No More Soulless Crest Updates? New FA Rules Protect Club Crests and Home Colours
Good news for fans of English teams as the FA have introduced new rules stating that clubs must consult with fans and have the approval of the majority before making any changes to the club crest or home shirt colours. This should help put a stop to the over-simplification and excessive modernisation of club crests, at least in England.
New FA Rules Protect Club Heritage
Over the past number of years, we have seen a growing trend of clubs updating their crest, opting for a minimalistic approach which results in a huge loss of character in a lot of cases. Changing the club's colours or removing certain elements from the badge is akin to partially erasing the club's history, distancing them from their roots and origins in favour of appealing to the international masses.
Cardiff City had worn blue since 1908. In 2013, owner Vincent Tan changed the team's home kit to red. The change was intended to help the club gain popularity in Asia. Red was also his favourite colour. After two and a half years of red shirts and dwindling numbers of fans coming to games, he switched the colours back to blue.
The most unpopular crest updates such as those of Juventus, Inter and Nantes resulted in the crest looking like a corporate logo rather than the crest of a football club that was formed over one hundred years ago. While it's probably fair to say that the majority of these drastically modernised changes have happened in leagues outside of England, there have been controversial cases in the Premier League and EFL too.
West Ham's current logo dropped the castle which had been present for over 50 years and was representative of a number of aspects of the club's history and place in the community. The word "London" was added instead, trying to attract a global fanbase rather than catering to their existing fans.
Leeds United redesigned their crest completely in 2018, coming up with a modified Mr Clean logo after six months of research and "consulting 10,000 people". It says a lot that the didn't use the word "fans" in their own launch. The backlash was swift and 77,000 supporters signed a petition to abandon the new badge, forcing the club do a u-turn and stick with the existing crest.
The FA's new rules apply to clubs in Premier League, EFL, National League [national division], Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship. The website of the FA states that:
Under the new rules, if a club wishes to make a material change to its club crest, or change its recognised home shirt colours, it must undertake a thorough and extensive consultation process with supporters.
If a majority of the fans object to such a change, it cannot go ahead. If a club is unable to provide proof that a proposed change was approved by the fans, the FA has the power to make the club revert to the previous crest or home shirt colours.
In the event a club is found to be in breach of the rules, The FA is able to take appropriate action, such as ordering a club to revert back to a previous crest or home shirt colour combination.
The relevant leagues and Football Supporters Association will be a part of the consultation process, with the overall aim being to put fans at the heart of the decision making process when it comes to club heritage. The relocation of clubs' home grounds could also soon have to abide by new laws as the FA continue their own fan consultation process on the matter.
Some people may argue that clubs need to update their crests to move with the times, and that is a valid point. There have been examples of successful, well-thought out changes that supporters can get behind, but there have also been far too many cases where the clubs have gotten it wrong.
The fans who have supported the club for years and have been with them a lot longer than new owners or partnering creative agencies should always have a say in these kinds of changes, as they have a very different association with the club than the men in the boardroom do. Ditching their heritage in order to create a new identity and attract new fans is sadly what many clubs have done, but these new rules should help to prevent it from happening again in the future.
What do you think of the FA's new rules on protecting club heritage? Would you like to see other leagues and organisations follow suit? Comment below.
No More Hummel: CD Tenerife Announces Macron Kit Deal
Spanish club CD Tenerife has officially announced a new kit supplier deal with Italian brand Macron, effective from the 26-27 season. The agreement coincides with the club's return to the Segunda División (LaLiga Hypermotion) and will see Macron provide technical apparel for both the first team and the youth academy squads.
The arrival of Macron marks the end of a 13-year partnership with Hummel, which was one of the longest-running technical supplier deals in Spanish football. According to the announcement, Macron will deliver custom collections that celebrate Tenerife's heritage, identity, and local community, featuring bespoke details designed specifically for the blanquiazules.
Following the announcement, anticipation is already building among the fanbase for the reveal of the new kits. While no official release date has been confirmed yet, supporters are eagerly waiting to see the fresh designs the Italian brand has prepared for the 26-27 campaign.
