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Fictional History of SFL (AFA Universe) 1975: The SFL will return in November 2016


FFWally

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Stockholm - As if to throw a wrench into the Stockholm Uniform vote, the SFL will announce a new template and maker for all SFL team

uniforms in 1975.

WB_zpstt4b01x8.png

SFL Commissioner Ekdahl announced this morning an agreement with the new US/Swedish Uniform company, WB will provide all on field apparel for players and staff for the 1975-1978 seasons.

WB is the collaborative work of the Brothers Wahlström Zakarjs, Noah and Alexander. Zak and Noah have long looked for a way to continue their team relationship, and youngest brother Alexander, who while just as athletic as his more famous brothers, chose a different path, and attended the Art institute of Chicago for 2 years before graduating with a masters in Marketing from TCU two years ago.

Alexander played a year at TCU, and was a good if not great receiver, earning a letter, before deciding he was going a different direction for his life.

Last off off season (1973) the brothers decided to form an apparel company, and with the direction of both SFL and AFA players developed a new uniform style, and are utilizing lighter, stronger, and more flexible materials, to take over 2 pounds away from each uniform.

The Uniforms were tested in Washington state at the 2 year old Hanford High School. the school was chosen from a pool of 20 small schools across the Northwest. Hanford needed to outfit a new Varsity program, and were open to being a test bed for new apparel.

Coach Griffen at Hanford was happy with the design, and asked for a few small changes, such as heavier stitching, and a way to make pads more streamlined.

The Uniforms were then tested at TCU, with exciting results. The Uniforms were lighter and moved better than the heavy polyester ones used in the previous 3 seasons, and colors didnt fade, a problem with the purple used at the time.

After the results and samples of game used uniforms were taken to the SFL, it was a matter of working out a program for the league.

WB would provide uniforms for all 16 teams as well as coaches shirts and outerwear.

WB would also provide uniforms for L2 teams beginning in 1976, at a small profit.

The league would name WB its official performance wear provider, and allow WB to be the primary branding partner for the league.

What does this mean to WB?

Essentially, they would be the design house for Logo changes, uniform looks, and able to try new things out and dial in their line bofore going after the really big fish, the AFA.

It also made them instantly the uniforms of choice for clubs and leagues cross Europe.

An advance look at the Vikings Uniforms (barring a drastic change in the vote)

1975-Uniform-Template_zps37ryqmab.png

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Stockholm - In what is now a sure landslide, the Vikings have made the decision to end the voting early and introduce the new Uniform set for 1975, as well as the first uniform confirmed in the new WB Speedlite Template.

1975-Stockholm-Uniform_zpsddpleria.png

Stockholm has gone to a white shoe fro the traditional black and a simplified Viking Skull Logo, after test showed children thought the face was too scary with the row of pointed teeth. Gone is the Green Helmet and Horn that the Vikings have worn since their inception, and the decision was not easy, as they won their first Championship in the Horn Helmet. Additionally, there is a secondary Green to go with the deep hunter green, gone also is the silver/grey secondary color from the past decade.

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Uppsala - Carl Bergström announces that with the WB agreement, teams have been given a 3 year window to change uniforms.

Teams have the opportunity to change their sets regardless of their last change. Stockholm is the first team to make the change, and went about it in a big way. Bergström mentioned that Uppsala is making a logo revision, and will keep their old helmet logo as a primary log used by the team, but will go with a more modern look for 1975.

Other teams have been rumored to make changes, including Helsingobrg, and Göteburg.

More details as they become available.

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After rumors of Helsingborg and Goteburg making changes for 1975, it was London that announced the first change, and two others have been conformed to have made from minor to drastic changes to their looks.

London

London ownership knew the uniform deal was in the works during the lead in to the first season, and chose to use a generic Bulldog paw print for their logo

London-Helmet_zpsbtfixcou.png

Head Coach Jan Hammer's oldest son Bart was working on his masters at the London School of Design, and was instrumental in the new direction, and rather than do away with the classic paw, he tweaked it a bit and as a graduate of LSU, took artistic license to the classic LSU look and created a clean and monochromatic look for his fathers team.

1975-London-Bulldogs_zpsuhzivvru.png

The white helmets stayed, with the classic grey facemask and Blue and white three stripe look on the helmet.

Home Cyan Blue Jerseys with Silver Grey pants and simple blue white blue socks, and white shoes, with white and navy highlighting the numbers.

Road jerseys would mock home with a front and back white panel and the same silver grey pants. and a simple cyan number front and back.

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Glad to see this back! Interesting to see another persons ideas on how a pro-american football league could arise in Europe. I've done a fair bit of thinking on the subject myself.

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Paris Came into the league with a logo done by an original player (Jacques Benoit) in the mid 1960's and while the cross worked well the font was hand drawn based off of some numbers he had seen on a side street in Paris as a child. He always liked the look, but it was hard to reproduce and had issues for the team.

Alex Wahlstrom sat with the GM and marketing director Paul Hinault on the redesign and they decided that the logo was solid, but wanted a small update to it, but dropped the wordmark in favor of a more modern look, and rather than the standard sleeve striped utilized the cross on sleeves with numbers laid over them.

Here is the original Logo alongside the rebrand.

Crusaders-1974_zpsiaprycm3.png1975-Paris-Crusaders_zpsqc7ebcvb.png

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So far we have seen the two newest teams in the league adopt new uniforms, and Stockholm run a uniform contest... Small changes made to Stockholm with the new Uniform template, and another surprising uniform change comes from a founding member. 

Look for the final Uniform change for 1975 later this evening.

 

 

1975-Stockholm-Uniform.png

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On Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 7:28 PM, FFWally said:

Very nice update for Stockholm.

For London however, I would adapt a bulldog face on the helmets around 1980 or so.

 

Well... there is a pretty good chance that happens. But not until the mid 80's

'85 sounds good.

 

Also, it would be interesting to see the TV channels in the States cover this league should the US league of the SFL universe go on a strike similar to the NFL's 1982 strike.

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17 minutes ago, neo_prankster said:

'85 sounds good.

 

Also, it would be interesting to see the TV channels in the States cover this league should the US league of the SFL universe go on a strike similar to the NFL's 1982 strike.

A strike shortened the 1971 AFA season (only nine games in the regular season)

bYhYmxh.png

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Nor I, there have been a few games on US Television, with the Odin Cup in London drawing the biggest viewership. A Championship between Eskilstuna and Malmo wont draw big numbers outside of the upper midwest, but with Paris, London, Dublin and Stockholm, not to mention Copenhagen and Oslo there are some pretty interesting matchups that can happen, and ones that would draw viewership. But really it will be more influenced by how many American players are on the teams, and if their are emerging europeans destined for the USA.

That said, a strike would not bring a rash of American AFA players... the Leagues would not allow it. 

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