Tulsa’s oldest and most-winning soccer club unveiled a new name and logo for the 2017 season – Tulsa Athletic. The name change comes right after the announcement of their new home venue at LaFortune Stadium, where Tulsans can watch the country’s highest scoring soccer team when the season begins in May.
“We are very excited for this rebrand,” said owner Sonny Dalesandro. “The new name and crest represent a new era of soccer for the club, while paying homage to its history.”
Tulsa Athletic, previously known as The Tulsa Athletics, has a new crest, which keeps the shield, flanked by the team’s iconic unicorn and lion, representing the strength and magic of the game. Inside the shield is an old-school soccer ball, a connection to the ball that sat in the middle of the previous crest, and ‘05’ which is the year the club was founded. The overall look has been modernized, in a traditional way, while the name ‘Athletic’ is a reference to historic football names across the world.
“To develop the new brand and logo we went back to basics for our club – we are 100% dedicated to the sport and most importantly, we are 100% dedicated to this city,” said Matt Boullt, general manager. “Changing the name to ‘Athletic’ reflects our position as the traditional soccer club for Tulsa, and we think this change is coming at a perfect time as we’ve found our new home at LaFortune Park.”
More than 2,200 Tulsans cheered on the team as they were the highest-scoring offense of any semi-professional or professional team in the country, including the MLS, over the past four seasons. Although the jerseys, name and venue are new, the club will continue to provide fans with the best soccer in town and its famous electric atmosphere.
More announcements are expected to come in the coming weeks, including conference alignment and the 2017 NPSL schedule.
