The Alabama Soccer League

[RevNet]

For our third team in the Birmingham Metro conference, we have...

 

Bessemer City SC

Team Colors: Bessemer Blue (Pantone 7689 C), Bright Star Yellow (Pantone 102 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city of Bessemer may be another suburb of Birmingham now, but back in the day, some believed that "The Marvel City" might take over Birmingham in economic power. Founded in 1869 by the Bessemer Land & Improvement Company and incorporated in 1887, by having all the ingredients needed to make steel (iron ore, coal, and limestone) in the area, Bessemer went through a quick growth and attracted folks from all over the South as well as European immigrants. By the 1950s, the city's population was predominantly African-American, which it still is today. But when the steel industry when through considerable changes, the jobs left the area.

 

The logo design is that of a blue roundel with a big, yellow, four-pointed star in the center with the black text "The Marvel City" inside, and, also in yellow, each of the four initials of the team ("B.C.S.C.") takes up a corner of the roundel to complete the design. The colors are based on Bessemer's city seal. The name of one of the colors, Bright Star Yellow, comes from the name of Alabama's oldest restaurant, The Bright Star, which has existed since 1907 and is located in Bessemer. The nickname of the team, "The Marvelous Stars", combines Bessemer's nickname of "The Marvel City" with The Bright Star naming.  The primary kit, "The Bright Star Kit", is an all-yellow kit with blue detailing throughout. The secondary kit, "The Bright Blue Kit", is an all-blue kit with yellow detailing throughout.

 

The sponsor of this team, U.S. Pipe, is a pipe fabrication company founded and headquartered in Bessemer.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Grammy-nominated rapper Gucci Mane, who was born in Bessemer.

 

 

[RevNet]

I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I probably won't be here tomorrow, as I'll be out of town, but the good news is that you're getting two teams today instead of one to make up for my absence tomorrow. For both teams, we're headed back south, starting with...

 

Camellia City SC

Team Colors: Japonica Red (Pantone 2350 C), Reticulata Pink (Pantone 1777 C), Fraterna White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

In case you didn't know, the camellia is Alabama's state flower. Specifically, the camellia japonica species is Alabama's state flower. It wasn't always the case, however. From the time of statehood in 1819 until 1927, the state didn't have an official flower. Then in 1927, Alabama unofficially adopted the goldenrod as the state's flower. Throughout this time, however, Alabama, along with all of America in general, fell in love with the blooms of the camellias. Therefore, they became the flower to have in your yard. It was said that in the 1800s, having a camellia was "like having a Rolex watch". The push to have the camellia as the state flower of Alabama started as early as the 1940s. One of the early adopters of the camellia as a symbol was Greenville, which gave itself the nickname "The Camellia City" in the process. In 1959, the then-Governor John Patterson, on an urge by his wife (who was raised in Butler County, which Greenville is in), signed the bill into law making the camellia Alabama's first (and only) official state flower.

 

The logo design is that of two, concentric camellia blooms, one big red bloom, and one small pink bloom, with a white letter "C" inside each of them. The under-arching, red text of the team name at the bottom of the blooms completes the design. The names of the colors of the team are all camellia species, including the japonica species. The primary kit, "The Reticulata Kit", consists of a white-to-pink gradient shirt with a pink collar, white sleeves, and red detailing. The kit is made complete with pink shorts and socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Japonica Kit", consists of a solid red shirt with a white collar and white detailing, white shorts with red detailing, and red socks with white detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Hwashin America Corporation, is an automotive parts maker based in Greenville.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is none other than the "King of Country Music" himself, Hank Williams, Sr., who was born in Butler County and lived in Greenville briefly during his childhood. Williams is regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century and has had 55 Billboard Top 10 singles, including "Your Cheatin' Heart" among his 12 No. 1 hits.

 

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Moving up a little bit north, we have the first of two Montgomery-based teams in the league.

