For 15 weeks, the team has been known by a clunky identifier -- the Birmingham franchise of the Alliance of American Football. But when the new professional football team kicks off its inaugural season in February, its fans won't have to shout, "Go, Birmingham franchise of the Alliance of American Football." They can fill Legion Field with cheers of "Go, Iron."

"We are the Birmingham Iron," head coach Tim Lewis said in announcing the new nickname. "We picked that name because the name pays tribute to the hard-working, blue-collar steelworkers who provided the iron that fueled the Industrial Revolution. This great city of Birmingham is tough, hard-working, passionate, dependable -- all attributes that our team will uphold both on and off the field.

"When they see how we play the game, I'm confident they will love our team. They will love the Iron."

While the team's moniker is meant to reflect Birmingham's heritage, general manager Joe Pendry hopes the Iron's players reflect the nickname.

"Tim and Trey (Brown, executive vice president of football operations) and I have been trying to find players that will symbolize what we are -- hard-working, strong, passionate, dependable, love the game," Pendry said. "And now that name is what we're selling. We want our players to exemplify that -- Birmingham Iron."

The Alliance of American Football is an eight-team league that plans to begin play on Feb. 9. It also has teams in Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Diego.

"For us, it's the most important step because now we have a brand identity," Tom Ward, the Iron's president, said about the announcement of the team's name. "We're a reality instead of some fictional league that's out there. We've finally put our stamp and planted our flag right here in Birmingham, with our name, with our logo, with our colors. So we're now a reality, and I think that's the most important first step we have, and there's going to be many, many more milestones along the way when we unveil uniforms and sign additional players. But, really, this is the first big step for us, and it's a landmark step."

The Iron name also resonates in the design of the logo and the choice of uniform colors.

"We have the team colors, and they are going to be a reflection of the Iron," Pendry said. "They'll be black, dark gray and a silver and a light gray. Part of that comes from the dross that you make steel with, so it all goes hand-in-hand with being the Birmingham Iron."

Charlie Ebersol, the founder and CEO of the AAF, said the league sought team names for its franchises that "identify with the great cities we call home to our Alliance teams and positively represent the region and our fans."

"They wanted to put a stamp on this franchise that was really indigenous and indicative of the city that we're going to be playing in," Ward said, "and that's where the Iron really came out as the perfect fit for this. It's known as the Pittsburgh of the South. Well, we're now going to be the Birmingham Iron and the Iron of the South, and I think you're going to see a lot of fun things come out of that, not just on the field from what the team is going to do, but what we're going to do from a marketing and promotional standpoint to really take that nickname and animate it and integrate it and activate it into the community."

The AAF's player-distribution model gives the Iron the first opportunity to sign players from 19 colleges -- Alabama, Auburn and the rest of football-playing schools in the state as well as Louisiana Tech, Maryland, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina State and South Carolina.

"When you talk about the players that we've brought in and you talk about the fan base, it really matches together -- the toughness, the hard-working, the dependability," Brown said. "That's exactly what the fans in Birmingham are, and that's exactly what our players are. If you really picture the stadium with the black and gray, these are all rivals in the fall. They're rooting for different teams -- Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn. But just imagine in the springtime when we line up on the field, those rivals are now family rooting for the Iron and cheering on our competitive and hard-working players."

Football fans interested in getting in on the ground floor can check out Iron apparel online, and information on tickets to games can be found on the Iron's website.

"The next big milestone for us is we're going to have tickets on sale probably the second week of October," Ward said. "So things are going to be moving at a fast and furious rate, and throughout this time we'll be marketing, we'll be advertising, we'll be promoting, we'll be reaching out to the community, we'll be reaching out to all those stakeholders, those folks that have already invested a deposit in our team, and just trying to keep that ball rolling.

"We've got about a five-month marketing blitz -- a marketing marathon really -- that we're going to have to undergo between now and Feb. 9 just to get to the starting gate. A lot's going to happen in a very condensed timeframe, so you're going to be seeing, hearing and learning a lot about the Iron over the next five months."

Ward said the organization couldn't be happier with the reception that it has gotten in Birmingham.

"In just my brief tenure here, everyone has received us with open arms," Ward said. "There hasn't been anyone that hasn't received us graciously, embraced us, asked us how they could help. It's been total Southern hospitality from the Birmingham Business Alliance to the mayor's office to everybody here at the Convention Center Complex that has put us up for the time being in offices. So we couldn't ask for a better reception. Now it's up to us to take that baton and take that ball and run with it."

Three other AAF teams unveiled their nicknames on Thursday. The Iron's rivals will include the Atlanta Legends, Memphis Express and Orlando Apollos.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.