It’s out with the old and in with the new

The former club logo

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ATHLETIC have revealed the secret behind the 'evolution' teasers of the past few months . . . a brand new club crest.

The striking modern design is the first change to the club's identity since the current badge was adopted in 1983 and has been created by lifelong Athletic fan Ric Dennis of Eden Design Solutions.

It will feature on Athletic's new away shirts for next season, with the current design remaining on the home and third kits until 2012-13 when the new design takes over.

It will also be phased in across club merchandise and corporate branding.

"It has been a long and thorough process to come up with a new and easily-recognisable image for the club," said Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy.

"There have been many proposals and plenty of fine-tuning and I would like to thank Ric for his patience and professionalism he showed throughout the process."

The shape of the crest is based on a shield, in keeping with many professional clubs around the world, with a gold outline intended to represent the club's prestige and history.

The diamond of the current badge is also represented, with the new owl given deliberately strong features and piercing eyes, while the representation of the year 1895 relates to the first game played by Pine Villa FC, later to become Oldham Athletic.

"The new brand is such a big change from the original design which the large majority of Oldham fans, including myself, have grown up with that it is bound to be a big talking point," said Dennis.

"Being a Latics fan, I found the process to have been enjoyable and rewarding.

“I am going to be very proud to see the design displayed on shirts worn by players and fans, as well as on club merchandise, for years to come."