 

Capital City SC

Team Colors: Flag Red (Pantone 186 C), Star Gray (Pantone 4195 C), Capitol White (White)

Team Secondary Colors: Alabama State University Black & Gold (Black & Pantone 117 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

As you can tell by the graphic, this team makes its home on the westside of Alabama's capital city of Montgomery, where the capitol building is, along with most of the state's governmental agencies and departments. It is also where Hank Williams, Sr. (mentioned above in this post) is buried.

 

The logo design is loosely based on Montgomery's city seal, and consists of a red circle with the white text of the team name inside the circle. Then, in the center of the circle is a gray, six-pointed star with the geographical shape outline of the state of Alabama in white with the location of Montgomery marked with a red circle and five-pointed star (That looks really small, I know). The white text "MONTGOMERY" at the center-bottom of the star completes the design. The colors of the logo are based on Montgomery's city flag. As compared to Montgomery's two other nicknames of "Cradle of the Confederacy" and "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement", "The Gump" is a more-recent nickname which was made popular by Montgomery rap group Deuce Komradz.

 

The primary kit, "The State Capital Kit", consists of a solid red shirt with a white collar, gray shorts with white detailing, and red socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Hornet Kit", consists of a solid gold shirt with a black collar, gold shorts, and gold socks, all with black detailing throughout. This kit is dedicated to the nearby Alabama State University.

 

The sponsor of the team, Equal Justice Initiative, is a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to those who may have been denied a fair trial. It is based in Montgomery and owns the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both of which are in Montgomery. The name on the back of the jerseys is Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative.

 

[RevNet]

I'm back, and I want to go spelunking in some caves. Care to join me?

 

Cave Dwellers SC

Team Colors: Cavern Black (Black), Wildcat Gold (Pantone 2007 C), Stalactite/Stalagmite Gray (Pantone Cool Gray 9 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

This team is a funky one, I believe. I had fun creating this team. First off, Jackson County, which Scottsboro is in, has more caves per capita than anywhere else in America. Caves like the Cathedral Caverns (the state park of which is technically in northern Marshall County, but has a Jackson County address) with one of the largest cavern entrances in the world at 126 feet wide and 25 feet tall, and the Neversink Pit in Fackler which is a 162-foot drop into a limestone sinkhole are just some you'll find in Jackson County.

 

Not surprising that the logo is that of a cavern entrance with the gold letters "C" and "D" on either side which are then given stalagmite and stalactite serifs. The gray "S" and the "C" letters of the team are smaller, but also are given the same serif treatment to complete the logo design. The black and gold colors come from the Scottsboro High School Wildcats athletic teams and the gray color comes from the numerous stalagmites and stalactites you'll find in the caves of Jackson County. The primary kit, "The Sauta Cave Kit", consists of a black shirt with a gray collar, gold, detailing, and a gray stalagmite-and-stalactite pattern across the front, gray shorts with gold detailing, and black socks with gold detailing. For a second meaning to the gray color, Sauta Cave is near Scottsboro and has one of the largest concentrations of endangered gray bats in the world. The secondary kit, "The Sleeping Bat Kit", consists of a gold shirt with a black collar, black detailing, and three stripes made up of subliminal sleeping black bats across the front. The kit is made complete with black shorts with gold detailing and gold socks with black detailing.

 

Ever lose anything at the airport? The sponsor of the team, Unclaimed Baggage Center, a retail store in Scottsboro, is where it might end up.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Pat Trammell, the Scottsboro native who played quarterback at the high school and was Coach Bear Bryant's first star player at the University of Alabama back in 1958. Trammell's only jersey number was #12.

 

 

 

[RevNet]

We're going from the far northeast to the far southwest for this team.

 

Central Baldwin SC

Team Colors: Grizzly Maroon (Pantone 4102 C), Honey Gold (Pantone 1235 C)

Team Secondary Color: Apple Gray (Pantone 429 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Baldwin County, besides being one of two Alabama counties to have beaches (the other being Mobile County with Dauphin Island), is the largest county in the state by area at over 2,000 sq. ft. Therefore, the three teams in this county represent a region of the county, as opposed to one specific city.

