Proposed new Aston Villa badge image leaked online

The design, which will be Villa’s second new crest in as many seasons, was registered as a trademark with the UK government last month.

Though it has yet to be formally unveiled, it is understood to be the design presented at a recent meeting of the club’s fan advisory board (FAB).

Members of the FAB have subsequently contacted the Football Association to express concerns the club have not engaged in sufficient consultation.

The new shield-shaped badge, which features a yellow lion and the club’s name written out in full, will replace previous designs including the round crest worn on this season’s shirts.

That design was chosen following a vote of more than 21,000 supporters in November 2022 but effectively then placed on trial by Villa’s new president of business operations Chris Heck, with the club maintaining the former shield image on its media channels and around Villa Park.

The latest design, which the club wish to use from the start of next season, was picked after 16,000 fans responded to an online survey but Villa’s FAB do not believe that was sufficient under FA rules.

Regulations introduced last year to protect heritage require clubs to undertake a “thorough and extensive consultation process” while they must also be able to provide evidence a majority of fans are in favour of changes.

If a club is found to be in breach of the rules, the FA can order them to revert back to a previous badge.

Villa, for their part, claim the FA have been consulted throughout the process.