Backlash from supporters has prompted Louisville City FC to pull its new crest, as the club halts merchandise production and goes back to the drawing board.
On Monday, USL Championship’s Louisville City FC unveiled an updated logo and color scheme. The refreshed look was revealed ahead of the 2020 season, which will be the club’s first at the new soccer-specific Lynn Family Stadium.
However, fan feedback to the design was overwhelmingly negative–The Courier-Journal has more insight on the fan base’s response–and that has prompted Louisville City FC to reconsider the design of the new crest. On Thursday, the club announced that it is halting merchandise production on the new logo and will be engaging with supporter group leadership about how to improve the design. Louisville City FC president Brad Estes made this revelation in a club-issued statement, while acknowledging that the rollout of the new look did go over well:
“You are the lifeblood of our organization, and we greatly appreciate each of you. We have worked hard over the years to develop and maintain strong bonds together without regard for group affiliation.
“To be blunt, our recent brand rollout has failed you. We had the best intentions, but we lost sight of our responsibility to engage you in the process. We make no excuses; we simply commit to making it right.
“We have stopped production on merchandise with the new crest and have opened dialogue with supporter group leadership about how to improve our club’s branding and crest. This will be an inclusive process, and we will update you as more information is available.”
It is not unusual for branding changes to receive backlash in the beginning, only for fans to adjust over time and accept a revised look. Louisville City FC, though, clearly believes that it is best suited to reconsider the changes and come up with a new design. Such a move is not unprecedented among professional sports teams, but it will still be interesting to see what the club does next.
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