 

The logo design is that of a big, maroon letter "C" (for "Central") and a smaller, gold letter "B" (for 'Baldwin"). Inside the "C" are seven, four-pointed stars (four big gray stars and three smaller white stars) arranged in a curve pattern to complete the design. The maroon and gold colors and the "Bears" nickname come from the Robertsdale High School Bears athletic teams. Each of the gray stars represents the Central Baldwin cities of Robertsdale, Loxley, Summerdale, and Silverhill, while the three smaller white stars represent the communities of Rosinton, Elsanor, and Seminole.

 

The primary kit, "The Robertsdale Kit", consists first of a maroon shirt with a gold sash and a subliminal, gold-outlined bear paw underneath the gold "CB" logo. The kit is made complete with gold shorts with maroon detailing, and maroon socks with gold detailing. The secondary kit, "The Apple iKit", is an all-white kit with gray detailing throughout, including the seven stars from the logo, which are now all gray, in a straight line, and on the lower-right side of the front of the shirt.

 

The sponsor of the team, Apple, is headquartered in Cupertino, California, but the current CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, is a 1978 graduate of Robertsdale High School. He is also the name on the back of the jerseys. Along with that, he also serves on the board of directors at Nike, Inc.

 

 

 

 

[RevNet]

Heading back north for the third team in the Central East.

 

Childersburg SC

Team Colors: Childersburg Blue (Pantone 2370 C), Conqueror Gold (Pantone 116 C), Spanish Red (Pantone 186 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Before Childersburg was Childersburg, it was named Talisi by the Coosa people who were part of a powerful Native American chiefdom that stretched from present-day Childersburg to as far north as the present-day northern border of Tennessee. In 1540, during his trek through the present-day southeastern U.S., Hernando de Soto and his band of conquistadores visited the Talisi village when one of his men fell ill and the Coosa people took care of him during Hernando de Soto's month-long stay in the village. This makes Childersburg among the oldest occupied settlements in America.

 

The logo depicts the head of a conquistador with a gold helmet and red and blue plumage. Inside the gold helmet is a blue letter "C" which completes the design. The primary kit, "The Spanish Kit", is a gold shirt with a red collar and thin red hoops along the front, red shorts with gold detailing, and gold socks with red detailing. The secondary kit, "The C-burg Blue Kit", is a blue shirt with a yellow collar and a singular, red-outlined gold hoop along the front, gold shorts with blue detailing, and blue socks with gold detailing. The blue color comes from the Childersburg High School Panthers athletic teams, and the red and gold colors come from the Spanish flag, which Hernando de Soto did all his conquering for.

 

The sponsor of the team, Nemak Alabama, is an automotive parts maker based in nearby Sylacauga.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is A.J. Smitherman, the Childersburg-born lawyer, journalist, and civil rights activist who chronicled the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 through the newspaper he founded in 1913, the Tulsa Star.

[RevNet]

Alexa, play "Peaches"  by The Presidents of the United States of America.

 

Chilton County SC

Team Colors: County Peach (Pantone 6017 C), Peach Pit Red (Pantone 187 C)

Team Secondary Color: Leaf Green (Pantone 902 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

That's right. This team is all about the peaches grown in Chilton County, which produces more than 80% of Alabama's peach crop. The same Hernando de Soto from the above Childersburg SC post is said to have visited the Native American village of Pokana Talahassi (which translates to "Old Peach Tree Town") in present-day Chilton County back in July 1540 and discovered the peach crop being grown and harvested there. Then around 1895, Scandinavian immigrants Theodore Thorson and John Peterson founded the town of Thorsby, along with establishing the vineyards, orchards, and fields that would become the basis for today's peach industry. You know you've reached the county seat of Clanton when you see this peach-shaped water tower off of exit 212 on I-65. There's also an annual Peach Festival which has a Peach Queen pageant, and some farms in Chilton County will even let you pick your own peaches.

