Cardiff City have today unveiled their new Home and Away kits for the 2012/13 season, designed by Puma.
The main Home colour has been changed to red and the traditional blue shirt becomes the Away option. A third kit will be launched at a later date.
The change to red is with a view to increasing revenue internationally, with the colour holding spiritual significance in the Far East. The club's investors are from Malaysia and the country's name adorns the front of the shirts.
When plans for a change emerged several weeks ago they were met with some opposition and seemed to have been abandoned. The proposals have now been "reactivated" and a new club crest has also been revealed, featuring the red Welsh dragon more prominently and a new motto "Fire & Passion", but also retaining the inclusion of the Bluebird.
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The club believes that the changes "have been or will be accepted by the vast majority of supporters".
Cardiff City Chief Executive Alan Whiteley said, "This is a major and significant financial commitment and we are grateful to our investors for their continued confidence in this football club. In recent years the support and commitment from our Malaysian investors has given the club a much needed stability that has allowed us to move forward and away from the brink of administration, whilst allowing the club to challenge at the highest levels of the Championship.
"It is proposed that the future investment will take place principally in the form of shares and should give us every chance of delivering what we believe is the common and collective objective of the board and all Cardiff City fans. Our goal, put simply, is to work towards concluding all previous financial issues to place us on a long term financially stable platform, along with introducing structured investment in the team, stadium and infrastructure of Cardiff City Football Club to enable the club to achieve and sustain Premier League football.
"Concerning the commitment to developing the crest and to switch our primary colour to red, as directors - and as fans in our own right - we recognise that there is a history and commitment that goes with supporting Cardiff City and we are conscious and proud of the loyalty, bond and passion so many share for this club.
"At the same time, we also have to be prepared to be realistic and progressive. Sometimes in difficult economic times and challenging market conditions, in order to attract investment to survive and progress, brave, bold and compelling decisions and sacrifices need to be taken and made. By securing this investment we can safeguard the immediate and long term future of this club.
"The changes to the home kit and badge introduced as a consequence of the investment package are designed to help the club to develop its brand and to allow it to expand its appeal to as wide an audience as possible, with a view to delivering local success via an international and diverse market. As a board, we believe these changes, in the light of the benefits that will be demonstrably delivered, have been or will be accepted by the vast majority of supporters as judged in the light of the numerous emails and letters of support, backed by recent poll results from the Supporters Club and Media Wales.
"We are only too aware that the change of colour is a radical and some would say revolutionary move which will be met with unease and apprehension by a number of supporters, along with being seen as controversial by many. To those I would like to say that this was not a decision that has been taken lightly or without a great deal of thought and debate. There is no getting away from the fact that history and traditions are the lifeblood of any club and as such should be jealously guarded and preserved. Both the board and our investors fully understand and respect this and will do their utmost to uphold, protect and promote the values and virtues which the club stands for.
"However, the changes are believed to be vital to enable the club to progress to the next stage in its development and very much in the club's best long term interests. Judged in the context of the overall commitment and financial support, we believe it is the right decision for this club and where it currently stands. We hope that all supporters will appreciate these sentiments and will embrace the changes in that spirit and continue to support the club in the same loyal and passionate manner as before but hopefully with some greater feeling of security. "
In his blog on our sister site DesignFootball.com, Jay suggested at the time of the leaked proposals that Cardiff City fans could have been more open to the rebrand, predicting that the Away shirt would be blue and it could even be "worn in a percentage of home games". That remains to be seen, but DF members also contributed to a just-for-fun competition surrounding the then hypothetical changes, with the winning designs again predicting the retention of blue in the Away kit and a crest including the Bluebird as well as the more prominent Dragon.
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Comments
Shocking they've changed from the traditional blue to red.
WHAT A JOKE Of a CLUB!!! Selling their history and soul for money I'd be ashamed to support my club if they did this
It's absolutely disgraceful, and the way our sport is going. I can take having sponsors on the shirt, I can even take having a NEW ground named after it's sponsor. But when money becomes more powerful than heritage, a club's owner needs to take a long, hard look at themselves.
