The Alabama Soccer League

[RevNet]

Believe it or not, this is only the second team in the Central West. 

 

Druid City SC

Team Colors: Druid Green (Pantone 2417 C), Alabama Crimson (Pantone 201 C), Capstone White (White)

Team Secondary Color: Petronas Green (Pantone 7717 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

We have arrived in Tuscaloosa. T-Town. The City of Champions. If you know about the University of Alabama Crimson Tide athletic program, then you know about Tuscaloosa, which is the state's fifth-largest city with a population that is just over 100k. There is another nickname that, due to Crimson Tide athletics, often gets left out of the conversation when we talk about Tuscaloosa and that nickname is: "The Druid City". Druids? In T-Town? Well, not really. The reason that Tuscaloosa has the nickname "The Druid City" is due to the water oaks that have been growing in the area since the 1840s, a little bit after the University of Alabama's founding in 1833. It is said, though, that the word "druid" may derive from a Celtic word meaning “knower of the oak tree”. Also, the druids frequently worshipped and did their practice in oak groves.

 

The logo design is a roundel with the full name of the team occupying the outer crimson roundel. On the inner green roundel is a "DC" text done in the style of a Celtic rune which completes the design. The primary kit, "The Druid City Kit", consists of a shirt with a two-tone green hooped body, a white collar, and white sleeves. The kit is made complete with green shorts with white detailing, and white socks with green detailing. The secondary kit, "The Capstone Kit", is a solid crimson shirt with a white collar, white shorts with crimson detailing, and crimson socks with white detailing. "The Capstone" is a nickname you'll often hear when people, especially UA alumni, talk about the University of Alabama, and it is derived from UA's motto: "The Capstone of Higher Education".

 

The sponsor of the team, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), is an automobile manufacturing plant in nearby Vance.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Robert J. Van de Graaff, the inventor of the Van de Graaff generator who was born in Tuscaloosa.

 

[RevNet]

I guess I must've really liked the Gulf Coast because we're heading back there for team #6 in the conference.

 

Eastern Shore SC

Team Colors: Squid Ink Purple (Pantone 2112 C), Shore Teal (Pantone 7699 C), White Sand (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Spoiler

Remember how I said that teams in the Gulf Coast conference tend to represent more than one city? That theme continues with this team, which represents the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Since Daphne has the largest population (with 27k+) of the three cities in the region and it's also centrally located, the team calls Daphne home. Daphne is also nicknamed the "Jubilee City", due to the phenomenon of crab, shrimp, and other sea life suddenly being washed ashore along the coastline. Biologists believe that this occurs due to a decrease in the oxygen levels of the water in Mobile Bay. This phenomenon occurs in only one other place in the world and that is Tokyo Bay.

 

The logo design is a purple square with three, teal stripes that form the letter "E" (for "Eastern") on the left and a white wavy line that does double duty by forming the letter "S" (for "Shore") and it also forms the geographical western shoreline of Baldwin County. This completes the logo design. The purple color comes from the Daphne High School Trojans athletic teams, although it is a different purple that the Trojans use. The three stripes represent the three cities of Daphne, Spanish Fort, and Fairhope. The primary kit, "The Squid Kit", consists of a purple shirt with a white collar and a white, undulating hoop pattern that is reminiscent of a squid's arm. The kit is made complete with white shorts with purple detailing, and purple socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Shoremen Kit", consists of a shirt with a teal-and-white hooped body and white sleeves. The kit is made complete with teal shorts with white detailing and white socks with teal detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Foosackly's, is a chain of chicken restaurants headquartered in nearby Mobile.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Pat White, the Daphne-born-and-raised former WVU quarterback who was a finalist for the 2007 Heisman Trophy. He is now an offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers. As far as I know, his only jersey number was #5.

[RevNet]

This team may be in the Wiregrass conference, but it's so far away from all the others, it might as well be in another time zone. Well, about that...

 

Easternmost SC

Team Colors: Phenix Red (Pantone 7417 C), Flame Gold (Pantone 109 C)

Team Secondary Color: Night Black (Black)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Today's Phenix City started out as two towns that bordered each other. On April 12, 1865, some of the fighting of the last US Civil War battle, the Battle of Columbus, took place in what was known back then as the town of Girard. Meanwhile, in 1871, the town of Brownville, to Girard's north, had to change its name to Lively, because there was already a town with that name in Tuscaloosa County, although a few years later, it would change its name back to Brownville. However, the town's post office still maintained the Lively name. To further confuse things, the railroad depot in town was named Knight's Station. This confusion would end for good in 1897 when the town was incorporated as Phenix City. There are two theories on why this name was chosen: (1) it was either because it referred to the Phenix Mills in neighboring Columbus, GA or (2) it was a misspelling of the phoenix bird of fable. Eventually, the towns of Girard and Phenix City would merge in 1923 for the Phenix City of today. Due to its proximity and strong economic ties to the larger city of Columbus, Phenix City is one of the only cities in Alabama that observes the Eastern time zone on a de facto basis.

