Wearsiders ponder club badge change

SUNDERLAND’S new owners are considering changing the club’s badge.

The Black Cats’ current crest design, which features on replica shirts, merchandise and within the Stadium of Light itself, was adopted in 1997 when the club moved from Roker Park to its new home.

It was unveiled at the same time as the club motto ‘Consectatio Excellentiae’, which roughly translates from Latin as ‘in pursuit of excellence.’

However, in a meeting with the umbrella fans group Red and White Army, executive director Charlie Methven said the club is mulling over a change of design.

The minutes of the meeting, held at the end of September, said: “CM (Methven) said the badge and motto were being looked at, working towards a simpler design which would be easier to put on merchandise and kit.”

Sunderland’s crest incorporates a number of elements which acknowledge the city’s industrial heritage in shipbuilding and coal mining and the club’s place in the community and the region.

It is headed by a colliery wheel, while the central shield is divided into four quarters, two of which contain the red and white stripes synonymous with the club, while the top left-hand quarter depicts Penshaw Monument in a nod to the fact Sunderland’s support is not confined to the city itself, while the bottom right-hand quarter features the Wearmouth Bridge.

The shield is flanked by two black lions, which also feature on the City of Sunderland’s coat of arms.

The current crest replaced the badge which was adopted in 1973, which featured a ship crossing the River Wear above the word ‘Sunderland’, with the club’s famous red and white stripes below that and a football containing the letters ‘AFC’.

Prior to that, Sunderland had used several different designs, the first official badge featuring a ship above a red and white-striped shield which contained a football with a black cat perched on top.

Changing a club badge is a move fraught with danger, with some fans likely to embrace the idea while others will prefer it had remained unchanged.

Others will not object to a change but will not be keen on the design chosen.

In January, Leeds United revealed a new badge which they intended to adopt this season but the design was branded ‘awful.’