SAN ANTONIO – Spurs Sports & Entertainment announced Thursday the brand identity for its USL San Antonio franchise.
San Antonio FC will debut in front of its home supporters at Toyota Field on April 9 against Sporting Kansas City affiliate Swope Park Rangers at 7:30 p.m. The team name and crest were unveiled at an event at Rock & Brews inside the AT&T Center on Thursday night.
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"This is San Antonio’s club," said San Antonio FC Managing Director Tim Holt. "As an organization, we are tied to this city like no other, so it became vital for us to reflect that in our name and crest. Everything from the club name, the shape of the crest and the team colors were carefully chosen to best represent San Antonio and reflect our relationship with this amazing city. We feel that our identity pays tribute to San Antonio’s culture and history, while lighting a new path for soccer in our community. We look forward to representing San Antonio and Spurs Sports & Entertainment through the beautiful game, as San Antonio FC."
The creation of the San Antonio FC brand was inspired by the connections between San Antonio’s identity as a city, its heritage and the spirit of the emerging soccer culture in the region and throughout the U.S.
FC commonly represents Football Club in clubs throughout the globe, and specifically in Mexico, Spain and Germany, which are historically connected to the origins of San Antonio and the South Texas region.
The shape of San Antonio FC’s badge was derived from a variety of traditional national and international club crests. The heart of the badge contains two prominent elements: the five diagonal stripes, which were inspired by the armed forces’ service stripes, are a salute to San Antonio’s military history, and their upward movement signifies the club’s goal to play at the highest level; and the rowel of the Spur symbolizes the direct link between San Antonio FC and its parent company, Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Binding all of the interior elements is a single "S," which is a nod to the hometown heritage.
Black and silver are described by the club as colors of strength, the red accent pulled from the same red in the Texas state flag.
"Our club now has its identity, and we can start representing the city of San Antonio with pride," said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. "San Antonio FC, just like Spurs Sports & Entertainment, will be a big part of this incredible city. As a team, we are prepared to represent the supporters and San Antonio in a professional and respectful manner both on and off the field. I look forward to April 9 when we can step foot on the Toyota Field pitch together for the first time."
It was announced in December that a USL soccer franchise would operate at Toyota Field starting in 2016. The deal is part of a collaborative effort by the city, county and SS&E to pursue bringing Major League Soccer (MLS) to the Alamo City. Five of the last seven new MLS franchises played in the USL. The soccer-specific stadium opened in April of 2013 and has a capacity of 8,500.