 

The logo design is of a red phoenix with gold streaks on its wings that has then been turned 90 degrees to form the letter "E" (for "Easternmost"). The red and black colors come from Phenix City's Central High School Red Devils athletic teams. The primary kit, "The Rising Phenix Kit", consists of a shirt that is half-gold and half-red with a gold collar and opposing colors on the sleeves. The kit is made complete with red shorts with gold detailing and gold socks with red detailing. Due to the nature of the kit, it has black numbering and lettering throughout. The secondary kit, "The Night Sky Kit", is an all-black kit with red detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Aflac, is an insurance company headquartered in nearby Columbus.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Columbus-born Eddie Lowe, who, as of this writing on March 25th, 2023, is the current mayor of Phenix City. He also was a linebacker for the Central Red Devils and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Then he played nine seasons for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders (1983-1991). His jersey number was #42.

 

[RevNet]

Let's look at some bugs, shall we?

 

Enterprise SC

Team Colors: Royal Blue (Pantone 2186 C), Cotton White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city of Enterprise in Coffee County has the only monument in the world dedicated to a pest. How this came to be is that by 1915, the boll weevil infestation that had started six years earlier had made its way into the area's cotton crops, resulting in the destruction of most of Coffee County's cotton. Facing economic ruin, farmers were forced to diversify, starting with growing peanuts. Just two short years later, Coffee County was the country's leading producer of peanuts. In appreciation, citizens of Enterprise erected the Boll Weevil Monument at the downtown intersection of Main Street and College Street and dedicated it on December 11, 1919, hailing the boll weevil as a "herald of prosperity", making the more than 13-foot tall monument the first and only monument in the world dedicated to a pest.

 

The simple logo design is of a blue boll weevil with the white "ESC" letters arranged vertically on the bug's body. The blue color comes from the Enterprise High School Wildcats athletic teams. The primary kit, "The Royal Blue Kit", is an all-blue kit with a white collar on the shirt and white detailing throughout. The secondary kit, "The Un-Boll-Weev-abil Kit", is a color reversal of the primary kit that features a sublimated blue graphic of the boll weevil along the front and back of the shirt.

 

The sponsor of the kit, EEC, is a company that builds and provides weather radar systems and satellite ground stations and it is headquartered in Enterprise.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Jimmy DuBose, the Florida Gator fullback and the 1975 SEC Player of the Year who was born in Enterprise. He would go on to have a three-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976-1978). His only jersey number was #35.

 

[RevNet]

For the third team in the Central West, we have...a company team based around syrup.

 

Fayette SC

Team Colors: County Orange (Pantone 7579 C), Syrup Gold (Pantone 1235 C)

Team Secondary Color: Sugar White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

This team was a fun one to do. First, though, let's talk syrups. If you go into the average Alabamian's kitchen, you might find this glass jar of syrup in the cabinets, especially if that kitchen is in and around the city of Fayette. Starting in 1928, the husband-and-wife team of Victor and Lucy Patterson founded the Golden Eagle Syrup Company in Fayette to mass-produce the syrup they had originally made in a wooden-frame building behind their family home. They moved production to the 1st Avenue warehouse in downtown Fayette where the syrup is still made today, and the company is still family-owned as it was in 1928. The main dish that the syrup is really good in is pecan pie, but the company website also has a few other recipes for you to try with the syrup. In 2019, the company branched out and started to produce caramel corn.

 

The logo design is an orange shield with a gold letter "F" (for "Fayette") and a flying golden eagle in the background that completes the design. The shield design is borrowed from the city's seal. The orange color comes from the Fayette County High School Tigers athletic teams, while the gold color comes from the syrup itself. The primary kit, "The Golden Eagle Kit", consists of a solid orange shirt with a gold collar and gold detailing. The kit is made complete with gold shorts with orange detailing and orange socks with gold detailing. The secondary kit, "The Liquid Sugar Kit", consists of a white shirt with an orange collar and orange detailing. The kit is made complete with orange shorts with gold detailing and white socks with orange detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team is none other than the Golden Eagle Syrup Company, and the name on the back of the jerseys is none other than the founders of the company, Victor and Lucy Patterson.

[RevNet]

Consider this the all-Florence post, because you are getting two teams today. The first team on the docket...

 

Florence City SC

Team Colors: Florentine Purple (Pantone 268 C), Lily White (White), Alabama Red (Pantone 485 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city of Florence is another city that is older than most in Alabama, having been founded in 1818 and then incorporated in 1826. It was named for the Italian city of Florence by Italian engineer Ferdinand Sannoner as a reward for surveying and planning the town.

 

The logo is a purple fleur-de-lis with the team name text in red across the center and a small white "SC" text at the bottom of the fleur-de-lis which completes the design. As you can tell above, Florence City SC is the farm team for ACF Fiorentina, adopting the Italian team's colors of purple, red, and white. The purple color, in particular, is also one of the colors of the local University of North Alabama Lions athletic program.

