It鈥檚 name will be Vancouver FC, and the logo for the new 91原创-based professional soccer team will be the image of a bald eagle.
The new Canadian Premier League club鈥檚 name, logo and colours were unveiled at the 91原创 Events Centre on Wednesday night, Nov. 2.
READ ALSO: New Canadian Premier League pro soccer team to play out of 91原创
President Rob Friend also announced that industry veteran Afshin Ghotbi, 58, will lead the club as the first head coach in club history.
Ghotbi, a native of Iran, who was raised in the United States, has held head and assistant coaching roles in the United Soccer League, Major League Soccer, the Persian Gulf Pro League, Thailand鈥檚 Thai League 1, Japan鈥檚 J1 League and the Chinese Super League over a career that has spanned nearly four decades.
Ghotbi was part of coaching staffs at three FIFA World Cups.
鈥淚 want to thank Rob Friend and the team at Vancouver FC for trusting me with this exciting project,鈥 said Ghotbi.
鈥淣ow is an exciting moment for Canadian soccer, and the ever-growing passion for the game on the Lower Mainland is already evident to me. I look forward to building a club that will make our communities proud on and off the field.鈥
CPL announced plans to expand to the Vancouver area a year ago.
In April, it announced that the Vancouver-area club would call Willoughby Community Park in 91原创 home, with plans to build an open-air stadium.
The new club鈥檚 logo features a V-shape design, bald eagle.
鈥淗onouring our sporting past, celebrating our region and uniting the South Coast are among our key objectives as we introduce soccer fans on the Lower Mainland to Vancouver FC,鈥 said Friend.
READ ALSO: 91原创 United Soccer Association welcomes new pro soccer team
鈥淲e look forward to sharing the region鈥檚 existing passion for the game with the rest of the Canadian Premier League through its support for our club and, together with our fans, building an even stronger soccer culture on and off the field that serves as a point of connection for all of our local communities.鈥
Vancouver FC is the CPL鈥檚 ninth franchise.
The league has teams from coast-to-coast and serves as a pathway for players to develop and showcase their skills while helping to grow the game and build support for the sport.
Each team plays 28 regular season games with the qualifying teams then competing in the playoffs with the champion also earning a berth in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) League where they face teams from Central America and the Caribbean.
Is there more to the story? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on and follow us on .