Bristol Rovers scrap new badge plans after consultation with supporters

Bristol Rovers are to persist with their current badge and will 'halt' their plans for a re-brand of the club. A series of new badges had been designed and fans had been consulted over the process but now the current badge will remain.

Rovers' have had their current emblem for the last 25-years and the club explored modernising the badge ahead of what is their 140th anniversary next year. They were originally formed as the Black Arabs FC in 1883.

Numerous surveys had been sent out to season ticket holders and club members about their initial plans. 52% of the fan base that were consulted were open to a change.

Fans of Bristol Rovers strongly opposed a circular badge, which is what several English Football League and Premier League clubs have adopted. Seven days ago, a new badge was revealed which had a skull and cross bones image, along with 1883, the club the year was founded inside a shield shape. It appeared on mock-up images such as the changing rooms, the training ground, as well as this season's current shirt.

A third survey was sent out to supporters, which garnered the opinion of fans, and the results have forced Rovers to reconsider their stance. A club statement read: "Over the past few weeks, Bristol Rovers has been actively engaging with supporters on a possible new crest to positively represent the club moving forward.

"It was felt that, after 25 years of the current logo, it could be time to modernise it. The existing option is also not particularly versatile and poses problems when it comes to applying to merchandise or using it through online channels. Finally, it was felt that the current pirate was more representative of an Admiral and the direction of the sword often leaves the crest off-centre. The plan for this process has always been to be open and honest and to try and find a solution that all supporters could get behind.

"Within this final survey, for the first time, it was clear that the current route wasn’t the right path to go down. We have therefore taken the decision to halt the process and we will continue with the existing logo."

Several supporters had created their own designs, which were shared on social media, with the club included. Bristol Rovers thanked supporters and stated that if any of them were to gain traction, it could make them re-consider the re-brand.