Barmy Army drops flag in rebranding

England cricket's supporters group the Barmy Army has ditched the country's national flag, the St George's Cross, from its official logo, as it looks to rebrand its image.

Having launched almost 25 years ago, the Barmy Army has become an iconic fixture at England matches, both home and abroad, livening up venues the world over with their songs and colour.

But as they "move towards a new era", the group is looking to attract new demographics.

"The St George's Cross has been on our logo for 25 years, it's loved by many, but we're trying to move towards a new era and we think that, with a tidy-up of our logo and a refresh of our structure, we can start to make cricket more accessible for everyone," said Chris Millard, the Barmy Army's new managing director on the group's website.

"The Barmy Army in my opinion are the best fans in the world and I want our membership following to reflect that.

"We will continue to wave the flag proudly and passionately in the group to support the boys the way we always have.

"We've given this a great deal of thought and have ultimately decided it's time for a fresh look to modernise and move the Barmy Army company forward to keep pace with the digital age."

The Barmy Army is also moving its base from Middlesex to Chesterfield, where it will share offices with newly-established Root Academy.

Paul Burnham, a co-founder of the Barmy Army and the departing managing director, is set to continue working with Millard to rebuild the group's brand.

"It's been an incredible journey over the past 23 years since we formed the Barmy Army and it is now time to try and take the organisation on to the next level," Burnham said.

"I truly believe that England's fantastic cricket fans are a great example of the correct way to support your team.

"I'm keen to see the Barmy Army engaging with schools and cricket clubs around the UK in the future to promote how to have great fun watching sport without engaging in bad behaviour and being disrespectful to rival supporters.

"It's all about humour and sportsmanship … even when you are losing."

The rebranding of the iconic group comes in a period of change in England cricket, after the England and Wales Cricket Board announced plans for '100-ball cricket' – a new format of the game – earlier this month.

"What we're trying to do is appeal to a new audience, people that aren't traditional cricket fans," ECB director of Cricket Andrew Strauss told the BBC.

"We want to make the game as simple as possible for them to understand."