Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Flower City Union.
That is the new name of the National Independent Soccer Association’s latest expansion team, which will begin play in Rochester, N.Y. in 2021.
The name was unveiled to 73 people who were on a ZOOM call Friday night.
Going against the grain of many recent new professional soccer teams’ penchant of using FC, SC, United or even Athletic in their name, the Flower City Union owners and staff listened to fans and even media in trying to find the right name for the team.
Rochester is nicknamed the Flower City. It has a huge Lilac Festival in late spring every year.
“There are lots of club names across time that have centered on Rochester,” said Dr. Todd Harrison, an associate professor and chair of the St. John Fisher College’s Sport Management Dept., who has developed a strategic partnership with the team owners.
Harrison said fans, media and ownership did not want to “have just a stock Rochester FC or something that was just sort of you see a lot of like Charlotte FC or other clubs have done, to to have something that is unique to the city.”
Scott Maurer of the Roc City Regulars, a local supporters group, suggested Flower City as part of the club’s name.
“That really resonated with everybody as we were chatting,” Harrison said.
“Then it became time to think about what is the next component, whether it was Flower City FC or SC or United or Athletic. There were lots of components to that. The use of Union offered uniqueness to the name that there are only two other pro clubs in the country – Philadelphia and Omaha – that have Union as a name.
“It spoke to our broader interest in connecting the club to the community, that there was a union between this club and the tentacles of the community, whether it is the connection that you may find from match day or that you may find from the crest or that the colors that there’s a connection to our educational component. There is an opportunity if we want to expand the club name or whether it’s just a football club or that there’s an E-sports component to it or that there’s like more of a European model of sport. It offered flexibility for us.”
Mark Washo, the team’s managing director and Chief Commercial Officer, said there were many name suggestions.
“They wanted this club to be different and unique and authentic,” he said. “So, the good old-fashioned Rochester FC or Rochester United wasn’t resonating with everybody that we were engaging with.”
Flower City Union was accepted into NISA Wednesday.
The Link LonkDecember 19, 2020 at 08:06AM
https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2020/12/18/some-flower-power-rochesters-nisa-team-gets-a-name/
SOME FLOWER POWER: Rochester's NISA team gets a name - frontrowsoccer.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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