Joey Garrison

jgarrison@tennessean.com

There were some colorful suggestions: Nashville Bootleggers. Nashville Hot Chickens. Music City Tempos.

But in the end, Nashville’s new United Soccer League investors picked the classic name they said was the most fitting — Nashville FC.

DMD Soccer, a group of three Nashville investors that was awarded a new USL franchise in May, this week agreed in principle for the acquisition of assets of the city’s community-led National Premier Soccer League team Nashville FC.

On Friday, the owners announced they will adopt the Nashville FC name for the new USL team, as well as its logo and crest and color combination of blue and gold. The new Nashville FC USL club is slated to begin play in 2018 — but that’s only if the team finds a stadium where it can play.

FC, which stands for Football Club, is a moniker that traces back to the late 19th century in Great Britain and has become a common name with new professional teams in the U.S. The Nashville FC crest incorporates an image of a spinning record to play off Nashville's "Music City" brand, a fleur-de-lis to mimic Metro government's seal and a "divide" that represents the numerous Civil War battles that occurred in Middle Tennessee.

Team owners announced the name and logo at Bridgestone Arena Friday with USL commissioner Jake Edwards on hand as well as Nashville Mayor Megan Barry.

“This is a great day for Nashville because we are a sports city and we love soccer," Barry said. "It’s a beautiful game that supports teamwork, skill and endurance. It’s also an international sport. For many people in the South it’s the other football, but for most of the people in the world it’s the only football.”

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“Our vision from the beginning was that for soccer to be successful in Nashville, it needs to be community-driven,” said Christopher Redhage, co-founder of ProviderTrust, a health care software company and one of the USL team’s investors. “And so, we really wanted to partner with the local amateur team and really take that brand and supporters to the professional level.

“The life and blood of our success is going to be our fans, and we’re excited to be partnering with Nashville FC to do that. We’re going to build a club with Nashville for Nashville.”

The agreement between DMD Soccer and Nashville FC came after a vote from the amateur team’s 266 dues-paying members. More than 95 percent voted to fold the Nashville FC assets into the new USL professional team.

For the existing three-year-old Nashville FC amateur club, which plays at Vanderbilt University, it is unclear whether the ongoing season or 2017 will be its last in the NPSL.

“We’re going to sit down and figure out what 2017 looks like," Redhage said in reference to the amateur club's status. "Our goal right now is just to get the team announced. We got a lot of ideas, but we haven’t solidified anything yet.”

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There was no monetary exchange between the two parties. Instead, those with a stake in the community-led Nashville FC are now part of a new supporters' trust that has 1 percent stake in the new USL franchise and a seat on the new club’s board.

“The founding of Nashville FC got this ball rolling and to see us take the next step into the professional ranks is really an exciting thing,” said Nashville FC board chairman Chris Ferrell, president and CEO of SouthComm Inc., parent company of The Nashville Scene.

“It will be good for the fans and good for the city. There are lots of young soccer players in this city who will have new players to look up to and cheer for."

The newly branded Nashville FC has launched a campaign to begin taking deposits for season ticket reservations for the 2018 season, which would include 18 home games

In accordance with USL rules, the new Nashville FC needs to find a “soccer-specific” stadium. That mandate likely rules out First Tennessee Park, home of the minor league baseball Nashville Sounds, as an option. Greer Stadium, Nashville’s former baseball home, is in disrepair and has been recommended for demolition by the city’s parks director.

“We’re working with the city to start a project for us," Redhage said. "We’ll be working with them over the next couple of months to determine a plan and design a soccer specific stadium that works for Nashville. It’s got to work for Nashville and the city.”

DMD Soccer has made clear its desire to find a stadium in Davidson County with the assistance of Mayor Barry's administration. Still, in an interview with The Tennessean, the group did not rule out a surrounding suburb, perhaps Williamson County, as a home.

“There really are some great options about in terms of where the stadium can go, but there are lots of logistics,” said Marcus Whitney, one of the team investors and founder of the tech company Jumpstart Foundry. “We’ve been fairly focused on just closing out this chapter, getting to our announcement on Friday and getting to Nashville FC. We’re in an exploration phase."

In separate discussions, a group of potential investors that includes prominent businessman and former Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty has explored the possibility of bringing a new North American Soccer League team to Nashville. The status of those talks is unclear.

The new Nashville FC in the coming months also will begin assembling a front office, including naming a president.

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Whitney, who is the former chairman of Nashville FC, said the push to turn the club into a professional team began a year and a half ago after The Tennessean reported on interest from an existing USL team in Harrisburg, Pa., in relocating to Nashville.

He said the organization now feels “overwhelming support” of Nashville FC supporters to move forward.

"The community created this club," Whitney said. "The community continues to be an owner of this club. The investors are all people who have been invested in this city. We love this city. It’s just exciting.”

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.