National Sports Center Soccer Team Could be Named Minnesota Strikers
IMS has learned through a US Trademark search that the National Sports Center applied for the name Minnesota Strikers on November 20th, 2009.
According to the application, the name would be used for: Wearing apparel, namely, T-shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, sweatshirts, jerseys, hooded sweatshirts, jackets, fleece tops, caps, visors, beanies, hats, sweaters, scarves and footwear.
The application also states that the name would be used for: Entertainment services, namely, organizing, conducting and staging professional soccer games and exhibitions, and production of radio and television programs in the nature of coverage of professional soccer games and exhibitions.
Paul Erickson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission and who oversees the NSC said today by phone that acquiring the Strikers name does not imply that if the NSC were to field a professional soccer team they would necessarily name it “Strikers”. Erickson stated that the NSC did want to apply for the name to keep their options open.
“We wanted to secure the name to preserve our options,” stated Erickson. “But we have no predetermination on the name of the team.” He said they would prefer to poll members of the community and make sure the NSC comes up with a name that is popular with the soccer community.
The Minnesota Strikers were in existence from 1984-88. The team moved from Florida where they had been the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL. After moving to Minnesota and retaining the Strikers name, the team played one year in the outdoor league of NASL before that league folded. However, the original intent of moving the organization to Minnesota was to form an indoor team. The Strikers played their games at the Met Center in Bloomington, MN, the same arena that the North Stars played in and now the site of the Mall of America. The Strikers played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and were owned by the Robbie family, who also owned the Miami Dolphins. The team was coached by former Kicks defender Alan Merrick who still makes his home in the Twin Cities.
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If you search under national sports center you will see they also applied for FC Minnesota. I kinda like that better.
By far the best line was by MA in a post the other day that commented that the youth club could be called Minnesota Youth Strikers Academy or MYSA for short – LOL
yeah there’s been lotsa teams called the Strikers but i associate them with Ft. Lauderdale mostly… i guess NSC doesn’t want to just keep the Thunder name?
Evan, that Thunder name is about a half mill in debt or more so no, they don’t own the team name WingField does nor would they want to be associated with that debt.
BQ – it all depends on how Wingfield’s debt is structured as there are ways to buy just the assets of a failing company. A trademark is an intellectual property which is generally considered an asset. The bigger question to your point is whether anyone would want it with the negative connotations/perceptions that come with it.
@Travis, I like FC Minnesota better too. If they move that way, tell them to give me a call. I have an in with the owner of the fcminnesota.com and minnesotafc.com domain owner
minnesotastrikers.com and mnstrikers.com were registered on November 20, 2009.
fcminnesota.com was registered back in 2007.
minnesotafc.com was registered on November 7, 2009.
How about the MN Kicks?
OK, I held back when the NASL thing came up. But as a Minnesota soccer fan, I have to say: I think Strikers is a shit name. Thunder is cheesy, but I’ve gotten used to it. Strikers? Stupid. For the record, Kicks is stupid too. I know there’s history. I say, screw it. I’m a fan today. I wasn’t a fan twenty-five years ago or whenever it was that those names were extant, and my kids sure won’t care. Give me a halfway decent team name, one that’s shown you’ve put even a tiny bit of thought into it, rather than regurgitating the failures of a previous century.
I completely agree with Fuggle. I’m getting the impression that the TOA is relying far too heavily on the old NASL when many people in the target demographic (Men 24-40) have few memories, if any, of the defunct league. Also, in my opinion I would like to see a club adopt the abbreviation SC for Soccer Club. By in large the sport is referred to as soccer in this country.
What’re they going to call the other nine guys on the field, I wonder.
I agree, I don’t like these quasi indigenous names like Whitecaps, Timbers or animals that don’t make sense like Rhinos. I don’t like Thunder or Strikers either. We need a name with some class to it.
I’d buy into the old NASL name: Kicks. But the Strikers belong to Ft. Lauderdale.