Next season they'll probably phase out the Bluebird from the badge and the next step will be renaming the club Cardiff Red Dragons, as was reported a while back.
Not saying it's right by the way, just a general question. I'm strongly against it personally, YES it's for the good of the club but if clubs are easily getting control over a fanbase like this, or feeling that this is the only way to generate more money and more of a worldwide fanbase then imo it's purely ridiculous!
There must be more ways to expand Cardiff's name globally! ? If football fans in Asia only follow a club because their kit is red, then every club needs to buck their ideas up and follow Cardiff's idea pronto!
I'm an NUFC fan, and we'll always play at SJP.
Yup....Sid James Park....
That example is a bit different - sporting teams from Newcastle have traditionally worn blue and red, and many Jets fans thought they should have been the same from the beginning. So it was almost a "change back" rather than a complete change.
This swap from blue to red is ridiculous. I'm glad I'm not a Cardiff fan as I would be super pissed off.
well matey.. as you may recall.. i believe that many pundits and other clubs name your stadium the Sports Direct Arena.
Not St.James Park Anymore..
wanna know why...
Cos of Exeter City's stadium called St.James Park...
Your asslicking a league 1-2 team.
I'm arselicking Exeter? Am I? By referencing our ground by it's proper name?
Also, it has censored all to do with Exeter, no one ever got it confused before, why would they start now?
Heritage of a club is important, why try to attract fans in other countries who are never gonna watch the team play, the owners should be looking after the loyal fans that turn up each week. Personally i would rather watch the team play league two if its preserves the history of the club. They'lll be changing the club name next!!
Look at Rangers in scotland, there in the shit but have they changed there colours and badge, NO because it would cause a shit storm.
why can foreigners leave are clubs alone, invest in teams in there own countries.
Urrmmm.... It does matter.. a proper football fan wants to see tradition stayed within a club..
Thats like Manchester United calling themselves Manchester FC, isolating City.... and then changing their home kit to black
Its like calling chelsea Fulham Chelsea FC then changing Chelseas home kit to red.
Tradition matters.. whether its football or not
Why, for instance, do Malaysia play in blue?
They are a welsh side, why do they want to loose their history for a bunch of Asian's?
Nobody should buy any of the kits. Period. Wear all your Cardiff kits from previous years, this is a travesty.
RED DRAGONS!!! WOW CARDIFF :) GET YOUR RED TOPS OUT :) TROLOLO
new badge is kack tho!
'Blue tits' suits them much better.
Yeah blue birds got trolled hard
You mean the Malaysian owners who couldn't give a toss what the fans think believe this... I feel sorry for Cardiff City
I reckon Cardiff fans should buy the 'away' kit (Home kit in all of our eyes) and just cut the badge out, and stitch on the old one from one of their older kits ;)
Thats the idea
FC United, AFC Wimbledon spring to mind.
COME ON YOU RED DRAGONS!!
PLANT
This also goes for many teams (like mine, Barça), who get a completely new, horrible kit, just so Chinese people buy it because it's different.
PLANT
Not a coincidence posted after the last comment. Same user.
Shocking that the owners have basically sold out
Cardiff will always be the bluebirds so there home shirt should be blue
This is just simply disgraceful, a rebranding to red for incredibly stupid reasons. A good design would've eased the pain, but this just makes things worse. Dem Asians could've easily signed Li-Ning or Xtep on to make them some fancy special kits (Xtep did 3 last year for Brummie City, and they have about the same amount of support as Cardiff), but kept Puma aboard.
I swear, these foreign investors. Horrid colour change, turgid shirt, and a terrible new logo. Don't want to see The Bluebirds play in the Prem like this
Quoting mohammed rhys-jones:
I think the shirt template isn't really the important issue here to be honest.
