Thursday was a big day for Edinburgh Rugby.

The club have been playing home games at Murrayfield – the home of Scottish rugby – but although it’s an iconic stadium, playing to a small crowd inside a cavernous ground is not ideal. A new stadium in the shadow of the big one looks like it is on the way, and the rugby club took the opportunity to announce their new stadium plans and a full club rebrand on the same day.

It’s always interesting when a club of any kind tries to overhaul the brand. Sport, unlike most other industries, has to think about the emotional attachment of the fans and those associated with the club. These things are always the product of lots of time and effort, but for a sports team it’s even more pronounced.

The new proposed home of Edinburgh will be located on the back pitches at BT Murrayfield and is intended to be ready for the start of the 2019/20 season.

READ ➡️ https://t.co/AE6HTU9UIh pic.twitter.com/6NCu6oLGGa

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 31, 2018

A teaser was posted on Twitter before the launch. The club’s old badge was the three turrets of Edinburgh Castle, and that famous landmark of the Scottish capital was used to hint at what was to come.

Stay tuned to our channels for some major announcements which will be shared throughout the day ????#ALWAYSEDINBURGH pic.twitter.com/atGsrn4CFY

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 31, 2018

New club colours (or a reversion to very old colours) was part of the big reveal. Gone is the red and black colour scheme, orange white and blue will now adorn the club’s kits.

But whilst the badge will change, the castle will remain the focal point of the identity – just drawn in a much different way.

New badge. New identity. Same name.#ALWAYSEDINBURGH pic.twitter.com/u7DUsOCnjJ

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 31, 2018

Maybe the most interesting part of Edinburgh’s Twitter announcement, though, was how they spelled out the thinking behind the change. There is no ‘new’ identity being rolled out here, but rather a restating of the values and traditions that the club has had for years. The reaction though, as you might expect when there’s an overhaul, has been mixed.

This is who we are.#ALWAYSEDINBURGH pic.twitter.com/uGudeiiKe3

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 31, 2018

A new chapter for Edinburgh. This is what we represent.#ALWAYSEDINBURGH

READ ➡️ https://t.co/G7nWPsQGAj pic.twitter.com/DnMBD5NlWf

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) May 31, 2018

We may not have had too much of an insight into the actual thought processes about the change in branding, but it’s certainly interesting that Edinburgh tried to be so clear for their fans on social media as to why the changes aren’t ‘new’ but rather are there to reclaim the soul of the club.