Lexington to get a professional soccer team.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Team name appears, for now, is going by "Lexington Pro Soccer." In a release today they stated that they are currently undergoing "an in-depth branding process" and stated, "This process, which has included significant input from Central Kentucky residents, will lead to the creation of the club’s official name, crest, and colors, which are expected to be released in the coming weeks."

Their inaugural season is going to be 2023 in USL League 1. USL1 began competition in 2019 as a Division III competition tier for professional soccer in the United States, and has had a few teams from the original USL (now known as USL Championship or USLC) drop down to compete in the lower-level league.

Division I - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Division II - USL Championship (USLC)
Division III - USL League 1 (USL1); National Independent Soccer Association (NISA)
Division IV - USL League 2 (USL2); National Premier Soccer League (NPSL)

USL1 announced in 2021 that Lexington had been awarded one of three expansion teams to begin competition in the 2023 soccer season, joining 11 teams currently competing in the league.

Current USL1 Member Teams:
Central Valley Fuego FC (Fresno, CA)
Charlotte Independence (Charlotte, NC)
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (East Ridge, TN)
Forward Madison FC (Masison WI)
Greenville Triumph SC (Greenville, SC)
North Carolina FC (Cary, NC)
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (Windsor, CO)
Union Omaha (Papillion, NE)
Richmond Kickers (Richmond, VA)
South Georgia Tormenta FC (Statesboro, GA)
FC Tucson (Tuscon, AZ)

2023 Expansion Teams:
Fort Wayne FC (Fort Wayne, IN)
Lexington Pro Soccer (Lexington, KY)
USL1 Spokane (Spokane, WA)

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Today the club released renderings of a proposed stadium, locate across High Street in downtown Lexington immediately across from Rupp Arena where the current Rupp Arena surface parking lot sits.

Renderings also show added multi-level parking garages on both Broadway and High Streets to replace the lost parking from the surface lot, a new 160-room hotel, and a new 250-unit apartment development.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

31 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Team name appears, for now, is going by "Lexington Pro Soccer." In a release today they stated that they are currently undergoing "an in-depth branding process" and stated, "This process, which has included significant input from Central Kentucky residents, will lead to the creation of the club’s official name, crest, and colors, which are expected to be released in the coming weeks."

Any suggestions for the team name or logo design?

[nkypete]

I love the Tormenta name for the South Georgia team.  I had to look the origin up.  From Wiki:

A Tormenta is a magical alien storm that threatens to assimilate and destroy everything and even the gods cannot do anything to stop it

🤣

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

How about the Lexington Luthors?

[Voice of Reason]

It is a simple debate:

1. FC Lexington

OR

2. Lexington FC

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

5 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

It is a simple debate:

1. FC Lexington

OR

2. Lexington FC

There are the occasional "SC," "Union," and "United" teams thrown in there too. But you're right, I'm betting it's a play on one of those.

Simply because there are already two higher-level "FC" teams within an hour drive of Lexington, I'd personally prefer they didn't go with that one.

[I gotta go to work]

How many seats will the stadium have. Similar size to Louisville City?

 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

58 minutes ago, I gotta go to work said:

How many seats will the stadium have. Similar size to Louisville City?

 

They're calling it "6,000+" seats. Louisville City's Lynn Family Stadium is 5,300 so, yeah, pretty similar in size.

[nees1212]

On 1/21/2022 at 1:33 PM, Voice of Reason said:

It is a simple debate:

1. FC Lexington

OR

2. Lexington FC

 

On 1/21/2022 at 1:37 PM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

There are the occasional "SC," "Union," and "United" teams thrown in there too. But you're right, I'm betting it's a play on one of those.

Simply because there are already two higher-level "FC" teams within an hour drive of Lexington, I'd personally prefer they didn't go with that one.

There is already a Lexington FC youth organization that has been around for a while.  The only way they take the LFC name is if they partner with them which is a possibility since it's a USL level team and not MLS.