It is a bit like MK Dons utterly removing any trace of Wimbledon colours during their 'rebranding'. However, as has been pointed out, many clubs have at some point in their history changed their colours.
My team, Torquay, used to play in black and white stripes. Man UTD used to play in yellow and green. I guess for Cardiff at least the blue will always be a colour of protest at the very least in the same way the Newton Heath colours are for Man UTD.
And if some rich benefactor came to Plainmoor and said here are millions of pounds beyond your wildest dreams, you will not be in debt , we will build a new training ground and sign some decent players...but we need you to wear purple...well...I think in the end I would get over the change of colours, even thou in the case of Cardiff i don't really see how them wearing red or blue is going to make an enormous difference to the Asian market.
SHUT UP AND WELCOME TO BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do hope Leicester don't get that template next season.
I feel for every Cardiff City supporter after hearing this.
To change a club's colours that has been with them since the team's inception (Riverside not included - they wore claret / gold I think...) is nothing short of disgraceful.
I would be stunned and angry if they changed Watford's primary colour from yellow, just to get a few extra pennies and overseas support. It wouldn't be as bad though as Cardiff's situation as Watford has worn a variety of different colours/designs through it's history.
This just proves that football is no longer the traditional, beautiful game it once was, just a plaything for foreign fat-cats.
What would happen if the owners lose interest? What then.
Can you imagine what would happen if a foreign billionaire investor bought Celtic and changed the green and white?
I think every Cardiff fan should boycott and protest as much as possible.
Fannypad!!
Its not like the current full Cardiff crest was short of Welsh patriotic images.
Cardiff fans should launch a new team like Wimbledon and FC United...
Don't get some fans though, by saying it's a 'disgrace' that your team changes colours, your more or less saying that you support your team for their shirt colour? JACK ARMY!
Another nail in the coffin of English football
Quoting Harry:
Quite an achievement for a WELSH club!
You mean WELSH football!
But remember that many teams have undergone this kind of change at some point in their history. The best example is Leeds who went from yellow to white to look more like Real Madrid and then one everything in England. If this investment saves the club and means they can finally get into the Prem then it's probably worth having to buy the away shirt rather than home.
Don't like the shirts either not pumas best effort
I'm sorry for your loss
To the ones who says that other teams faced changes of colours: there's a big difference in changing them because you're inspired but a famous team of your time, or because you want to symbolize a message through them, and changing them under the threat of the new property, which says: "let me change your kit or go to hell with your f.......g team".
Please see MK Dons
Come on Cardiff fans, don't let this chinks crush your club's identity
Sure, it's not ideal that a long tradition is being ditched, but it's not the end of the world. Traditions come and go.
Cardiff City Chief Executive Alan Whiteley : "...history and traditions are the lifeblood of any club and as such should be jealously guarded and preserved."
Ah, that explains why he agreed to a drastic change in the home shirt's colour and crest, then ! The bluebird on the badge now looks like an afterthought ; rather than flying high in the sky, it looks like it's received some rough and scornful treatment from the 'luckier' red Welsh dragon.
Perhaps the 'spiritually significant' owners will now say to their players : "You can wear any number you want, just as long as it has an '8' in it! Our good fortune depends on it !"
If Far-Eastern entrepreneurs are so enthralled by dragons and the colour red, there's a club in Leyton that might be interested...
And everybody loves sweeping generalisations.
Football club colours should NEVER be touched...tradition should be valued more than money any day.
My thoughts too, the owners could just focus selling the a red away kit in the Asian market. At first I thought it was a good idea, the re branding... money is extremely important in order to get a club up the leagues. But then I realized Cardiff have an extremely strong history like the rest of us. I don't even want to dare think if Ellis Short wanted to change our famous red and white shirts. So a sad day for football.
No biggy.
