Durham’s new logo © Getty Images
Durham County Cricket Club has rebranded as Durham Cricket, and unveiled a new logo ahead of the 2019 season, in a bid to mark a new beginning for a club that has endured some tough days on and off the field in recent seasons.
Durham’s chief executive, Tim Bostock, who recently appointed Director of Cricket, Marcus North and Lead High Performance Coach, James Franklin, explained the rationale behind the rebrand.
“The new identity – which is designed to be emotive, inspiring and to encapsulate the club’s identity for players, staff and fans alike – combines traditional elements associated with Durham Cricket – such as the lion and the colours – with a new dynamic creative design, which resonates with our ambition to take the club forward into a new era of success, both on and off the field,” Bostock said.
Durham, three-times County Champions in 2008, 2009 and 2013, were relegated from Division One in 2016, and docked 48 points for the subsequent season, as punishment for requiring a £3.8 million bail-out from the ECB to avoid going out of business.
They have not yet recovered their poise on the field, finishing third-from-bottom in Division Two last season, but they have had a proud record of producing England players since their elevation to first-class status, with Ben Stokes, Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood among their most notable success stories.
“Moving to Durham Cricket allows for better representation of the club as a whole,” Bostock added. “Since its inception as a first-class county, the club has expanded rapidly to represent more than the County Championship team, with the development of the hugely successful junior academy and the creation of our women’s teams and development pathway, as well as our Foundation, Community cricket work and Cricket Board, who were awarded the 2018 Chance to Shine County Cricket Board of the year.”
Durham Cricket Marketing Director, David Jackson, added: “Various consultation processes were carried out with groups of members, staff and club stakeholders to ensure the new brand would allow us to take Durham Cricket forward while retaining links to the heritage of the club.
“Having reviewed the marketability of new emerging cricket brands across the world, alongside successful football, NFL and NBA franchises, the new design has taken references from a variety of sources to provide an instantly recognisable brand that can be used consistently and effectively across all mediums.”
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo