USL will open in Northeast Florida in 2025. Today, fans of the region are united by a name and a coat of arms.
The ownership group for the league’s newest expansion franchise announced the team name on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Sports Club Jacksonville. Also unveiled was a coat of arms that reads “JAX” inside a blue shield inside a blue circle with orange and yellow bars on the sides. “SPORTING CLUB” is written in white on the top half of the circle, and “JACKSONVILLE” is written on the bottom half.
The club’s social media handles and posts suggest that the team name will be shortened to ‘Sporting JAX’ in most applications.
A graphic posted by Sporting JAX explains various elements of the emblem, including the wave shape at the top of the shield, and describes it as “an ode to Jacksonville’s beaches, rivers and Intracoastal Waterway.”
The name and emblem were developed with the help of soccer club branding expert Erica Björk and designer Matthew Wolff, who has worked on emblems for soccer clubs and other organizations. Chicago Fire FC and Los Angeles Football Club.
The club has also adopted the motto “Lift Every Voice,” which is derived from the hymn “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” known as the American black national anthem. This hymn was arranged to music by two brothers from Jacksonville, James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.
Sports Club Jacksonville plans to field a men’s team in the USL Championship and a women’s team in the USL Super League starting in 2025. The team’s ownership group includes former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who is also co-owner of the new ECHL franchise in Stateline, Nevada. Announcement of company name and logo Dec. 1 — and former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor.