NYC FC Branding

[The_Admiral]

What does the color-coding of that map mean?

[Brian in Boston]

Manchester City FC heads-up a consortium that has bought Melbourne Heart FC of Australia's Hyundai A-League.

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbourneheart/news-display/Club-Statement/83936

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbourneheart/news-display/A-Letter-from-the-CEO-of-Manchester-City-FC/84083

Insofar as this relates to the topic of sports branding, a group called MHFC Holdings Pty Ltd registered with IP Australia for trademark protection of the name Melbourne City FC on January 16, 2014.

Further, on July 10, 2013, Holding M. S. Australia Pty Ltd - Melbourne Heart FC's new minority shareholders, as well as owners of the National Rugby League club Melbourne Storm - registered the business name Melbourne City FC with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and bought the domain name MelbourneCityFC.com.au.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/23/manchester-city-buy-melbourne-heart

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/manchester-city-likely-to-rebrand-melbourne-heart-20140124-31e4j.html

Could Melbourne City FC be joining Manchester City FC and New York City FC as part of a unified family of global soccer brands? Only time will tell.

[MJWalker45]

I'd hope they'd keep the name unchanged. But seeing as Heart's colors are red and white I'm not surprised that they could be totally remade. If they had a history beyond the current league it might be harder to change out.

[Gothamite]

They're what, four years old?

There was some fan outrage when Red Bull bought the MetroStars and re-branded them, scrapping the old name and colors in favor of their corporate banner. Seem to recall that it died out pretty quickly, and I'm not aware that the hard feelings had any measurable impact on the fanbase.

[Primal]

The A-League already has a sky blue team, nicknamed the Sky Blues oddly enough. I know shared colour schemes are common in the broader world of football, but I really can't see Sydney FC being understanding of that. It's just silly in a ten-team competition with no promotion/relegation.

It also raises an interesting question both here and for NYCFC - would an overt relationship to Man City drive away local fans who also support e.g. Man U?

[MJWalker45]

I think it'd make them support another team more fervently rather than leaving the MLS. The fact that City is sponsoring the team could limit some folks rooting for NYCFC though.

[Gothamite]

I really don't know about that. I'm a huge Gooner and it never occurred to me that I couldn't also follow NYCFC.

You can mix and match between brands - I'm partial to Brooklyn Brewery's Dry Irish Stout, but their pilsner is awful. When I want a lighter beer I drink Sixpoint's Crisp.

[sozopol]

Has anybody seen the job ad? May be of interest around here.

http://www.nycfc.com/Common/Careers

I still personally hope they go with the identity I took for my avatar

[Panthers]

That map shows one interpretation of the New York City metropolitan area; I think most people don't tend to think of it as being as extensive as all that. But a good chunk of northern New Jersey would be included in anyone's interpretation. Also, the applicable interpretation depends on the league in question: while the New York teams in Major League Baseball and in the NFL could consider a map like the one above as meaningful, it is extremely doubful that a New York MLS team would ever conceive of appealing to a region that size.

As a bicyclist, I am often in Hudson County and in the adjacent city of Newark during the summer. And, on the ground, those places feel very much like New York City. When spending time in these places, one cannot help but be impressed by the similarity to Brooklyn and Queens (where I live). A New Yorker feels at home in these places.

By contrast, Nassau County and Westchester County north of Yonkers feel nothing like New York City; a New Yorker in these places would never imagine that he/she is home, unlike when in Hudson County / Newark. Indeed, I'd say that Hudson County / Newark feel more New-York-City-like than Staten Island does!

Newark and the cities of Hudson County have long been considered part of New York City's sphere. We should remember that "New York's" first commercial radio station was WJZ (today's WABC) in Newark in the early 1920s. Even though its very call letters referred to New Jersey, it was always considered a New York station, well before its move to Manhattan in the 1940s

The Meadowlands area is located in highway-choked car hell which has a feel that is very different to that of New York City. Of course, I am not arguing that the Meadowlands area is not part of the New York region; by virtue of proximity it certainly is. But I saw assertions earlier that the Red Bulls in Harrison (just to the north of Newark, in Hudson County) are not a legitimate New York team, while teams in the Meadowlands are. In fact they all are.

If Meadowlands teams (including those which have been unwise enough to deny this fact and use the name "New Jersey" to their own detriment) are New York teams, then any team located in Hudson County or in Newark would have an even greater claim to that status.

The New Jersey Devils may not have been involved in any debates about their locality name, as they didn't move to New Jersey from elsewhere in the New York area, but relocated there from another city entirely. But they have never been as well supported (neither in the Meadowlands nor in Newark) as should be expected given the population density of their home region and their on-ice success.

