Aston Villa allowing fans to vote on new club crest

Aston Villa has opened fan voting for a new club crest. The team previously announced that they would modernize their current crest with help from fan input. According to a video on the team’s official website, nearly 13,000 people voiced their opinions on how the new badge should look.

The West Midlands club has claimed that 94% of fans wanted to keep the lion as the main focal point of the crest. The lion was initially implemented in Villa’s badge by chairman William McGregor, a Scotsman, in 1877. Scotland’s royal crest features a similar lion as well.

Big changes ahead for new villa crest

Perhaps the biggest change will be what is written on the new crest. A vast majority of voters preferred ‘Aston Villa’ be scrolled across the badge. The team’s current design features a condensed ‘AVFC’ across the top. Villa are currently one of only five Premier League teams to not include their full name in their crest.

Another significant move is the shift away from a yellow lion. Villa’s main two colors have been claret and blue, yet yellow has been a prominent color on the club’s current design. The new options focus more on the claret and blue colors. Yellow will be a more accented secondary color.

76% of fan voters also felt that the current crest shape did not represent the club very well. Both new options feature different shaped crests.

After months of consideration, Villa has released the two final designs. Season ticket holders and members can now vote on their favorite option. Both crests are fairly similar.

The first is a geometric crest with a blue lion, claret background, and ‘Aston Villa’ written in yellow. The second option is a round crest with a claret lion, blue background, and a similar yellow ‘Aston Villa.’

Qualifying fans can now vote on their favorite crest design on the club’s website.

Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images