If you look at historickits.com very few teams still wear their original colours or badge, most haven't changed much in living memory apart from when they wear a heritage kit aka arsenals redcurrant kit but a fare few have changed even in the last 40-50 years, Leeds, Luton & palace spring to mind off the top of my head...there's been a few others and even brazil's famous kit wasn't their first choice
Change is one thing, but these changes?
Then if the club wants to go big in the far east why don't they buy Asian players. Celtic done it with nakamura and worked very well for shirt sales
Seriously though, what right does their owner have to come in and destroy the clubs heritage. If I was a Cardiff fan I would boycott the matches. Disgraceful.
If I were a Cardiff fan I would not buy this. Chelsea don't even have a red away kit.
And I think the reason for Liverpool and Man Utd being big in Asia if because of their success not the red shirts. If this was the case Arsenal, Forest and Middlesbrough would be big there.
so if i buy a footy team and i think I want red shirts, then red shirts it is
so if i buy a footy team and i think I want red shirts, then red shirts it is
another foreign-rich owners who knows nothing about football ruined football for money.
the idea of rebranding is very pathetic.
you all cardiff fans needs to boycott all of their new rebranding things.don't buy the kits.just wear blue shirts or maybe last year's shirt.
Loads of clubs in the 70's played in different colours for a few seasons to get around the shirt sponsorship restrictions. I'd imagine this is just the modern day equivalent.
Side note - If Mr. Tan wanted a club that plays in red with a dragon on it's emblem, he should of visited North Wales
I takes it you don't remember before 1961 when they did just that.
They changed to all-white because they thought it would make them play more like Real Madrid, that's an even stupider reason to change kit colours.
Even more embarrassingly, leeds started out in blue & white stripes and tried to take over huddersfield town and move them to leeds.
Trust a sad deluded Englishman to stick his nose in.
Go back to humping goats in the field you morris dancing tw@t
this kit looks AWFUL!!!
Just because Cardiff is in Wales does not mean they have to play in red!.
If this was the other way around, blue as the home and red as they away. I think it would work as they keep the clubs TRADITIONAL colours and have to new POINTLESS rebrand and the away shirt.
Overall, THIS IS WHY YOU DONT HAVE FOREIGN OWNERS!!!.
Even though I'm a wolves fan I support all BLUEbirds who are against this.
Whoever agreed this change must have done so at a crossroads in the middle of Mississippi, because they have sold the club's soul.
Good luck Redbirds...cough...Red Dragons...cough.
You're the Bluebirds and always will be, even if you are the old enemy. Cardiff City are the Bluebirds and it should stay that way
Hope it is fixed soon.
Yes, design is a very subjective matter that u can justify with whatever "smart" reason, but u should never substitute class & history.
I myself is Asian & I really don't see how changing a very original Bluebird to a red dragon can make Cardiff City more marketable for us in this region. Unless if they move their home to Kuala Lumpur maybe. Or by not having this Welsh team's motto written in Welsh language.. oh wait..
Yeay for doing business with Malaysia.
(QPR fans, hold your ground)
I hate to say it but i agree. i just hope your right.
I understand but a rather wierd way of putting it!!!!
but he has no right to make Cardiff as his own.. YOU just don't go to other country and change
their traditions.. YOU the one who should fit in with the community and their traditions..
and please remove MALAYSIA logo on the shirts, please......
yeah amir..
i agree wit u..
No fire in your belly's Cardiff City fans....could you imagine if Man United changed to Blue? Their fans would not let it happen.
red mean winning..winning mean red..blue is nothing..but some blue sky..horayyyy..gud job owner..all the best..but if someday bluebirds will fly higher please come back to yur nest..if not..the red dragon will eat you..and all yur family..
That old chestnut......
if you pay millions to own something, you have every right to do what you want with it - absolutely.
if you cannot accept this reality, then go raise millions to buy out the current owners, or support another club that meets your needs.
i find it unacceptable that people have no understanding of what it takes to own a club, give no respect that owners are entitled to, and constantly whine about things that are the owners to decide.
Come on the Welsh Dragons its premiership time!