 

The primary kit, "La Viola Kit" ("The Purple Kit"), consists of a solid purple shirt with a white collar, white shorts with purple detailing, and purple socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "Il Kit Giglio" ("The Lily Kit"), is a color reversal of the primary kit.

 

The sponsor of the kit, TNT Fireworks, is a fireworks manufacturer headquartered in Florence.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is none other than the "Father of the Blues", W.C. Handy, who was born in Florence and would go on to become one of the most influential American songwriters.

 

Now as for the other team, I first have to talk about one of the sacrifices that I had to make in order for this team to exist.

 

The team I sacrificed was to be named Franklin County SC. It was to be placed in the county seat of Russellville. It would've had the colors of the watermelon (red, green, and black) as the team colors because this team would've had the nickname "The Melonheads". I even had a logo and a sponsor all set, too, but when I went to put it together, I realized what I was about to do would've had undertones of racism, which I am never about. So instead of that, you get...

 

Florence United SC

Team Colors: United Brown (Pantone Black 4 C), Bradshaw Orange (Pantone 1655 C), Coffee Gold (Pantone 116 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Whereas Florence City SC is all about the Italian roots of Florence's founding, Florence United SC is about some of Florence's later history, the 20th century in particular. Currently, all of Florence's 10th-12th graders go to Florence High School and cheer on the Falcons athletic teams decked out in blue and silver. This wasn't always the case, however. Until 2004, students in Florence had the option of attending either Bradshaw High School, founded in 1966, or Coffee High School, founded in 1914. Bradshaw HS was named for local attorney Henry A. Bradshaw (who was the attorney for Florence City Schools as well as the Lauderdale County School System), while Coffee HS was originally built on land donated by Camilla M. Coffee. This team of Florence United SC unites the alumni of those two former schools and their children, starting with the unified mascot of the golden bruin.

 

The logo design is a shield with the gold "FLORENCE" text on top of the brown outer shield, and a four-quadrant (two gold and two orange) inner shield that contains the following symbols, going clockwise:

 

• a flying yellow jacket in the gold upper-left quadrant which represents the Coffee HS Yellow Jackets
• a bear's paw print in the orange upper-right quadrant, which represents the Bradshaw HS Bruins
• a brown fleur-de-lis with the year of Florence's incorporation (1826) in the gold lower-right quadrant
• a cotton blossom in the orange lower-left quadrant, which represents Alabama's former nickname as "The Cotton State"

The primary kit, "The Bradshaw Kit", consists of a brown shirt with two thick orange stripes along the front, orange shorts with brown detailing, and brown socks with orange detailing. The secondary kit, "The Coffee Kit", is a solid gold shirt with a brown collar, brown shorts with gold detailing, and gold socks with brown detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Billy Reid, is a fashion brand (and designer) headquartered in Florence.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Sam Phillips, the record producer who discovered Elvis Presley and played a major role in the development of rock and roll music. He was born in Florence and attended Coffee HS and even conducted the school band.

 

[Bomba Tomba]

City hosting United would feel like Fedex vs. UPS

 

United hosting City would feel like the Ravens vs. the Browns

[RevNet]

We're going back down to the Capital Region for our next team.

 

Fountain City SC

Team Colors: Fontainebleau (Cobalt Blue), Artesian Well Gray (Gray)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Bit of a weird team, this one, but I like weird. Hopefully, you will, too. The city of Prattville sits just across the Alabama River from the state capital of Montgomery and serves as the county seat of Autauga County (the first Alabama county in alphabetical order). It was founded in 1839 by New Hampshire native and industrialist Daniel Pratt, who founded the town for his new cotton gin factory workers. Pratt's cotton gin factory would eventually become Alabama's first major industry and the largest producer of cotton gins in the world, leading Pratt to diversify his industries in the town and elsewhere in Alabama. With the fortune he amassed from his cotton gins, Pratt also invested in the Birmingham District's beginnings as a center for iron-making in the 1870s. Although no longer active, Pratt's factory still stands today near the 140-acre Daniel Pratt Historic District in downtown Prattville. Prattville is also nicknamed "The Fountain City" because of the many artesian wells in the area.

 

The logo design is a blue half-circle that contains a gray, three-level fountain in the center along with the white "Fountain City SC" along the bottom that completes the design. The primary kit, "The Fontainebleau Kit", is an all-blue kit with a white chevron on the front of the shirt and white detailing throughout. The secondary kit, "The Artesian Wells Kit", consists of a white-to-gray gradient shirt (meant to evoke the look of a concrete fountain) with a blue collar and blue detailing, gray shorts with blue detailing, and gray socks with blue detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Kinedyne, is a leading cargo securement and cargo control company headquartered in Prattville.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Wilson Pickett, who was born in Prattville and became a major figure in the development of soul music, with hits such as "In the Midnight Hour", "Don't Knock My Love", and "Mustang Sally".

