The club statement read: On the eve of our 140th anniversary year, Hull KR are proudly unveiling the evolution of our identity that will represent the club for the 2022 season and beyond.

Evolving from everything our fans know and love about one of the world’s most iconic Rugby League names, our new look is inspired by our Robins nickname, which originates from when we were known as the ‘Robin Redbreasts’, a term first coined in the 1880s.

The badge retains all its core elements, including the three crowns representing the City of Kingston upon Hull and its traditional shield shape, whilst unlocking the potential of using the fierce and territorial Robin across our digital platforms and retail.

On the eve of the club’s 140th Anniversary, one of its most famous names is looking to evolve as we look to build the foundations for the next generation. 

In the digital age, and fans across all sports changing how they consume content, competition for fans’ attention and interest has never been greater. 

The current badge heavily inspired by the Kingston Upon Hull badge, that remains part of the Club’s identity whilst evolving to a format maximising our exposure on digital platforms and broadcast media, providing commercial opportunities to secure this sport’s future

We must respect our history whilst inspiring a new generation of supporters to carry our rich tradition forward, to find new fans away from the sport. Everyone at club now focused on moving forward and building for our next 140 years of history, change is needed and a world class identity is the reason underpinning this period of transformation.

The process, which has taken two years from start to finish, has seen supporters aged 4 to 75 get involved alongside key partners, former players, and club historians. 

During the initial research phase fans were keen to ensure this was a natural evolution rather than an overhaul. Supporters were proud that the club are one of the few in Rugby League that remained true to it’s original identity with no name change or Americanised badge introduced in the Super League era like many other teams. Yet they recognised that the club needs to evolve and move forward in the digital world. 

14 initial concepts were presented with none hitting all the key parts of the brief that we had evolved enough. Fans showed a desire to push the club further and to future proof the change.

Further research was undertaken, it was identified that the ‘Robin Redbreast’ nickname is something authentic to the club’s history that has resonated for generations of supporters and therefore could be explored as an angle. 

In all 106 variations of the new look were explored, with the final version receiving overwhelming approval from the fan sounding board. 

One key part of insight from players and former players is that you can tell by looking in the opposition players eyes if they are up for the battle on the field. So any eyes in any Robin should look as fierce and as aggressive as possible.

Sometimes history can inspire you, but to truly move forward, sometimes you have to look forward and evolve. As the club looks to celebrate its 140th anniversary, we have to use this as a time to celebrate everything we know and love about the club, but to also reflect and ensure we are moving forwards at every level to ensure we are here for the next 140 years.

The crest which we know and love today, was designed for an analogue world, to attract and retain the next generation of supporters we have to evolve consider how we compete with the challenges of the 21st century and the digital world.

Whilst retaining a full traditional version of the badge, we also now have a fierce looking Robin which will be used as an icon across digital platforms and selected retail lines. ‘The Robins’ is in our DNA and are fiercely territorial animals who sing to proclaim territory. We were one of the first clubs in sport to ever adopt an animal based nickname. Whilst we remain true to who we are, and we’ve never changed our name, it’s time to leverage that history and apply it in the modern world.

This is about the club building on 140 years of history to continually move forwards, with a fresh approach in how we look and how we think whilst staying true to who we are.

We all have a role to play in moving the club forward to inspire the next generation of supporters, partners and players to understand our history and heritage, but not be afraid to evolve and grow. This is the start of an exciting new chapter for the club, and our greatest legacy will be that we are a community centric club in the heart of East Hull, that’s still evolving, growing and pushing itself forward for the next 140 years.

Source & Image: www.hullkr.co.uk