It's Official. A beer to the guy that dug this up last month. This story
just appeared on the Dallas Morning News Web site:
Burn to be known as FC Dallas next year
05:26 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 11, 2004
By STEVE DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Burn is out.
FC Dallas is in – or it will be pretty soon.
The local pro soccer outfit becomes the team formerly known as the Dallas
Burn upon completion of the current season.
Major League Soccer and Dallas Burn sources have confirmed that the
9-year-old club’s new name will be FC Dallas. The complete image makeover,
including a new logo and team colors, will be unveiled tonight during a
6:30 p.m. ceremony at the Westin Stonebriar Resort in Frisco.
The “FC” is a throwback of sorts, a reference to traditional “Football
Clubs” around the world along the lines of FC Barcelona, Manchester United
Football Club or FC Bayern Munich.
Burn general manager Greg Elliott has been mum on the name and logo change
but did indicate the team sought something more traditional, a moniker that
said “soccer.”
The name re-branding includes new uniforms. But because the team will soon
change athletic suppliers, divorcing from Atletica, the remodeled jersey
design must wait until later this year.
The makeover is all about next year’s move into the 20,000-seat Collin
County stadium (which is being called the Frisco Sports & Entertainment
Center for now, pending its own title-sponsor driven name change.)
“We needed to reintroduce our brand to the marketplace,” Elliott said. “We
need to retell our story, who we are, what league play in … We need a name
that when people heard us, there was no doubt they know who we are.”
Elliott said the announcement’s peculiar timing – the club has 10 matches
remaining and will continue to play as the Burn this season – is about
launching a timely marketing push toward the Frisco move.
As the team sells potentially lucrative sponsorships, season tickets, etc.,
Elliott said, “We didn’t want to refer to a brand name that no longer exists.”
Major League Soccer’s San Jose club attempted a similar re-branding in
2000, hoping to invigorate a dwindling attendance.
But the San Jose Clash (1996-99) averaged 14,860 fans per contest. The San
Jose Earthquakes averaged 10,994 over the next four seasons.
Elliott compared the San Jose adventure to a new coat of paint on the same
old house. He said the local club’s plans are far more comprehensive.
Hunt Sports Group, the club’s ownership outfit, is not attempting to
distance itself from nine important years of growth and planting soccer
roots, Elliott said. He said the current management group recognizes the
hustle and earnest effort of previous regimes.
That’s why several former Burn players, both previous GMs, Billy Hicks and
Andy Swift, and even several former Dallas Tornado players will be at the
Westin tonight.
“The name and the legacy can live on without the actual mark being on the
uniform,” Elliott said.