 

[RevNet]

This team is for me two things today: (1) a sort-of homecoming, and (2) it was another "United" team, but I felt that this identity is so good that it didn't necessarily warrant that.

 

Gadsden SC

Team Colors: Cardinal Red (Pantone 193 C), White

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

To explain the sort-of homecoming bit, if this team were real, it would be in my home county of Etowah (pronounced Eh-toe-WAH or Eh-o-WAH) County. Also, I have been to Gadsden many times throughout my life, so I happen to know quite a bit about it. First off, Gadsden was founded in 1825 as Double Springs and later renamed in 1845 after Colonel James Gadsden of South Carolina, who would later be known for the negotiation of the Gadsden Purchase. The big thing that Gadsden had for a while was the Goodyear plant, which was technically in East Gadsden and was closed permanently just as the pandemic was kicking off in April 2020 after 91 years of being in operation. Litchfield High School in East Gadsden, one of the Gadsden area's former high schools, was named for Paul Weeks Litchfield, Goodyear's first CEO. In 2006, Litchfield High, along with Gadsden High School and Emma Sansom High School in Alabama City, which is just west of Gadsden, all merged to become Gadsden City High School. At 549 sq. mi., Etowah County is the smallest county in Alabama by land but is also one of the most densely populated counties in the state with a population of just over 103k, about a third of which lives in Gadsden proper.

 

The logo design is a red cardinal perched on top of the red letter "G". The cardinal bird and cardinal color both come from the Gadsden State Community College Cardinals athletic teams, which I mentioned as having been the last school to still use the Arizona Cardinals' logo as its main athletic logo. The primary kit, "The Cardinal Kit", is an all-red kit with a white collar on the shirt and white detailing throughout. The secondary kit, "The White Kit", is a color reversal kit of the primary kit which features just the red letter "G" from the logo along with red detailing throughout.

 

The sponsor of the team, Stamped Products, Inc. (SPI), is a leading production metal stamping and welding shop headquartered in Gadsden.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Mathew Knowles, a record executive, businessman, and university lecturer who was born in Gadsden. More importantly, he is the father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles and once managed their music careers, along with being the manager of Destiny's Child.

 

[RevNet]

Before I present today's team, it's now time to talk about another sacrifice I had to make in order for the team below to exist. The team I sacrificed was to be named Greene County SC, and it would've been located in the county seat of Eutaw. It would've been nicknamed "The Greyhounds" and themed around the sponsor of the team, Greenetrack Entertainment Center, which had greyhound racing as its main attraction, and it would've had the team colors of green and gray. The reason this sacrifice was made was something kind of unfortunate for the local populace of Eutaw and Greene County, and it happened only a short amount of time before I was to put the team together. On Feb. 1st of this year, the Greenetrack Entertainment Center shut its doors for good. So instead of that team, let's look at a big mansion...

 

Gaineswood SC

Team Colors: Greek Flag Blue (Pantone 286 C), Doric White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city is named Demopolis, while the big mansion is named Gaineswood. Demopolis was founded around 1817 by French ex-pats and refugees who had settled and organized in Philadelphia after having been exiled from the French colony of Saint-Domingue (which today is the country of Haiti) after the colonial government there was overthrown by enslaved workers. By 1819, however, plans were already in the works for Americans to settle in the formerly French-occupied territory following a very short-lived attempt by the French ex-pats to build the Vine & Olive Colony. One of these early American settlers that came to Demopolis was George Strother Gaines, who would become the spokesman for the company for the town. In 1843, one of the later settlers, Gen. Nathan Bryan Whitfield, would buy the 480-acre plot of land from Gaines in order to start building the Gaineswood mansion over the next 18 years using the profits from forced labor and also using slave labor for much of the construction. The Gaineswood mansion serves as one of the most significant remaining examples of Greek Revival architecture in Alabama. It also uses all three styles of the Greek column: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Today, the mansion is a historical house museum operated by the Alabama Historical Commission.

 

The logo design is a mock-up of the front of the mansion with blue stripes that represent the columns that are present at the mansion. The big blue letter "G" (for "Gaineswood") lies in the middle of the columns, and in the triangle on top is a small letter "D" (for "Demopolis"). The blue rectangle containing the team name along the bottom completes the logo design. The blue color comes from the Greek flag and the Demopolis High School Tigers athletic teams. The primary kit, "The Big House Kit", consists of a shirt with a blue-and-white striped body, blue sleeves, and a blue collar. The kit is made complete with white shorts with blue detailing, and blue socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Columns Kit", is a color reversal of the primary kit.

 

The sponsor of the team, Ready Mix USA, is a concrete supplier headquartered in Birmingham with a plant in Demopolis.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Spencer Turnbull, who is a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of MLB. Turnbull was born in Demopolis, and his only jersey number is #56.

