The New Badge: Club historian’s view
Having watched Wigan Rugby League since the 1960s and collected statistics on his beloved club for 40 years, it’s fair to say Club historian Keith Sutch is well aware of the traditions and heritage of the Club and its badge.
So, when Wigan Warriors approached Keith to be involved in the process of developing a new badge, understandably he was a little unsure.
“That [the most recent crest] has been part of the Club for ever since I can remember. We’ve had that on shirts from the 1960s, so there’s a lot of apprehension in changing it and losing the history.
“It’s been there through Lancashire Cup Wins Challenge Cup wins, Grand Final wins and four World Club Challenge wins. So, as a Club historian, there was a lot of apprehension around changing it.”
However, when he was presented with the final design of the new-look badge and given an explanation of the reasons behind the change, his concerns were somewhat eased.
“My initial thoughts, I quite like it.
“As the Club historian, I would absolutely say I’m a traditionalist because I’m all for what this Club and past players have achieved and I’m all about the history of this famous Rugby League club.
“But, I do understand why this change has got to be made and I do understand why we have to take this forward. We’re in a digital age and this is a modern, digital badge that will go forward.
“When you look at the way it’s going to be marketed on the new retail range and merchandise, you can see it coming to life and it jumps out at you. I understand why the Club are going down this route.
Being the Club historian, Keith had been among many in the development process who suggested that the new badge hold plenty of heritage and nods to the previous iteration.
It was because of this that he was so impressed with what had been done with the update.
“If you go back to the original crest – it is not representative of Wigan Rugby League Club. It’s the town crest which we’ve inherited as part of the Club.
“One of the main important parts for me is the fact that we’ve kept the ‘Ancient & Loyal’, which was part and parcel of the original badge.
“We’ve still got the 1872, when the Club was formed, we’ve got the Cherry and White hoops as well.
“We’ve got the Warrior and the piercing eyes, which reflects a lot of Wiganers and when you look into a Wiganer’s eyes and the way they want to win.
“When you stand there and look at it, take on board what has been kept in, it grows on you.”
To experience a full interactive display of exciting content that helps to bring the new badge and its story to life, visit our badge microsite now.
Be among the first fans to get your hands on the new look by checking out our new 2021 hummel training kit and travel wear in our online store.
