A rugby league club's decision to rebrand and change their name has caused quite a stir among fans. Leigh Leopards, formerly known as Leigh Centurions announced their new look and name during a press conference on Thursday (October 20).
The announcement was made ahead of their return to the Super League next year after their heroics in the Championship Grand Final this month to earn promotion to the top league for the fourth time in their history.
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Speaking at the press conference held at the Leigh Sports Village, owner Derek Beaumont said the rebrand was not made on a "whim" and added that “It was the result of quite a lot of research over a period of time."
He said: “It’s a re-branding of our club that creates a lot more opportunities from a commercial and retail aspect.”
Some Centurion fans are not as optimistic about the club's change however with many taking to the club's social media pages to voice their displeasure. Comments on posts about the rebrand have ranged from supporters describing the announcement as 'embarrassing' to 'heart-breaking'.
One fan who wasn't best pleased with the name change commented: "Sounds like the name of a kid's team."
Another echoing their sentiments said: "Sounds like a Hockey team!!". While another chimed in to say: "We’ve always been called Leigh. Leave it at that, no need for anything else."
Many were devastated at the new colour scheme to match the black and white spots of a leopard which meant the iconic red and white of Leigh Centurions of old were on more. A devastated fan commented: "Don't mind the name change but to change the colours is heartbreaking."
Another fan called for fans to continue wearing the old colours as a form of protest, they said: "I'd love every loyal Leigh fan to keep wearing our traditional red and white shirts all through our super league games. No matter how old peoples shirts are as long as its red and white and let's show the club how much the town colours mean to us.
"Surely we can't let the club break lots of fans hearts and put an end to our traditional colours, or if someone does a petition I'm sure everyone will sign it."
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