 

[RevNet]

Looking back now, I didn't really think about it, but there was another sacrifice that had to be made for the team below to exist, but I don't really consider this one a sacrifice. Really, it was more of a scrapping. The team I scrapped was to be named East Shelby SC, it was to be placed in the Shelby County seat of Columbiana, and it would've had the colors of maroon and white. While it had a cool logo design, the problems I had were that (1) in the end, I couldn't justify placing a team there and (2) there was a scant amount of companies in the Columbiana area for the team to be sponsored by. So with this team below, we're going from one 'wood to another 'wood.

 

Homewood SC

Team Colors: Red (Pantone 2347 C), White, and Blue (Pantone 289 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The ALSL, besides being all about Alabama, is all about America, too. None more so than the Patriots of Homewood SC, the team which makes its home in the Birmingham suburb with a population of 26k that lies just south of downtown Birmingham on the other side of Red Mountain. Initially settled in the early 1800s, the area that would become Homewood did not experience significant growth until Birmingham suffered a major cholera epidemic in 1873. Soon after, the communities of Rosedale, Grove Park, Edgewood, and Oak Grove would start to develop, with Edgewood having the most significant growth with an electric railway and a man-made lake. In September 1926, as attorney Charles Rice started a movement to incorporate the communities surrounding Birmingham, the three communities of Rosedale, Edgewood, and Grove Park voted to incorporate under the Homewood name. The former town of Hollywood would be annexed into Homewood just three years later, while the Oak Grove community would eventually also be annexed into Homewood in 1955.

 

The logo design starts out with a navy blue tricorne hat like what would've been worn by the Americans in the Revolutionary War. "Wearing" the hat is a red letter "H" with the white letters "S" and "C" on the inside that completes the design. The colors and the nickname come from the Homewood High School Patriots athletic teams. The primary kit, "The Homewood Blue Kit", is an all-navy kit with a white sash on the shirt, meant to evoke the uniforms worn by Americans in the Revolutionary War. The secondary kit, "The Stripes Kit", is meant to evoke the stripes on the American flag with a white shirt with red detailing, red shorts with white detailing, and white socks with red detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Jack's, is a regional fast-food chain that primarily serves hamburgers. It is headquartered in Birmingham and was founded in 1960 as a single walk-up stand in Homewood.

 

The name on the back of the jersey is Charles Ghigna, aka Father Goose, a Queens-born poet and author of 5,000 poems and 100 books who now lives in Homewood. 

 

[RevNet]

For this team below, let's celebrate someone that did a lot for disability rights in the US.

 

Keller Memorial SC

Team Colors: Ivy Green (Pantone 7743 C), Moss Green (Pantone 7492 C), Victorian White (White)

Team Secondary Color: Socialism Red (Pantone 2350 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in West Tuscumbia, AL, and was rendered deaf and blind at 19 months old after a bout with an illness believed to have been meningitis by doctors at the time. Her family lived on the Ivy Green homestead, where on March 5, 1887, 20-year-old Anne Sullivan would begin a 50-year relationship with the 6-year-old Helen, teaching her how to read and write. From there, after her education in specialist and mainstream schools, Keller was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree at the now-defunct Radcliffe College of Harvard University. Keller's 1903 autobiography, The Story of My Life, would be the basis for William Gibson's play, The Miracle Worker, which has also been adapted into movies and television. Keller would also go on to write 13 other books and hundreds of essays on topics ranging from animals to Gandhi. She would also become a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) while also advocating for others with disabilities, along with women's suffrage, labor rights, and world peace. Keller would die peacefully at the age of 87 on June 1, 1968, in her Arcan Ridge home in Easton, CT. The Ivy Green homestead is now a National Historic Landmark and hosts performances of The Miracle Worker every summer. These performances become really popular during the Helen Keller Festival held in Tuscumbia every June.

 

The logo design is a roundel design with the full team name occupying the outer green roundel, and on the inner white roundel is a simple green ivy leaf that symbolizes the Ivy Green landmark. "The Advocates" nickname comes from Keller's advocacy work listed above. The primary kit, "The Ivy Green Kit", consists of a shirt with a two-green stripe pattern, a dark green collar, and white sleeves. The kit is made complete with dark green shorts with light green detailing, and light green socks with dark green detailing. The secondary kit, "Keller's Advocacy Kit", consists of a solid red shirt with a white collar, white shorts with red detailing, and red socks with white detailing. The red color has a double meaning in that it (1) comes from the local Deshler High School Tigers athletic teams and (2) in 1909, Keller became a member of the now-defunct political Socialist Party of America. This would be a hallmark of Keller's later years. Like other socialist parties then and now, red was the color of the party.

 

The sponsor of the team, Flexco, is a manufacturer of rubber and vinyl flooring headquartered in Tuscumbia.