 

The logo is that of a just-picked peach with a brown stem and a green leaf. The two, red "C"s inside of the peach complete the design. The primary kit, "The Peach Farmer's Kit", consists of a peach shirt with two big red stripes across the front, red shorts with peach detailing, and peach socks with red detailing. The peach and red colors come from the peach fruit itself and the peach pit, respectively. The secondary kit, "The Agriculture Kit", consists of a green shirt with a white collar and white detailing, white shorts with green detailing, and green socks with white detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, O-Flex Group, is a motor vehicle manufacturing company headquartered in Murfreesboro, TN, but they do have a plant in Clanton.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is actor Drew Roy, who was born and raised in Clanton and is best known as Hal Mason in the television series Falling Skies. He also has been on iCarly and Hannah Montana. 

 

 

[Bomba Tomba]

Is it just me or is there quite a lot of automotive related companies in Alabama?

[RevNet]

13 hours ago, Bomba Tomba said:

Is it just me or is there quite a lot of automotive related companies in Alabama?

Nope, it's not just you. The state does have its fair share of car-building plants. Therefore, the state also has manufacturing plants that build parts for those cars. Since they're not a sponsor for a team, I googled TSTech, the auto parts manufacturer/plant in my hometown. Turns out that plant builds parts for Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and even Harley-Davidson. Among the several things I learned when creating this league is that the global automotive industry is a lot bigger than even one realizes sometimes, and just like a car itself, there are several moving parts that make it all work. I know off the top of my head of five major car-building plants that are located all throughout the state, and so far, I only mentioned one of them, I believe. Thanks for your question!

[TrueYankee26]

Indeed a lot of automotive plants moved from Michigan to the South

[RevNet]

Finally, we have our first team in the Central West.

 

Coal City SC

Team Colors: Helmet Yellow (Pantone 3965 C), Coal Black (Black)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city of Jasper was settled and founded in 1815 when two railroads were being completed throughout the area. Around the time of its incorporation, in 1886, the population was only 200. By the beginning of the next decade, the population had shot up to 3,000. One of the things that contributed to the sharp rise was the six coal mines in Jasper. This boom period in the late 1800s also contributed to the Walker County seat being nicknamed "The Coal City". Today, Jasper has a population of around 14,500.

 

The logo design is a yellow roundel and resembles a railroad crossing sign, only that the things being crossed are a black pickaxe and a black shovel. A black helmet with the "JASPER" text in the headlamp lies in the center. A lump of coal sits at the top of the roundel, and the words of the team scattered throughout the sides and bottom of the logo complete the design. The black color comes from the coal, while the yellow color comes from the helmets that coalminers wear.

 

The primary kit, "Coalminer's Kit #1", consists of a yellow shirt with a black collar and black detailing, black shorts with yellow detailing, and black socks with yellow detailing. The secondary kit, "Coalminer's Kit #2", is a color reversal of the primary kit, with the exception of the big yellow hoop across the front of the shirt.

 

The sponsor of the team, HTNA North America, is an automotive fabric and textile company headquartered in Plymouth, MI, but has a plant in Jasper.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Ronnie Coleman, the Jasper-born football player who played college football at Alabama A&M and then had an 8-year career as a Houston Oiler in the NFL.

 

[RevNet]

Back to the Gulf Coast Conference for our fourth team. Oink.

 

Conecuh County SC

Team Colors: Pig's Blood Red (Pantone 1795 C), Butcher Coat White (White), Apron Black (Black) only as a trim color

Team Secondary Colors: Evergreen Emerald (Pantone 3278 C), Collard Green (Pantone 4201 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

First off, another pronunciation check. The county name of Conecuh is pronounced: "Cah-NECK-ah".

