Southampton Football Club is pleased to announce plans for a new club crest from the 2016/17 Premier League campaign onwards.

The current badge has been in place for over 20 years, other than for a 125th year anniversary crest for the duration of the 2010/11 campaign.

After meeting with focus groups on a number of occasions over the last 12 months, the club has created a more modernised crest that continues to symbolise the city and its surrounding areas, while acknowledging more modern trends.

The biggest change sees the football replaced by the Saint emoji, with the thinking being that over recent years the club has become much more than just a football club, with its work in the community and its forward-thinking approach.

The historical aspects still remain, with the tree that represents the New Forest and Southampton Common, the water that symbolises Southampton’s connection with the river, seas and oceans and the white rose as a symbol of the city all still part of the new crest.

Chief Executive Officer Gareth Rogers explained why the club has decided to make the change ahead of the new season: “We pride ourselves on being a progressive and forward-thinking club, and believe the new crest will play an important part in helping us make the next step.”

Saints fan Paul Inuleg, who attended the focus groups along with a host of other supporters, said: “We understood why the club wanted to modernise the badge and truly reflect the values of recent times. As a lifelong Saints fan, I believe this is a positive step in a new direction.”

The new crest will be used from Friday 1st July 2016, as the club looks to move in a new direction for the 2016/17 campaign.

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