may seem odd that a business as big as Aston Villa would overlook such a key detail, but that appears to be exactly what has happened.
Aston Villa fans react to leaked badge for 2023/24 season
It is fair to say Villa’s fans could be forgiven for not knowing which badge is the current iteration for their club at any one point.
The new emblem was leaked earlier this year by Villa’s new gambling partner Betano, with eagle-eyed fans also spotting the logo being trademarked with the British government in December.
It is fair to say the latest badge has split opinion within the fanbase, with one fan mocking the change on ‘X’ in January with their own attempt at a re-design.
One fan sarcastically referenced the decision to rebrand from ‘AVFC’ to have the full name on the badge, posting: “#avfc new deal with adidas – However the badge will still have to have the name Aston Villa on it as without it no one will know who they are.”
Another simply said: “I prefer our current than this horror.”
However, there are fans in favour of the change, as one fan posted their support, saying: “Can’t lie it’s actually grown on me now, the lion alone has saved this badge.”
Another was very keen on the change, posting: “Best badge in the league.”
One fan was keen to be the voice of reason, expressing how the division is exactly why the club’s fans should not be the ones to make the decision on the design of the badge, ending their post with: “There is no right answer…therefore the right answer is leave it to the club.”
Given the recent changes, Villa fans will likely just be happy to see the decision makers at the club pick a crest and stick with it.
