BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
RABBIE BURNS could be the new face of Ayr United after the Championship outfit gave fans the opportunity to select their new badge.
The Somerset Park outfit have been forced to scrap their current emblem – in use since 1957 – by June 30 after it was confirmed that it fell foul of heraldic law, which prohibits the framing of a saltire within a shield.
That ruling prompted Ayr officials to invite fans to submit their own designs for a replacement, with a spokesperson confirming they have received entries from “all over the world”. That process has been whittled down to five finalists.
One of the more outlandish options is a simple black and white portrait of Ayrshire’s most famous son, Burns, with the image of the Bard circled by the words ‘Ayr United’, a retro football and the year the club were established, 1910.
“As we’re called The Honest Men I thought it would make sense to have Robert Burns himself as the centrepiece,” Graham Linden, who designed the prospective logo, told the Ayr United website.
Other candidates include designs which pay tribute to the town’s proud maritime heritage, nods to previous incarnations of Ayr’s badge and their kit colours.
All five badges can be viewed on Ayr United’s official website. Supporters have been urged to make their choice at the club shop at Somerset Park, where all five options are displayed, or by emailing commercial@ayrunitedfc.co.uk with their selection.