 

It's safe to say that this team is a company team. Conecuh County is best known for only one thing: Conecuh Sausage. The company that makes the meat product is of course called Conecuh Sausage Company. Initially founded in 1947 by WWII veteran Henry Sessions as a custom meat-processing facility and cold storage locker in a time when locals didn't have much refrigeration available, the company soon became known for Sessions's sausage links. In 1986, the company moved operations to its present location off Exit 96 on I-65, which produces around 35,000 to 40,000 pounds of sausage per week. Today, the company is run by Henry's son, John Crum Sessions, and grandson, John Henry Sessions, and produces sausage in six different varieties, including a no-MSG option, along with ham, turkey, bacon, and hot dogs. You can find Conecuh Sausage products as far west as Colorado and as far north as Wisconsin. It even has its own fan club on Facebook.

 

The logo is a long oval roundel (and resembles a pig's snout) with the full team name in white text occupying the outer red shape. Inside the outer red shape is a grazing pig which completes the design. The primary kit, "The Sausage Company Kit", consists of a red-and-white striped shirt with solid red sleeves, white shorts with red detailing, and red socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The EverGreens Kit", is a two-tone green version of the primary kit made complete with emerald shorts with white detailing and green socks with white detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team is none other than the Conecuh Sausage Company.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Wayne Frazier, the Evergreen-born football player who played in the center position for Auburn, then had a five-year NFL career playing for the San Diego Chargers, the Houston Oilers, the Buffalo Bills, and finally the Kansas City Chiefs.

 

[RevNet]

It's only a short-ish drive to our next team in the Gulf Coast Conference.

 

Confluence SC

Team Colors: Plant Green (Pantone 575 C), Tensaw Green (Pantone 4236 C), Bay Blue (Pantone 2205 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

confluence (noun)

1. a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like: the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

2. a coming together of people or things; concourse.

 

Whereas Conecuh County SC is a company team in the traditional sense, Confluence SC is a new kind of company team. Mainly because it's more than a company team, but I'll explain more as we get into it. First, in 2007, German industrial and steel conglomerate ThyssenKrupp broke ground on a $5-billion plant in the small town of Calvert, which has a population of only 255 and is located on the border of Mobile and Washington Counties. The ThyssenKrupp Steel and Stainless USA plant opened in December 2010, eventually providing 2,700 jobs to the local economy. Then in 2012, the stainless steel portion of the plant changed hands when Inoxum, ThyssenKrupp's stainless steel division, was sold off to the Finnish stainless steel company Outokumpu. Then in 2014, the other portion of the plant was bought by a 50/50 partnership between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, the world's second-largest and fourth-largest steel producers, respectively. The plant was renamed to its current name of AM/NS Calvert, and today, it has the capacity to produce 5.3 million tons of flat-rolled carbon steel products annually. The plant is also recognized as being one of the most advanced steel finishing facilities in the world.

 

The reason that this team is named Confluence SC is that the plant is located near the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, which explains part of the logo design. The three colors of the team all stem from the outer design of the AM/NS Calvert facilities. The logo design is a roundel in which the dark green letter "C" (which can stand for either "Confluence" or "Calvert") occupies 3/4 of the outer roundel, while the other 1/4 of the outer roundel is a lighter green and contains the dark green "SC" text. Inside the inner blue roundel is a dark green cross design that references the confluence of the two aforementioned rivers, which are represented by the wavy lines, while the lone straight line represents the manmade border of Mobile and Washington Counties. Completing the design are the following letters, going clockwise:

• "W" for Washington County in the upper-left quadrant
• "C" for Clarke County in the upper-right quadrant
• "B" for Baldwin County in the lower-right quadrant
• "M" for Mobile County in the lower-left quadrant

The primary kit, "The Synergetic Kit", is an all-over dark green kit with a light green collar and a stripe pattern of the two other colors that go all down the left side of the shirt. The kit is made complete with light green detailing. The secondary kit, "The Bay Blue Kit", is an all-over blue kit with a dark green collar and dark green cuffs on the shirt. The kit is made complete with dark green detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team is none other than ArcelorMittal.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Greg "Boomer" Wells, the first non-Japanese baseball player to win the Triple Crown in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league in 1984. Wells was born in nearby McIntosh, AL. Like Hank Aaron before him, Wells also wore #44.