 

After listing all she's done, it's kind of obvious who the name on the back of the jerseys is, and that is none other than Helen Keller.

[RevNet]

Let's look at some gravestones. Not scared, are ya?

 

Lamar County SC

Team Colors: Gravestone Gray (Pantone 4133 C), Phantom Gray (Pantone 2331 C), Bone White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

When you're creating a league of 64 soccer teams all based in one US state, you might come across a designer's block with a team or two. This team was one such block of mine. I was struggling when trying to come up with a nickname/mascot for this team at first, but then I came across the Wiki entry for the county and noticed the cemetery listing and how many cemeteries were listed. I thought that if nothing else, I can make this team interesting now with that info. From there, I designed this team. The logo design you see is the second one I came up with for the team because the first one was of a black circle with a warm white ghost inside with the team name written on the inside of the ghost. It looked a bit too hand-drawn for my liking, so I changed it to the one you see now. Safe to say that this was an effort, even today. Even with all that struggle, in the end, I feel that this team looks good.

 

The logo design is of an upside-down gravestone with the county name listed on top of the outer light-gray gravestone. On the inner, dark gray gravestone is a white skull-and-crossbones design in which the crossbones are formed to look like the saltire on the Alabama flag, and the white "SC" text on the bottom completes the design.

 

The primary kit, "The Dark Gray Sky Kit", consists of a dark gray shirt with a light-gray saltire on the body and a light gray collar, light gray shorts with dark grey detailing, and dark gray socks with light gray detailing. The secondary kit, "The Phantom Gray Kit", is a total color reversal of the primary kit.

 

The sponsor of the team, Hyster-Yale Group, is one of the world's largest forklift truck manufacturers, and it is headquartered in Cleveland but has two facilities in nearby Sulligent.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Reuben Houston "Rube" Burrow, who was born in Lamar County and became one of the most infamous outlaws since Jesse James, becoming a train robber at first in 1886.

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by RevNet
Moved the sponsor logos down, as requested by Bomba Tomba

[Bomba Tomba]

I'd move the sponsor down so it is fully inside the X

[RevNet]

Huntsville may have the largest population in the state now, but its neighbor to the west is no slouch, either.

 

Madison City SC

Team Colors: Madison Navy (Pantone 534 C), Patriot Red (Pantone 3517 C), Jet Blue (Pantone 2170 C)

Team Secondary Color: Jetstream White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Originally settled in 1818 as Madison Station, the city of Madison first experienced a small-time boom in population in the 1850s as a stop on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Due to the Civil War, during which the town was a battle site, the population stalled at around 400-500 until the 1950s. However, with the establishment of the Redstone Arsenal Army post and the beginnings of the American space program (NASA) within such, Madison's population rose to 4,000 by 1980 and was developing as a suburb of Huntsville. In a 1986 vote, however, the citizens of Madison voted overwhelmingly to remain a city and not merge with Huntsville. By 2010, the population had risen to over 42,000, and as of today, Madison has the 9th-largest population in the state with a 2021 estimate of 58,357.

 

The logo design is a top-down view of a navy blue fighter jet with a red stripe and a light blue stripe that almost come together. The white, vertical "MCSC" text down the middle of the jet completes the design. The team colors come from the athletic colors of Madison's two rival high schools, the Patriots of the older Bob Jones High School (named for the longtime former U.S. Representative of the area) in the city's east and the Jets of the newer James Clemens High School (named for the founder of Madison) in the city's west. The fighter jet nickname/mascot is a blend of the two high school mascots.

 

The primary kit, "The Patriot Bob Kit", consists of a navy blue shirt with a red collar and a large red stripe down the middle, red shorts with white detailing, and navy blue socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The James the Jet Kit", consists of a light blue shirt with a navy blue collar and a large navy blue stripe down the middle, navy blue shorts with white detailing, and light blue socks with white detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, is a major auto manufacturing plant in the nearby town of Greenbrier.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is Huntsville-born Reggie Ragland, the linebacker who attended Bob Jones High School, played for the Patriots, then played for Alabama, then has played for several NFL teams, including winning Super Bowl LIV for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. His second and current jersey number for the Cleveland Browns is #19.

 

[RevNet]

This team was cool to do, especially considering its city's stories.

 

Marble City SC

Team Colors: Midnight Black (Black), Marble White (Pantone 9185 C), Aggie Maroon (Pantone 704 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The modern-day site of Sylacauga (pronounced Sil-a-COG-ga) lies near what was the village of Chalakagay, which was founded in 1748 by refugee Shawnee Indians. The first recorded discovery of a marble deposit in the Sylacauga area was made in 1820 by Dr. Edward Gantt, a physician who had accompanied General Andrew Jackson on a trip throughout the area in 1814 and initially didn't realize the extent of the marble deposit. From there, this rock has been mined continuously for more than 170 years with several quarries being established in the 1830s, around the time of Sylacauga's establishment in 1834 and first incorporation in 1838 as Syllacoga. The city was incorporated once again in 1887 for today's spelling of Sylacauga.

