Wigan unveil new club badge

Drew Darbyshire

Wigan have unveiled a new look club badge which they will use immediately.

In a big change to the club’s long-standing credit, a Warrior now features at the centre of the design, in keeping with the identity that the club has held throughout the Super League era, while retaining several elements that are key to recognising Wigan’s heritage.

Wigan Warriors executive director, Kris Radlinski, said: “As part of Super League’s adoption of a broadcast-first digital strategy, they did an individual audit of Super League clubs – to inform clubs where they thought they were at. The main feedback we got was that our crest was outdated, old fashioned and probably not recognisable. This reaffirmed what we had been thinking for a while – that we needed to do something with our badge.

“We’ve made no secret over the past few years that we need to attract a younger crowd. We do have an ageing fanbase, so we need to look at different ways in which we can engage and inspire the next generation in this hyper-connected world we are now living in.

“My chairman, Ian Lenagan, and I, who between us, have got around 120 years’ worth of invested commitment and emotion in the club, feel as though now is the right time to do it. We know that fans are consuming sports differently, so we took a look at the current sporting landscape to see what’s working for some of the biggest clubs in the world and fed that into the process.

“The whole process has taken just over a year, from the initial brainstorming meetings, through the design process and then ultimate sign off. With a project of this size, consultation from all stakeholders has to be an important consideration which is why speaking to a cross-section of fans was critical in this process.

“One of the key people involved in this process wasn’t from Wigan, but was taking a look into the eyes of the initial draft of our Warrior and said that he had always seen a steely glare in the eyes of people from Wigan; something forged deep within them that showed real passion and determination. That really got us thinking and we set about ensuring that the Brigante warrior on the badge, representing the very early history of our town, had exactly that intense look about him.

“We’ve retained some of the other non-negotiables like the Ancient and Loyal motto and of course our name, as well as bringing in other elements of our identity for the first time with the inclusion of 1872 and the Cherry and White hoops within a Northern Soul-inspired circle, which provides another very contemporary reference to our town’s proud history.

“This process has been going on behind-the-scenes throughout 2020 whilst we have been trying to keep the business and the sport alive, so we’ve put ourselves under an extreme amount of pressure to try and create something which takes us forward post-Covid-19.

“I like to think there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that we are coming out the other side. I almost see this as a beacon of hope. We are going to come out on the other side of this strong and this badge is going to guide us. We all know just how important 2021 is from a broadcast perspective and we would like to think that this modern way of working will show that we are not remaining static. We are proactively looking at ways to improve.

“In addition to the badge change, we will also be enforcing a new working culture, in which our workplace will, again, bring us in line with all leading companies in the world. Using staff picked values and standards, we will drive quality in everything we do to provide a superior product on and off the field.

“The old crest will always be there in our heritage and will be visible in relevant circumstances, helping to lead us into the brave new world by reminding us of where we come from and where we want to be heading. We’ve had so many players who have worn that crest and we respect that, and we have to never ever forget that. But we also have to look forward. This is us looking forward and saying this has to happen to keep us up to speed with the modern world, modern sport and modern broadcast and digital strategy.

“All we ask is that fans approach this with an open mind and understand that we are doing it to make us better and improve everything we offer to them.

“I am confident we are doing this for the right reasons, which is to make this rugby league club a better club.

“This year has made us all review our life goals and priorities. The challenges that the world is facing are the most difficult in many of our lifetimes. Regardless of people’s initial reactions, this has to be viewed as a positive. We are making a bold and brave statement to look forward with optimism and hope. We don’t want to just exist. Come with us on this journey.”

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