Despite their statewide name, the Devils are not seen as a team with a statewide presence; most of New Jersey (justifiably) sees them as a New York team. So the Devils get the worst of all worlds: they draw almost exclusively from the New Jersey portion of the New York area, not from New Jersey as a whole, and not from the New York City area as a whole.

Still, MLS aims a bit lower than even the NHL; so the Red Bulls could conceivably elect to employ a more New-Jersey-related focus once NYCFC comes in. But I suspect that they will retain the "New York" identity even then. The PATH train links the team to New York; and their stadium's location right at a stop makes it just as accessible to New Yorkers as would be a stadium located at a subway stop in Manhattan.

What? People see the Devils as a New York team? Wow. That's ignorant of you. The Devils and the Islanders are as much "New York" teams as the Sabres are. That might change when the Isles move to Brooklyn. No one, and I mean no one sees the Devils as a New York City team. The Devils have never branded themselves as a statewide team. If they did that, would you say they belong to Philly as well due to Trenton? Who cares what the Red Bulls and FC NY or NY FC do. So far neither of the teams has made an effort to include Queens and Brooklyn. Name a culture and we probably have it in those two boros. Go to Flushing which is now mostly Asian, walk a couple of blocks to where El Salvador is represented and see what is going on in the park. There are soccer fields that were built there by the City and they are jammed even in the cold weather. The new stadium should be next to Citifield anyway, but why argue? Both teams have made the wrong steps in trying to gain fans' attention.

So please, please, FC NY or NY FC or whatever you are called, please go away. And here's to the City never, ever considering extending the subway to New Jersey.

[The_Admiral]

The Devils are a team for the New York metropolitan area, particularly north and central Jersey, though I'm sure they have fans scattered throughout their coverage area, even in Nassau/Suffolk, the Hudson Valley, and the city. And on the contrary, the Devils have been branding themselves as "Jersey's Team" for at least a few years now. Not sure what you're so mad about.

[Gothamite]

Who cares what the Red Bulls and FC NY or NY FC do. So far neither of the teams has made an effort to include Queens and Brooklyn. Name a culture and we probably have it in those two boros. Go to Flushing which is now mostly Asian, walk a couple of blocks to where El Salvador is represented and see what is going on in the park. There are soccer fields that were built there by the City and they are jammed even in the cold weather. The new stadium should be next to Citifield anyway, but why argue? Both teams have made the wrong steps in trying to gain fans' attention.

So please, please, FC NY or NY FC or whatever you are called, please go away. And here's to the City never, ever considering extending the subway to New Jersey.

The stadium can't be next to Shea - the Wilpons wouldn't allow it.

What exactly is your beef with NYCFC here? What are you expecting them to do that they haven't?

[guest23]

Who cares what the Red Bulls and FC NY or NY FC do. So far neither of the teams has made an effort to include Queens and Brooklyn. Name a culture and we probably have it in those two boros. Go to Flushing which is now mostly Asian, walk a couple of blocks to where El Salvador is represented and see what is going on in the park. There are soccer fields that were built there by the City and they are jammed even in the cold weather. The new stadium should be next to Citifield anyway, but why argue? Both teams have made the wrong steps in trying to gain fans' attention.

So please, please, FC NY or NY FC or whatever you are called, please go away. And here's to the City never, ever considering extending the subway to New Jersey.

The stadium can't be next to Shea - the Wilpons wouldn't allow it.

What exactly is your beef with NYCFC here? What are you expecting them to do that they haven't?

What kind of pull do the wilpons have within the city anymore considering that they are broke for all intents and purposes? also doesn't the city already own or have claim to the proposed site adjacent to new shea?

[Gothamite]

Yes, but Bloomberg made a development deal with Sterling, the Wilpons' company, to develop it. They've recovered from their Madoff-caused mess, unfortunately.

And Flushing Meadows Park is out entirely - the locals didn't want a stadium on the old Worlds Fair grounds.

[Waffles]

NYCFC has either launched their prerequisite identity unveiling hype campaign on social media using this cryptic teaser image, or one of the richest owners in sports globally is going to use a fan contest to design their brand:

[Gothamite]

They're not going to use a fan contest to design the actual crest. I suppose this is a fan contest for fun, within the shape of the yet-to-be-unveiled crest.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Do the three sides of this shield also represent San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose? We are unity.

[leopard88]

Do the three sides of this shield also represent San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose? We are unity

They represent Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. The designer accidentally forgot about The Bronx and Staten Island until it was too late.

[Nyk33]

Do the three sides of this shield also represent San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose? We are unity.

The shield that NYCFC is using is the same shield as in the Man City logo.

[Gothamite]

Doesn't look the same to me - proportions aren't correct?

[Nyk33]

Doesn't look the same to me - proportions aren't correct?

That's probably because the shield in the NYCFC logo has a thicker outline. Otherwise, to me, the proportions look the same.