Name Announced For Birmingham's New Pro Soccer Team

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Birmingham found out in August last year that its newest professional sports team would be taking the field in 2019. The United Soccer League tapped the Magic City for an expansion team, and this week the ownership group unveiled the team's name, the Birmingham Legion FC.

Although the team name pays tribute the Birmingham's Legion Field, the team will not play at the historic stadium. A recent pledge by the Jefferson County Commission of $30 million has moved along a downtown stadium project, and the UAB soccer team's facilities have recently been completed, so other options exist for the new team.

Birmingham Legion FC owners consist of Jeff Logan, co-owner of the Birmingham Barons; James Outland, founding and managing partner of New Capital Partners; and Lee Styslinger, III, chairman and chief executive officer of Altec, Inc.

“This is a new chapter in Birmingham’s sports history,” said Outland. “The name ‘Legion’ is synonymous with Birmingham and sports. It has a cultural significance that runs deep and is truly unique to our community.”

“I am proud to represent the City of Birmingham in formally welcoming the Birmingham Legion Football Club to this newest chapter in the Magic City’s sports history,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “The club’s ownership team is thrilled to have a formal brand that soccer fans across the Birmingham and Central Alabama region can unite behind, and I look forward to personally cheering Legion FC on when play officially begins in 2019.”

The team worked with Birmingham agency Big to create the identity.

“This is more than just naming a professional soccer team; it’s creating another iconic pride point for our city,” said Ford Wiles, Big’s Chief Creative Officer. “We wanted the identity to celebrate our city’s industrial heritage and also stand clearly apart in the field of USL teams.”

Birmingham has had an interesting history with professional sports. While the Birmingham Barons have been a mainstay in the community for decades, other professional teams have come and gone with varying success. The Birmingham Americans (later the Vulcans) of the World Football League in the early 1970s did not last two years, the first incarnation of the Birmingham Bulls hockey team lasted from 1976 to 1981, then came the Birmingham South Stars hockey team (which only lasted a year), the USFL's Birmingham Stallions football team arrived in 1983 and lasted until the league folded in 1985, which was followed by another Bulls hockey team (1992-2001), a World League of American Football team in the Birmingham Fire (1991-1993), one season of a Canadian Football League team (the Barracudas, 1995) and the Birmingham Steeldogs arena football team, which played from 2000 to 2005.

However, soccer has had some success in Birmingham. When Atlanta hosted the Olympics in 1996, Birmingham hosted several matches of Olympic Soccer at Legions Field and drew impressive crowds. Other exhibition soccer games involving either the men's or women's national teams have been held in Birmingham and were huge draws for the city.

Photo from USL Birmingham