A fascinating legend exists about why Newcastle United have a blue and red St George’s cross on their crest.
Newcastle United confirmed the club’s new crest on Thursday and the reaction has been positive.
While there is little change to the current design, the Magpies were always keen to stress evolution - not revolution. Fan feedback over two years steered Newcastle away from a radical overhaul.
Supporters made it clear in consultation meetings and surveys that the outgoing crest should be modernised for the digital age. However, a secondary badge - to be used on merchandise - has received a mixed response.
Newcastle have chosen a castle as a brand mark to help appeal to a global market. The new crest will be on shirts for the first time when the Magpies face Crystal Palace in the final home game of the season.
Newcastle United considered St George’s cross
It is understood that Newcastle considered “correcting” the St George’s cross on the new badge. The crest already honours the patron saint, although blue is used as a background for the red cross instead of white.
On the city’s coat of arms - which Newcastle’s crest derives from - a standard St George’s flag is used. According to legend, when badges were only used for cup finals in the early 20th century, the Magpies were supposed to have a traditional St George’s cross on their shirt.
However, an error on the day left the flag blue and red - with Newcastle keeping those colours to this day. A correction was considered but designers opted to “claim the mistake” which is now embedded into the club’s history.
David Hopkinson on crest announcement
Toon CEO David Hopkinson highlighted Newcastle’s proud history key to the crest revamp. He said: “I have never worked anywhere that feels as proud and passionate about its crest than the way this club does, so this body of work is an enormous privilege and responsibility for all of us.
“The club has asked supporters questions that we did not know the answers to, and they told us plainly: protect what we have, keep the elements we love, and do not start again. Every decision after that has been made inside the margins our fans drew, and it is only right that our fans have had the final and decisive say on the outcome.
“Our crest came from the city's own coat of arms, and it still does. It honours where we have come from, it represents who we are now, and it will become an iconic symbol for generations of supporters around the world who believe in it and unite behind it."