CONTACT: Bill Predmore / Owner
206-353-7997
Seattle, WA – December 19, 2012 – Bill Predmore, owner of the new women’s professional soccer team in Seattle, today announced that Seattle Reign FC has been selected as the name of the club. Seattle Reign FC is slated to begin its pre-season in March of 2013 with the regular season commencing in April 2013.
“Today’s announcement is the result of a thoughtful process to identify the name that best represents the values of our club, articulates our long-term ambitions and celebrates the community within which our supporters live,” said Predmore. “Seattle Reign FC meets all of those objectives and at the same time honors the legacy of professional women’s sports in Seattle. Like the Seattle Sounders, whose fans selected a name that honored those who pioneered the sport of soccer in Seattle in the early 1970’s, Seattle Reign FC was, in part, selected to pay homage those visionaries—the leaders and players of the Seattle Reign women’s basketball team—who pioneered professional women’s sports in Seattle. “
The Seattle Reign women’s basketball team, who played in the American Basketball League (ABL) from 1996 through 1998, helped lay the foundation for professional women’s sports in Seattle.“The ABL Reign was beloved by many women's sports fans, so it's great to know that the Seattle Reign name will have the chance to live on in the hearts of sports fans in our state,” said Anne Levinson, who led the effort to get the ABL franchise in Seattle in 1996 and then 11 years later formed a local ownership group to acquire the Seattle Storm to keep the team from being moved out of state with the Sonics. “The Seattle Reign FC will have some of the most talented female athletes in the world. It will be exciting to see them embraced by the community.”
Along with the name, Seattle Reign FC has revealed its team colors and crest. The Seattle Reign FC crest is comprised of four colors: white, platinum, royal blue and midnight black. The crest features a platinum crown with an inset raindrop and elements that evoke the gentle waves of Puget Sound. The crown is set atop a heavily stylized image of a powerful, mysterious and unyielding royal, under which lies the name of the club in platinum and white.
In conjunction with today’s announcement of the name and identity, Seattle Reign FC has also launched a Facebook Page and a Twitter account. The Seattle Reign FC website is expected to launch in March of 2013, prior to the start of the pre-season.
Seattle Reign FC joins seven other clubs in the United States as members of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The other seven teams include:
Portland Thorns DC Spirit
Chicago Red Stars Western New York Flash
FC Kansas City Sky Blue FC
Boston Breakers
The regular season will include 22 games (including 11 home matches): three matches against each of the other seven teams in the league and a special, fourth match against Portland, who is expected to be closest rival of Seattle Reign FC. The championship match of the inaugural season will be played on Saturday, August 31, 2013.
The league will feature some of the best women’s players in North America, with the roster of each team including a total of seven national team players from Mexico, Canada and the United States. With only eight teams in the league, the talent will be deep and the level of play truly world-class.
Amy Carnell, formerly the General Manager of the Sounders Women, will be serving as the General Manager of Seattle Reign FC. Over the next few weeks additional announcements will be made regarding the status of the club. These announcements will include:
- The outcome of our search for a Head Coach
- Additional front office hires
- Venue
- Ticket on-sale dates & ticket pricing
- Season schedule
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