Leyton Orient criticise badge on new Wrexham kit

WHAT HAPPENED
Leyton Orient publicly called out Wrexham and the club’s celebrity owners after Wrexham revealed a cream third kit this week. The kit launch featured photos of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac modelling the strip on Wrexham’s website, but attention quickly shifted to the shirt’s new emblem.

Wrexham’s traditional crest was replaced on the new strip by a simplified device showing two wyverns or dragons facing each other above a football. Leyton Orient said the emblem closely resembled their own badge and posted a social-media message tagging Reynolds and Rob McElhenney that included a clip of former England manager Roy Hodgson using strong language.

KEY CONTEXT
Wrexham normally use a crest showing two red dragons facing inward, a gold football, the Prince of Wales feathers with a coronet and motto, and colours linked to the Welsh flag. Leyton Orient’s badge, introduced in 1976, features a wyvern tied to the River Thames in myth and to the historic Orient Shipping Company. Wrexham recently removed an “anthem jacket” from its club shop after fans objected to a white dragon emblem used on that item.

WHY IT MATTERS
Badge designs are core elements of a club’s identity, and similarities between emblems can provoke fan and club reactions. In this case, the change on Wrexham’s third kit has generated public criticism from another professional club and added to recent merchandise controversies involving Wrexham, highlighting the sensitivity around club insignia and branding in English football.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Whether Wrexham issues an explanation, defends the new badge, or makes any design changes.
- If Leyton Orient pursues any formal complaint or further public comment.
- How Wrexham supporters and the wider football community respond to the emblem now it has been highlighted.

KEY FACTS
- Wrexham unveiled a cream third strip this week with photos of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac modelling it on the club site.
- The new kit uses a badge of two wyverns/dragons facing each other above a football, replacing Wrexham’s usual crest.
- Leyton Orient’s badge, introduced in 1976, also features a wyvern linked to the Thames and the Orient Shipping Company.
- Orient criticised Wrexham on social media, tagging Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and including a video of Roy Hodgson using colourful language.
- Wrexham recently removed an “anthem jacket” from sale after fan backlash over a white dragon emblem.