 

[RevNet]

Für unser nächstes Team heißen wir uns in Cullman willkommen. (For our next team, we welcome ourselves to Cullman.)

 

Cullman SC

Team Colors: Shield Black (Black), Home White (White), Bearcat Gold (Pantone 4022 C)

Team Secondary Color: Away Teal (Pantone 3557 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

A little programming note: Whenever a team is named "(city name) SC", that team represents the city and the county, because they have similar names.

 

Now, some history. Johann (John) Gottfried Cullmann was born on July 2, 1823, in the small town of Frankweiler in the present-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. Back then, the town was under the rule of the Kingdom of Bavaria. After obtaining a degree in engineering at age 13, he moved with his wife Josephine Low, the daughter of a wealthy banking family, to Neustadt an der Haard (known today as Neustadt an der Weinstraße) where he started an export business and also had three children (four, but one of his kids died at age two) with Mrs. Low. It is in Neustadt where he met up with many American businessmen that planted the seed of democracy in his head. After both of his investments to overthrow the monarchy failed (first in 1848 after the Revolutions of 1848-1849, and again after the Second Schleswig War of 1864), with no future to be had, he left his homeland, his wife, and his three kids to first settle in London, due to his dream destination of the United States being embroiled in the US Civil War. The next year, he made the journey to New York, and for the next seven years went all over the country looking at several of the already-established German communities before eventually founding his first settlement of St. Florian in present-day Lauderdale County in 1872. Facing bitter opposition as an immigrant, St. Florian was short-lived. However, through connections made with the then-Governor Robert Patton, he founded the town of Cullman along a railroad in 1873, advertising it to German-Americans from Cincinnati (where the now-Colonel Cullmann had been able to establish himself as a lawyer), who eventually organized Cullman County four years later in 1877. Today, Frankweiler and Cullman are each other's sister cities, and Cullman has an Oktoberfest celebration and a Christkindlmarkt event.

 

The logo design is a black shield (which is borrowed from St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman) with a gold saltire, resembling the state flag of Alabama. A white letter "C" in the Blackletter style and a 12-point gold sun (representing the cities and towns of Cullman County) complete the design. The black and gold colors come from the Cullman High School Bearcats athletic teams. Both kits are based on the kits that "Die Mannschaft", the German national soccer team, wore when they won the FIFA World Cup in 1990 and 1974, respectively. The primary kit is named "Das weiß-schwarze Home-Kit" ("The White-and-Black Home Kit"), and the secondary kit is named "Das blaugrüne Auswärtstrikot" ("The Teal Away Kit").

 

The sponsor of the team, REHAU, is a Swiss-headquartered polymer company that has an automotive plant in Cullman.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is actor/producer Channing Tatum, who was born in Cullman and has had a storied acting career since making his acting debut in the 2005 drama Coach Carter.

 

[TrueYankee26]

21 minutes ago, RevNet said:

Für unser nächstes Team heißen wir uns in Cullman willkommen. (For our next team, we welcome ourselves to Cullman.)

 

Cullman SC

Team Colors: Shield Black (Black), Home White (White), Bearcat Gold (Pantone 4022 C)

Team Secondary Color: Away Teal (Pantone 3557 C)

 

Liner Notes

 

Forgot the liner notes

[RevNet]

1 hour ago, TrueYankee26 said:

Forgot the liner notes

Should be there now.

[TrueYankee26]

I imagine they could put their name out there in Germany, even partner with a team from Germany

[RevNet]

Once again, it's only a short drive to the next team in the Appalachian Conference.

