Merry Christmas everyone! This week, I’m going to be pushing out some articles related to the growth of women’s soccer in Florida (Florida State just won its fourth NCAA women’s title). Each of these articles first appeared on The Florida Soccer Report. Today we start with the announcement of Sporting JAX from two weeks ago.

JAXUSL moved forward with its plans to field both a women’s and men’s professional club today with the announcement of the club’s brand identity- Sporting Jacksonville.

The club will be the first professional men’s team to use the same identity for its professional women’s entry in the United States. This is the common practice in Europe as clubs have a common identity in both the men’s and women’s games and in fact in some cases across multiple sports. 

The ownership group, including Tim Tebow, Fred Taylor, Ricky Caplin, Steve Livingstone and Tony Allegretti, unveiled its community-chosen name, Sporting Club Jacksonville – abbreviated as “Sporting JAX” – and additional club features to hundreds of civic, community and sports leaders, coaches, youth athletes and supporters during the event

“Our new club identity embodies the bold, inclusive Northeast Florida community that we know and love – and we are thankful for our supporters in Jacksonville and across the wider region for sharing their passionate recommendations on what they wanted their club to look like,” said Ricky Caplin, Sporting JAX majority owner. “We are committed to being exceptional stewards for the club, while further establishing our new men’s, women’s and youth teams to represent our vibrant community. It’s our goal to lift trophies while lifting every voice on the First Coast. We are Sporting JAX!”

Jacksonville Soccerwarz, women’s edition

Sporting JAX will field a women’s first division pro team in USL Super League. The USL Super League as we’ve chronicled in our ongoing Soccerwarz series aims to be a sanctioned first division to stand alongside NWSL. Earlier in the day, the Jacksonville Armada announced they are launching a bid for an NWSL club. While this sounds great in concept, the Armada would likely need to supplement their ownership to be able to pay the $50 million franchise fee and would find it difficult to place a first division women’s team in a 5,000 seat stadium. 

We’ll have more analysis on the Sporting JAX announcement in the coming days, including some conversations with USL Executives and members of the ownership group about the club. 

A Primer on the Sporting Jacksonville colors, crest and club motto:

Colors: The club’s new color palette of two shades of blue, yellow, orange and white were suggested by fans to mirror their emotional connection to the area’s sunshine and natural beauty. The vivid hues were inspired by the skies and waterways of the First Coast, including the vibrant sunrises over the beaches, the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway. The colors will be shared by both the men’s and women’s pro teams.

Crest: The club’s circular crest represents inclusivity for all and is bold and determined, like the “Bold City.” It also includes the bold, white and stylized letters “JAX”, as the region’s moniker. It’s emblazoned inside a bright blue shield that includes a wave shape at the top to further pay homage to the waterways of the region. The shield, which is also presented as a stand-alone secondary mark, symbolizes the club’s resolve to represent and defend the First Coast by the men’s, women’s and youth teams who will proudly wear it over their hearts.

Motto: “Lift Every Voice,” the club’s inspirational motto, was derived from the famed hymn “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Adapted to music on December 12, 1900 by Jacksonville brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson, the song was composed to honor the birth of President Abraham Lincoln and first performed by schoolchildren at the Stanton School in Jacksonville. It has become known and celebrated as the Black National Anthem, and is a history lesson, a rallying cry and a pledge of unity. The motto serves as an inspiration for the club and honors the profound influence of local musicians and artists in the community. It also embodies the club’s commitment to lifting every voice, both on and off the field of play, by creating experiences that celebrate diversity, ally with those who need teammates and provide a place for all to gather.