 

Sylacauga marble, also known as Alabama marble, is prized for its pure white color and its crystalline structure. Along with numerous others, the most famous buildings that use Sylacauga marble are the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Supreme Court building, both in Washington, D.C. Thanks to Act 755, passed by the state legislature on September 12, 1969, Sylacauga marble is also Alabama's official state rock. For the reasons above, Sylacauga is nicknamed "The Marble City".

 

The logo design is a maroon-outlined black roundel design with the full team name and full city name in white arching texts within and in the center is an interpretation of the Monument to Lady-Whacking Meteorite marble statue, which memorializes the time in late November 1954 when an 8.5-pound rock crashed through the roof of then-34-year-old Ann Hodges' farmhouse, landed and bounced off of her radio console, and hit her on her arm and hip while she was napping on her couch, causing only a bruise in the process. A slice of the meteorite now sits at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., while the monument statue sits in front of Sylacauga City Hall and is the star of the city's annual Marble Fest. The black and maroon colors come from the Sylacauga High School Aggies athletic teams.

 

The primary kit, "The Murphy Marble Belt Kit", consists of a black shirt with a white collar and maroon and black hoops that alternate along a diagonal line across the front of the shirt. It is made complete with maroon shorts and black socks, both with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Sylacauga Marble Kit", is an all-white kit with a black collar on the shirt and black detailing throughout.

 

The sponsor of the team, IMERYS, is a French company that specializes in the processing of industrial minerals. The company has a plant in Sylacauga.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is actor Jim Nabors, who's most famous as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and on his own spin-off show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Nabors was born and raised in Sylacauga.

 

[RevNet]

Programming note: Starting next week, these teams will be posted a little later than usual. In the meantime, it's on to today's team.

 

Marion County SC

Team Colors: Swamp Fox Orange (Pantone 144 C), Stripe White (White)

Team Secondary Color: Hamilton Maroon (Pantone 4102 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Marion County in northwest Alabama was first settled in 1818 by settlers that mainly came from Kentucky and Tennessee after General Andrew Jackson had established his Military Road, which went from Nashville to New Orleans. The county was named by planter and US Indian agent John Dabney Terrell, Sr., in recognition of General Francis Marion of South Carolina, the American Revolutionary War hero who was also known as "The Swamp Fox". The first county seat was Pikeville, which is now a ghost town, although the house that served as the courthouse still stands today. Toll Gate, to Pikeville's northwest, became the new county seat in 1887. Toll Gate then changed its name to Hamilton in honor of state representative Captain A.J. Hamilton.

 

The logo design is a fox's head made up of orange lines. The primary kit, "The Swamp Fox Kit", is an all-orange kit with a white collar, white detailing, and a large white stripe that goes down the middle of the shirt. This is meant to evoke a fox's fur. The secondary kit, "The Hamilton Kit", is an all-maroon kit with white detailing throughout. The maroon color comes from the Hamilton High School Aggies athletic teams.

 

The sponsor of the kit is the 3M plant in nearby Guin.

 

The name on the back of the jersey is Clay Dyer, a professional fisherman who was born in Hamilton with only a partial limb on his right arm. He has finished first in approx. 20 state bass tournaments. In addition, he is an author and motivational speaker.

 

 

[RevNet]

To all the literary nerds out there, this team is for you.

 

Monroe County SC

Team Colors: Ink Black (Black), Paper White (White)

Team Secondary Color: Parchment Beige (Pantone 609 C)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

Monroeville may not be the largest city in Alabama with a population of just under 6,000, but as far as literary heroes go, it makes up for its small size. For example, Truman Capote, author of Breakfast at Tiffany's, spent part of his childhood in Monroeville and eventually befriended Harper Lee, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern gothic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, which is based on her life in Monroeville. The Old Monroe County Courthouse was the model used in the novel's film adaptation and holds twice-a-week performances of the play in its museum every spring. It is believed that Lee based the character of Dill Harris on Capote. This literary trend for the Monroe County seat continues to this day because Monroeville-born journalist Cynthia Tucker has a nationally-syndicated weekly column. Tucker is also the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 1997, the state legislature designated Monroeville and Monroe County as the "Literary Capital of Alabama".

 

The logo design is of three black fountain pens that form the letter "M" (for either "Monroe" or "Monroeville"). The primary kit, "The Black-And-White Kit by Monroe County", consists of a primarily black shirt with a white collar and a pattern of alternating black-and-white stripes that goes up the sides of the shirt and is repeated on the back. The kit is made complete with white shorts with black detailing, and black socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, the "As Written on Parchment Kit by Monroe County", consists of a solid beige shirt with a black collar, black shorts with beige detailing, and beige socks with black detailing.