 

Decatur City SC

Team Colors: River Teal (Pantone 2390 C), Wave Pool Aqua (Pantone 2199 C), Seafoam Blue (Pantone 9500 U)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Decatur, Alabama is the county seat of Morgan County in North Alabama, and it lies on the southern shore of the Tennessee River, hence the Rivermen nickname. It is also an older city than most in Alabama, having been founded in 1820, initially as "Rhodes Ferry Landing". Because of its strategic position, the possession of Decatur changed hands several times throughout the Civil War. Early on in said Civil War, all but four of Decatur's buildings were destroyed by Union soldiers. The four buildings that remained were the Old State Bank, the Dancy-Polk House, the Todd House, and the Burleson-Hinds-McEntire House, all of which are still standing today, with the Old State Bank building being the oldest bank building in Alabama at 190 years old. Out of the ashes of the buildings destroyed rose New Decatur, situated to "Old" Decatur's immediate southeast, in 1887, with incorporation just two years later. It was a planned community billed as "The Chicago of the South" with streets named after the Generals of both Union and Confederate Armies so as to not show favoritism to one region or another. Resentment and animosity from citizens of "Old" Decatur eventually forced a name change from New Decatur to Albany (after the New York state capital of Albany) in Sept. 1916. However, Decatur and Albany merged in 1925 to form the Decatur you see today, although it is still apparent which parts of Decatur are "Old" (Eastern areas) and which are "New" (Western areas).

 

The logo design is just three wavy lines (two light blue, one aqua) with the teal text of "DCSC" in the middle of all of them. The wavy lines and the colors come from the fact that Decatur is on the Tennessee River and was also one of the first-ever cities in America to build a wave pool, which is still functioning today at Point Mallard Aquatic Park.

 

The primary kit, "The Wave Kit", consists of a teal kit with a light blue collar and wavy hoops that mirror the logo design. The kit is made complete with light blue shorts with teal detailing, and teal socks with light blue detailing. The secondary kit, "The River Kit", consists of a white-to-teal gradient shirt with teal detailing. The kit is made complete with teal shorts with light blue detailing, and white socks with teal detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Daikin, is a Japanese air-conditioning manufacturing company with a plant in Decatur known as Daikin Alabama.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Decatur-born Mae Jemison, who in 1992 became the first African-American woman to travel into space as a mission specialist for the Space Shuttle Endeavour. She is the namesake of one of Huntsville's six high schools.

 

 

[RevNet]

...and the Army goes rolling along.

 

Depot SC

Team Colors: Camo Green (Pantone 5815 C), Camo Beige (Pantone 4267 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Meet Depot SC, the ALSL's Army team. The name of the team is based on the Anniston Army Depot, which is located in Bynum, a former CDP that is now included in the population of the neighboring city of Oxford. Established in 1940 and covering 25 square miles, the Anniston Army Depot is a major US Army facility that primarily builds and repairs ground combat vehicles, infantry weapons, and tanks such as the M1 Abrams, hence the team's nickname of "The Tanks". From the 1960s until 2013, the Depot also handled the storage of 7% of the US chemical weapon stockpile at the Anniston Chemical Activity. The northern side of the Depot is the Pelham Range of the now-decommissioned Fort McClellan, which used to be one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops. Since 2010, part of Fort McClellan's brownfield land has been used as a mixed-use community.

 

The logo design is that of a beige letter "D" and covering the right side of the "D" is a beige tank gun with the team name on it in green. The whole logo design can be meant to be seen from a top view as a tank itself, but this was not intentional. The primary kit, "The Army Camo Kit", consists of a shirt with a beige body, green collar, and camo-patterned sleeves. The kit is made complete with green shorts with beige detailing and beige socks with green detailing. The secondary kit, "The Battle Ready Kit", is a solid green shirt with a beige collar, beige shorts with green detailing, and green socks with beige detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, New Flyer, is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Winnipeg but has a facility in nearby Anniston. This was Anniston Metro SC's sponsor at first, but I felt that this team was a more-appropriate team for New Flyer to sponsor.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Mark LeRoux, or if you were a WCW fan in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lash LeRoux. He was born in nearby Anniston, grew up in Oxford, and was on the Oxford High School wrestling and football teams. After retiring from his wrestling career in 2006, he is now a cartoonist and caricature artist.

