Dragons Rugby officially become Dragons RFC today and launch a new visual identity. We chatted with Chairman David Buttress about the changes at Rodney Parade.
Q. Why is it the time for an evolution of our name and identity?
A. You constantly review how your brand, messaging and identity is evolving and it’s normal to review this over time. Over the last 12 months we’ve had strong conversations as a team, both internally and externally, about what feels authentic to us.
When I think about the best brands and logos, I think about that - what is authentic. What feels true to us, true to the people around us and the people that represent our club.
That lens of authenticity is how we have looked at our identity and that’s why I’m proud and happy with what we have decided change.
Q. What is behind the evolution of the name to Dragons RFC?
A. If I think about how rugby has evolved professionally in Wales, not enough thought was put into what the identity should be and why, what sits behind that. One of the big things that struck me when I read back the history of it all is how rushed it felt. I told the team here to take our time, there is no rush, and we’ve had numerous meetings and engaged with a lot of stakeholders to go back to that sense of authenticity.
It’s about what feels true to us as people that represent the club, work for the club or come and support the club every week. That’s what has driven the evolution of our name.
When I was growing up in Cwmbran and going to watch rugby with my grandad, whether it was Croesyceiliog or Pontypool, all those clubs in Wales have RFC in them. It doesn’t detract from the fact we represent a region or Gwent, that was never the point.
The best brands are authentically true to what they have always been, and Dragons are no different. We see ourselves as a club. I feel very strongly about it, and I know everyone else does here too. It speaks to our identity, it says who we are and what we represent, so adding RFC is very natural.
It is an evolution, but it is an important tweak because we want to clear it up. We don’t want to add things that don’t feel authentic, but this felt important to add back.
Q. What has inspired the new logo that will represent the club?
A. We asked ourselves what we feel proud of. We’re extraordinarily proud to be based in the city of Newport. You see that with the black and amber we’ve used in the badge. We’ve put that colour around the pitch and stadium, back on the shirt, because we’re proud of the city we represent. The club should never have gone away from that sense of being in Newport and that black and amber feel. At the same time, it’s got to be authentic, and I didn’t want to step on anyone else’s toes because that would be wrong. We want to always be respectful to the history of others.
The second point is the connection to Gwent and Monmouthshire. There is now Monmouthshire Blue in our kits and identity. Many of us who work for the club are proud Gwent men and women, we come from all over our area. So having that blue inserted into the shirt feels not only true to the players and the pathway we represent, which is the whole of Gwent rugby, but also the valleys as well as the city. One of the great phrases I heard when I first came here was ‘we prepare in the valleys, and we play in the city’. That rings true to me so the fact that we’ve got both elements proudly on our shirt now is something we feel good about.
Q. What is the future of the Dragons’ tail and behind the inclusion of fleur-de-lis on the crest?
A. We wanted a badge that was connected to the heritage and history of our area. It wasn’t about the tail no longer being on our shirt because it is still on the collar, we’ll still use it in some merchandise, we’ll still use it for our community programme. It is a fun logo that we can still utilise as part of the brand - there is a place for it.
But we feel the crest and the chest of the shirt should be strong and powerful about what we represent. What we represent is the area of Gwent and East Wales, and the Monmouthshire badge and the fleur-de-lis is historically connected to it and makes it very clear about the area that we feel we represent. That’s why we have gone strong on that. I think it looks great and brings that sense of rugby heritage to the community of our area.
Q. What do you hope is the reaction to these changes?
A. Some people will like it, some won’t, some will think we could have done something else. We know everyone will have an opinion. The most important thing to me is that people care because that tells me that they care about us and what we are trying to do. I hope people understand the reasons why we’ve done it and, of course, people can have strong views.
Could we have gone stronger about Newport? Could we have gone stronger about Gwent? Should we have changed the name? Everyone will have an opinion, but that’s the great thing about Welsh rugby - we are never shy of opinions. We’ve engaged with a lot of people to canvas opinion; this is not something that has been done flippantly. We took a year to really think about it, let some of the ideas settle, before finalising and committing to this.
I feel confident and proud of what we have done. I welcome people’s opinions, there is nothing wrong with that, it shows people care. But I hope people can see that there a lot of people at this club that really care about what we do, are proud of who and what we represent and forever now we have a strong clear sense of identity.
