Dear Ken,

Thank you for your comments. I am sorry that you do not approve of the new badge, and take note of your comment about the club’s integral link to the miners. In re-designing the club badge, it was not our intention to disrespect the history of the club in any way. In fact, several members of the committee who approved the badge are ex-miners, so your comments have a great resonance!

For what it’s worth, the reasons for changing the badge were manyfold. Althouth our history is an essential part of the club, we are intent on creating “tomorrow’s history”, building on the foundations at Colls and creating a club whose achievements and contribution to the town and the area exceed anything that has been achieved to date – and more appropriate for the major club in a town the size and stature of Pontefract. Given the ambition and vision at the club, together with the recent problems and poor level of support from the community, we felt it important to make a statement that things are changing – and what more visible statement can there be than a change of badge? We have outlined our aims within this website – http://www.pontecolls.co.uk/club/future-of-the-colls

Additionally, by the end of last season, the teams within the club had numerous different kits, with no constant colour scheme throughout. We felt that it was important to develop a recognisable colour scheme for the club. You will doubtless be pleased that we have honoured tradition by retaining the dark blue/black core colours. From this season, every team at the club will play in identical kits, which will help us to create a sense of unity and belonging.

Another reason is that a change will shortly be forced upon us: when we are promoted to the Evostik League, the club name will need to change, as “Collieries” or other such terms within are not permitted at that level or above in the football league structure, as part of a club’s name. We felt that changing the badge now to something that would be easily altered to “Pontefract _______” in a couple of years would help the club to retain it’s identity when this happens. (A new name, new badge and new strip all at once may have meant that the link to “Collieries” would be lost in many people’s minds.)

Also, we felt that the old badge was very dated. Clubs regularly change their badges to reflect the times, the aims of the club, and the design ethos of the era. (In fact, it was looking at how the Leeds United badge has changed over the years that convinced several committee members that it was a good thing to do.

Crucially, re-designing the badge offered a great opportunity to get the community involved. Over 40 schools partook in the exercise, with hundreds of entries being received from local school-kids, alongside those received from adults and college students. Clearly, this has enabled some of the area’s schools to discuss the history of PCFC and the town, and has undoubtedly raised awareness of the club, it’s links to the mines and the history of the collieries.

Finally, being totally honest, I felt that the old badge was poor, from an aesthetic point of view. The blue did not work with the blue from the strip, I personally felt that the design was dated, and I found that the vast majority of people at the club agreed.

Whether right or wrong, the initial feedback on the new badge has been fantastic, and the whole exercise has generated a terrific amount of interest, particularly amongst school-children. We hope that this will result in more kids coming to games.

However, I am pleased to note that the new badge is just one of many new developments at the club. This season, the first team has been enhanced in pre-season as we seek promotion. Our aim is to achieve Football League status within a decade. We have also enhanced the Academy – which we are seeking to develop into a “University of Football” for the most talented 16-19 year olds in the area – by developing links with several top-flight clubs, and bringing in many new coaches (including a UEFA A level coach).

For the first time, the club now has a full juniors section, with boys and girls from 5-16 being attracted from all over the area. This has brought a real lift and buzz into the club, as well as attracting many talented people, coaches, managers, parent volunteers and kids. The Pirates (teams for people with learning difficulties) are going from strength to strength, and we are hosting many events – last month’s Under 7’s Festival of Football was the first of many, and a raging success.

Finally, I am sorry that you do not approve of the new badge, Ken, although I hope you now appreciate my reasons for making it happen. Again, I respect your comments – and agree with them to a great extent, in that the club must always respect and honour its roots, its traditions, and its place in the community.

Regards

Guy Nottingham
Chairman, Pontefract Collieries FC