JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In front of a packed, festive and color-splashed crowd on Tuesday afternoon, Jacksonville’s newest pro sports franchise unveiled its vision, colors and brand for its soccer dream.
Welcome to town, Sporting Club Jacksonville.
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Headlined by football icons Tim Tebow and Fred Taylor, two members of its ownership group, the entity known as JAXUSL finally gave its long-held vision its name, colors and a mission. Both the men’s and women’s programs of Sporting Club Jacksonville will wear the same logo and colors, something the team said was a first-of-its-kind alliance in pro soccer in the United States.
Sporting JAX wants to be a positive force from the grassroots level and up, and will target every demographic and area of town it can. Tuesday’s ceremony was awash in bright colors resembling water and soft sunlight, and featured a performance from the LaVilla Arts singers. Sporting JAX owner Tony Allegretti spoke on the diversity and history of the area and mentioned the lasting power of James Weldon Johnson’s song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that was penned in Jacksonville. That song served as the team’s inspirational motto.
Majority owner Ricky Caplin said that everything about the colors, the crest and the logo is rooted in something from the area.
“Our new club identity embodies the bold, inclusive Northeast Florida community that we know and love - and we are thankful for our supporters in Jacksonville and across the wider region for sharing their passionate recommendations on what they wanted their club to look like,” Caplin said.
“We are committed to being exceptional stewards for the club, while further establishing our new men’s, women’s and youth teams to represent our vibrant community. It’s our goal to lift trophies while lifting every voice on the First Coast. We are Sporting JAX!”
In August 2022, the ownership group of Tebow, Steve Livingstone, Allegretti and Caplin announced that it was bringing professional soccer to Jacksonville after the USL granted expansion franchises to the city. The group added former Jaguars running back Taylor to its ownership field last month.
Last June, JAXUSL held its last major event where it made the focus of women’s soccer the headlining story. Former University of Florida head coach Becky Burleigh was announced as joining the JAX USL organization in an advisory role. Burleigh was a coaching legend, racking up 513 wins in her coaching career, all but 82 of those coming in Gainesville. Burleigh won three national championships (two NAIA with Berry College and the NCAA title with the Gators in 1998) in college.
The USL Super League announced plans last May to begin play in the 2024 season with eight teams — Carolina, Dallas/Fort Worth, Lexington, Phoenix, Spokane, Tampa Bay, Tucson and Washington, D.C. Jacksonville was one of five other cities to be awarded a team that would begin play in 2025 or thereafter. Chattanooga, Indianapolis, Madison and Oakland are the others.
