Home »

Miami FC Soccer/Football teams up with Miami-Dade County Public Schools

09/14/06 - USL First Division (USLFD) Miami FC

Miami, FL - September 14, 2006- Miami FC, Miami's professional soccer team, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) officially announced an exclusive partnership whereby MDCPS students will compete in a contest to determine the nickname and mascot of Miami's professional soccer team. The contest is open exclusively to the more than 335,000 Kindergarten - 12th Grade students who attend the 374 Public Schools in Miami-Dade County.

This community initiative by Miami FC aims to reach the new generation of Miami and give them the opportunity to shape the future of their great city and professional soccer team. The contest will allow students to showcase their abilities and talents locally, nationally and internationally in a high-profile environment where the winners will leave an indelible mark on the local community and the world of soccer.

The contest officially begins on September 18, 2006, and all entries must be submitted by October 6, 2006. A judges' panel to be confirmed consisting of Miami-Dade County public officials, Miami FC officials, sponsors and celebrities will review student submissions by early November with the top three nickname proposals and the top three mascot designs being submitted to an open vote worldwide via www.miamifc.com on dates to be confirmed.

Miami FC and MDCPS have been planning this contest for months in order to ensure high levels of participation and a positive experience for the local children and community at large. MDCPS is placing informational posters at all the schools and distributing detailed informational flyers to each and every student this week. The contest will be promoted in local media during the initial student phase and more intensively during the open voting stage.

Miami FC was founded earlier this year by Traffic Sports USA, the North American affiliate of Traffic Sports Marketing, the leading soccer team and event management company in the Americas. When Traffic Sports decided to name the team "Miami FC", the objective was to keep it simple and traditional in order to give South Floridians an opportunity to adopt the team as their own. The focus of the name was therefore on the world-renowned city of Miami and the acronym "FC" which stands for "Football Club". During the press conference announcing the birth of the team in April of this year, the President of Traffic Sports, Julio Mariz, commented, "The minute Miami FC steps on the field, the team passes from Traffic Sports to the people of Miami and South Florida." The GM of the team Luiz Muzzi recently added, "Following through in that spirit, we now look to Miami-Dade County Public Schools Students to give us a name and a mascot. These children are the generation of tomorrow who will shape soccer in South Florida for years to come. And with the inaugural regular season having concluded this past Sunday, September 10 and the playoffs starting this Friday, September 14, we believe the time is right for South Florida to give its fifth professional sports franchise a nickname and mascot."

Claudia Castro, Miami FC Marketing Manager, has been anticipating the contest for a long time, "This is the opportunity we have been excited about since the first day of the season. Our coaches and players have already inspired thousands of children at our practices, games and activities at area schools, soccer leagues and soccer clubs. The nickname and mascot contest will now establish a permanent and meaningful bond between Miami FC and the students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools."

MDCPS students may submit their nickname entries and mascot designs through their teachers, directly to Miami FC by mail (Miami FC, 501 Brickell Key Dr., Suite 407, Miami, FL 33131, Attention: Claudia Castro) or by uploading them to the Miami FC official website at www.miamifc.com. Mascot designs may be created with color pencils, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, paints, and/or original photo collage or computer generated images. Both nickname proposals and mascot designs must be submitted on an 8 ½ by 11" piece of paper along with an index card that includes the student's school information.

The students who submit the top three nickname and mascot entries will receive local, national and international exposure and recognition. Although Miami FC is a South Florida team which plays in the USL (United Soccer Leagues) First Division in the United States, its international stars such as Romario (1994 World Cup Champion and Most valuable Player with Brazil), Zinho (1994 World Cup Champion with Brazil), Mario Rodriguez (Guatemalan National Team Player), Sean Fraser (Jamaican national Team Player) and Stephane Guillaume (Haitian National Team Player) have helped the team generate regular news and fan support around the world from day one. Accordingly, this contest will surely be followed internationally with fans from around the world voting on the finalists' entries.

USL Director of Business Development, James Ward, is confident that the contest will be very impactful "In markets with new USL teams it is essential that those organizations develop a name and mascot that is representative of the local residents. This initiative goes a step further than most, instilling a sense of ownership and stimulating the creative process that is so vital in the educational development of our youth. We're confident that the students will craft an identity unique to their city, and we fully support Miami FC in this program."

In addition to the exposure and recognition, winning students of the nickname and mascot contests will receive the following prizes: First Place: MacBook Computer, two round trip tickets provided by TAM Airlines, two Miami FC 2007 Season Tickets, one FLY Pentop Computer, and Miami FC Official Merchandise; Second Place: iPOD Nano, FLY Pentop Computers, two Miami FC 2007 Season Tickets and Miami FC Merchandise; Third Place: iPOD Shuffle, FLY Pentop Computers, two Miami FC 2007 Season Tickets and Miami FC Merchandise.

As a final gesture to the students of MDCPS, Miami FC will also offer a Miami FC Clinic to the school with the highest number of entries and the school of each winning student.

The "Miami FC Nickname and Mascot Contest" is kindly being supported by the following sponsors and media partners: TAM Airlines, Leapfrog, Miami New Times, El Nuevo Herald, La Cascarita, Radio Caracol, WQAM 560, Univision and Telefutura.