 

 

[RevNet]

We're getting into the real Wiregrass region now with this team.

 

Dothan City SC

Team Colors: Peanut Shell Brown (Pantone 4655 C), Chocolate Brown (Pantone 732 C), Cream White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

If you look at a map of Alabama, you'll know of a few major cities. There's Huntsville in the north, Birmingham is a bit further down from that, the state capital of Montgomery is further down from Birmingham, and then you have Mobile to the southwest. Well, meet the big city in the southeast corner known as Dothan (pronounced DOE-thin). With a population of 71,000+, it is the eighth-largest city in the state. It is also a hub of the region in the southeastern U.S. known as the Wiregrass Region (the namesake of the ALSL conference), due to the Aristida stricta species of grass grown throughout the region. It is also a hub of the legume crop of peanuts. One out of every four peanuts is grown within 75 miles of Dothan. Each fall season since 1938, except for the WWII years (1942-1946) and 2020 (due to COVID-19), Dothan has held the country's largest peanut festival, the National Peanut Festival, to celebrate the peanut harvest.

 

The logo design is of a peanut half-shell with the white letters "D" and "C" on the inside. I thought that "The Peanut Gallery" nickname was just a stroke of genius for this team. The primary kit, "The Big Peanut Kit", consists of a white shirt with a light brown collar and two downward-facing chevrons (one thick light brown chevron and a thin dark brown chevron) on the front, white shorts with dark brown detailing, and light brown socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Two Browns Kit", consists of a dark brown shirt with a white collar and a double-stripe pattern of the two other colors along the front, light brown shorts with white detailing, and dark brown socks with white detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, AAA Cooper Transportation, is a freight carrier (trucking company) headquartered in Dothan.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Jamie "The Chief" Thomas, the skateboarding legend who won the first-ever X Games Gold in 1995 for having the best trick on the street course. Although born in Florida, he grew up in Dothan. He is now the owner and founder of Zero Skateboards.

[RevNet]

...and now we meet Dothan City's immediate rival.

 

Doughboys SC

Team Colors: Army Green (Pantone 4217 C), Doughboy Orange (Pantone 158 C)

Team Secondary Color: Military Beige (Pantone 4515 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

"RevNet, what is a doughboy?," I hear you ask. Well, the term "doughboy" was a popular term for American infantrymen, reaching its peak of use and popularity during the years of World War I. The term was first used during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, and a number of theories have popped up as to why this was the case. These theories range from the brass buttons on the soldiers' uniforms looking like dough cakes to the soldiers themselves being constantly covered in dust from marching the dry terrain of northern Mexico, giving them the appearance of the mud bricks known as "adobe" (which turned into "dobie", then further into the "doughboy" term). Whatever the case may be, by the time of WWI, the term was often used to describe those soldiers under the age of 25, mostly teenage soldiers as young as 17. After WWI and during the 1920s and 1930s, mass-produced statues of the Spirit of the American Doughboy started to pop up everywhere in America. One of these statues was the first public statue in Henry County, which the city of Headland is in.

 

The logo design is an orange doughnut shape that contains the green "Dough" and "Boys" arching texts and the orange "SC" text occupies the doughnut hole, completing the design. The primary kit, "The Doughboy's Kit", consists of a green shirt with a beige collar and a singular, beige hoop along the front. The kit is made complete with green shorts and socks with beige detailing. The secondary kit, "The Doughnut Kit", consists of an orange shirt with a white collar and a single white stripe that cuts through the center. The kit is made complete with white shorts with green detailing, and orange socks with white detailing. Another theory of the "doughboy" term is that female volunteers of the Salvation Army would travel to France to cook millions of doughnuts to then serve those on the front lines during WWI.

 

The sponsor of the team, Flowers Hospital, is a hospital in nearby Dothan.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Walter Thomas West, who is a former Major General of the US Air Force and was born in Headland.