All "Gold" Adidas Final World Cup Match Ball
Adidas has showcased the new Trionda Final, the official match ball for the semi-finals and final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The brand revealed the ball in a special photoshoot dubbed a family reunion, displaying the new edition alongside iconic past World Cup match balls such as the Jabulani, Etrusco, and Telstar.
The Adidas 2026 World Cup Trionda Final match ball features a color palette of white, black, gold, and red. A distinctive element of the design is the inclusion of the 2026 host cities, which are printed in a distressed font across the panels. The Trionda Final is now available to purchase through Adidas following its official launch.
Hartlepool United 26-27 Home Kit Released
The new Hartlepool United 26-27 home kit has been officially released by the club today, designed by Meyba under the theme 'A new era. A new dawn.'
The blue and white shirt features the return of Workwear Express as the main front-of-shirt sponsor, officially replacing Prestige Group.
Manchester City 26-27 Away Kit Leaked
Based on our leaked information, Vietnamese kit expert @jerseystory_vn has created a mockup image of the upcoming Manchester City 26-27 away kit, modeled by Erling Haaland.
The new kit features a worker bee pattern, which is a deep cultural symbol in Manchester's history, famously representing the city's rich industrial heritage and the hard-working spirit of its citizens.
What do you think of the Manchester City 26-27 away kit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
FC Zürich 26-27 Home & Away Kits Released
Swiss club FC Zürich has officially launched its new Castore home and away kits for the 26-27 season.
The Castore FC Zürich 26-27 home and away shirts have bespoke designs. The home option comes with a pretty horrible (in our opinion) stripes design. Meanwhile, he away kit stands out by incorporating a subtle topographical map of Zurich into its design.
The Downfall of the FIFA World Cup Winners Badge
Recent iterations of the World Cup winners patch have a noticeable decline in quality, as highlighted by our follower @AmosMurphy_. What was once a premium, beautifully textured addition to a national team shirt has now been reduced to a standard, flat heat-pressed decal.
The shift towards cheaper materials on major international kits stands in stark contrast to other areas of the football shirt market, where we see embossed details and multilayer 3D crest more often.
2026 MLS All-Star Kit Released
Major League Soccer and Adidas have officially unveiled the 2026 MLS All-Star jersey. The new kit will be worn during the 30th MLS All-Star Game when the league's top players face off against the best of Liga MX on July 29 in Charlotte.
The 2026 MLS All-Star kit features a striking 1990s inspired design highlighted by blue and green accents, serving as a direct nod to the original MLS logo and brand colors from the league's inception. It is the first All-Star jersey to feature the classic Adidas Trefoil logo, adding a strong retro aesthetic to the modern kit.
Mallorca 26-27 Away Kit Released
RCD Mallorca has officially launched its new 26-27 away kit. Produced by Nike, the secondary strip for the upcoming Spanish La Liga season was revealed to fans on July 8.
The Nike RCD Mallorca 26-27 away shirt introduces a sleek design, being predominantly black. It features a striking horizontal stripe across the chest and is highlighted by gold accents on the logos and detailing, offering a clean and modern look.
The new Nike RCD Mallorca 26-27 away kit is available to purchase online immediately. Fans can also find it in official club stores starting July 9.
CSD Municipal 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
Guatemalan champions CSD Municipal have unveiled their kit set for 26-27 Liga Nacional season, all made by English brand Umbro.
All three kits features outstanding bespoke designs: A vibrant red base with black collar and gold crests for the home kit, a dark shirt with deep blue houndstooth pattern for the away kit, and a striking turquoise look with amazing brushstroke-like graphic for the third kit.
What do you think of CSD Municipal kit? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Salford City FC 26-27 Away Kit Released
Salford City FC have released their new away kit for 2026-27 season, made by Adidas and will be worn in their EFL League Two campaign next season.
This is their first-ever kit to feature the brand new club crest introduced earlier this month. The white design features black accents and orange trims - representing the club's traditional colors, and completed with white shorts and socks that use identical details. It is also notable that with AIG as their sponsor, the shirt does carry the same vibe as Manchester United in the late 2000s
What do you think of Salford City FC 26-27 away kit? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Manchester United 26-27 Away Kit Based on Salford City Kit