The LUFC “smiley” badge. Iconic as hell.
It seems pretty certain that Leeds United will be playing their centenary (and hopefully promotion) season with a new badge proudly emblazoned on their various new shirts. That being the case, the design of said new badge is certainly decided already, with only an unveiling amid much ceremony remaining to be done.
This piece, then, is more a forlorn expression of hope than any real ambition to influence matters. The hope burns fiercely, though – because I like many others feel that the time is nigh, if not well overdue, for Leeds United to return to its most iconic badge ever. It’s a design of beautiful simplicity and endless appeal, quite unlike the pedestrian emblems of lesser clubs. It embodies the yellow, white and blue, it scorns the empty folderol of pretension favoured by other. It’s got a message, and that message is: We are Leeds and we are proud. It’s recognisable the world over as an elite design for an elite club. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: the LUFC Smiley Badge.
It probably won’t happen. The best we can realistically hope for is the grudging inclusion of the Smiley as a detail of some other design. Even that would be better than nowt. But, just imagine. What if the club really did see sense – what if they marked 100 years of the best football club in the world, by harking back to its best badge, with those nostalgic links to the original Super Leeds era, the Don, King Billy and the rest of the legends. How fine would that be?
We’ll know soon enough, I suppose. I’ve seen pictures purporting to represent the new badge, and I can only hope they were fashionably fake news. I know what I want, and I know thousands of others want it too.
Bring back the Smiley Badge!
Marching on together
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Smiley face not for me I’ve been a fan for 50 years now and seen a lot of badges come and go but the present badge for me personally and it is a personal choice is the one most fans world wild will instantly recognise
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Got to be one of the most iconic badges in history of english football i’d have back in a heartbeat
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I’m with you Rob on the “smiley” badge, it is associated with so many happy memories
Thankfully, we have secured Marcelo Bielsa for a second season and hopefully the hard lessons learnt in his first season in the Championship will inform his plans for next season. I must confess that I am rather confused by his request for a 1Km running track at Thorp Arch when our biggest disappointment this season was our consistently poor conversion rate inside the 18 yard box. I have zero coaching experience or badges Rob and realise the value of pace but its what we do in the box that needs to improve.
I am prepared to offer Marcelo my mobile number if he needs further advice LOL. ALAW
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I’m sure he’ll be as grateful for your input as I always am 😎👍 MOT
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The Smiley? Seriously? It was a joke of a badge. The one we have now but in gold would look great for our centenary year. The majority of Leeds supporters that I have spoken to really hope the Smiley is binned and confined to history…a bit like the Cellino days
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Riiiight
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Amen to that Rob. Most iconic badge ever, & perhaps with ‘ Last true champions’ emblazoned beneath.
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Yeah!
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Would be awesome Rob but not going to happen. you can see the centenary badge on the official website now and after the last effort went down like a Led Zeppelin I think the powers that be have decided to play it safe with not a smiley in sight. At least the Yorkshire rose remains.
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Shame though. I always thought the Smiley set us apart, as befits. Ah, well.
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Aah the smiley badge,genius in its simplicity and without a doubt our best ever badge. The LUFC script was great too as well as the Yorkshire Rose badge up until 99. I do like the shield badge though but it should always have the script and should ALWAYS be yellow,white and blue. Macron and then kappa have buggered about with the club crest to the point it looks like a cheap stamp on their cheap shirts. On the subject of shirts/kits etc,has anyone noticed that the home kit isn’t white anymore? Its made so cheaply now and the material is so thin that its now an off white silvery grey colour. The centenary badge is an utter joke and yet another insult to the loyal supporters of Leeds United.😩
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That’s the one for me without a doubt. An icon of simplicity and design. If only!
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I was forever in detention at school for drawing the smiley on my work. Bring it back! Simple but oh so iconic. It’s true LEEDS MOT
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