 

The sponsor of the team, Penguin Random House, is considered one of the Big Five publishers in the United States, along with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Hachette. Through its now-defunct Spiegel & Grau imprint, Penguin Random House published the 2014 memoir of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (the name on the back of Capital City SC's jerseys), which mainly chronicles Stevenson's work in overturning the wrongful conviction of Monroeville native Walter McMillan.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is none other than Harper Lee, who was born, raised, and died in Monroeville.

 

[RevNet]

In order to talk about this next team, I have to first talk about another one of the sacrifices that I had to make. The team I sacrificed was to be named County South SC, it was to be placed in southern Montgomery County, and it would've been another blue-and-red team. Like with East Shelby SC, this was another team that I ultimately scrapped because I couldn't justify County South's existence. With this team below, however, Capital City SC now has a crosstown rival, and the team below has a really unique identity that I'm really excited to show you. With all that said, let's check out some art.

 

Montgomery A&A SC

Team Colors: French Claret (Pantone 7649 C), Canvas White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

First off, the team's full name is Montgomery Artists & Artisans Soccer Club, which for presentation purposes is shortened to Montgomery A&A SC. As explained below, this team celebrates the people that create stuff, hence the nickname "The Makers" (as in "Meet Your Maker"). For its shortened name, this team has the same naming convention as those that have "A&M", "A&T", etc. Alabama A&M and NC A&T are two examples of such names.

 

Along with being the state capital of Alabama, Montgomery boasts one of the largest arts scenes for any mid-size city in the country. Much of Montgomery's arts scene happens in Blount Cultural Park on Montgomery's Eastside, where this team makes its home. The park is home to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, which hosts permanent collections of paintings from European masters, along with those of sculptures, porcelain works, and glass works. The park is also home to the Carolyn Blount Theatre which hosts the world-renowned Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which is one of the top ten largest Shakespeare festivals in the world. Both of these attractions cover the "Artists & Artisans" part of the full team name.

 

The logo design is a claret octagon with two birds made up of right triangles and the full team name on the inside of the octagon. The claret color comes from the museum's website, while the octagon comes from the 255-seat Octagon Theatre, which is housed in the larger Carolyn Blount Theatre. My original intention with the right triangles was to form a letter "M" and two smaller letter "A"s, and the birds were a happy accident that resulted from that. The two birds can also symbolize Wynton & Carolyn Blount, the namesakes for the park and the theater, respectively. The primary kit, "The Renaissance Kit", consists of a solid claret shirt with a subliminal "M-A&A" monogram that takes up almost all of both the front and back of the shirt. The kit is made complete with white shorts with claret detailing, and claret socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Midcentury Modern Kit", is a color reversal of the primary kit.

 

The sponsor of the team, Hyundai, has a major automotive plant in Montgomery.

 

The name on the back of the jerseys is none other than Wynton M. "Red" Blount, who along with his wife, Carolyn, were patrons of the arts and donated space for the theatre and the land for the Blount Cultural Park. At $21.5 million, it was the largest private donation to an American theatre. Wynton Blount was also the U.S. Postmaster General from 1969-1972.

[RevNet]

We're heading back north for our next team.

 

Moulton Town SC

Team Colors: Mound Red (Pantone 1795 C), Town White (White)

 

Liner Notes

Spoiler

The city of Moulton is the county seat of Lawrence County in northwest Alabama, but with a population of just under 3,500, Moulton has quite a smaller population as compared to other county seats in the state. Therefore, the team is named Moulton Town SC.

 

In the pre-Columbian days of present-day North America, the area that was to be Lawrence County was inhabited by different indigenous cultures. Those in the middle Woodland period of 1-500 CE built complex earthworks as part of their religious and political system. A large burial mound and the largest ceremonial platform mound in the state are among the 20 mounds preserved at the Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum in southeast Lawrence County. On the same site is the Jesse Owens Museum which is dedicated to the Oakville-born track-and-field athlete that won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Lawrence County also has the state's largest concentration of what is sometimes called "Black Dutch" which are those mixed-race descendants of European-Cherokee marriages.

 

The logo design is a red letter "T" (for "Town") with a mound pattern at the top and the white "Moulton" text written across the top bar of the letter "T" that completes the design. The red and white colors come from the Lawrence County High School Red Devils athletic teams. The primary kit, "The Mounds Kit", consists of a solid red shirt with a front pattern meant to resemble the mounds within the county. The kit is made complete with white shorts with red detailing and red socks with white detailing. The secondary kit, "The Townie's Kit", is a color reversal of the primary kit with two thin red hoops on the front of the shirt.

 

The sponsor of the team, NHC Healthcare, is a healthcare services provider that is headquartered in Murfreesboro but has its lone Alabama location in Moulton.

 

The name on the back of the jersey is Kimberley Conrad, who was born in Moulton and became Playboy's Playmate of the Year for 1989 after first becoming the Playmate of the Month for January 1988. Coincidentally enough, today (April 9th) would've been Hugh Hefner's 97th birthday.