In what was described as a “historic” day for the Sudbury Cyclones, the soccer organization revealed its inaugural logo and coaching staff during a media event this week.
Held at the Greater Sports Apparel outlet at the New Sudbury Centre, the media event opened with Sudbury Wolves Sports and Entertainment owner Dario Zulich unveiling the team’s logo.
“I think that soccer is going to be a major sport in North America in the next few years, and that’s my vision, that’s my prediction,” he said. “It’s going to be unbelievable.”
The logo features green, blue, grey and white, and, in keeping with the team’s name, resembles a cyclone.
The colours are similar to the Seattle Seahawks’, but the man behind the design said this wasn’t why the shades were selected.
“Each colour has its own story,” graphic designer Cole Fraser said. “We have the blue for the water and lakes around Sudbury, the green because of the forestry around Subury, and the grey is to incorporate the Big Nickel as well.”
Sudbury Cyclones general manager Dayna Corelli said the “vibrant colours are not just a visual representation, they are the collective heartbeat of our city, a unification point for all of us.
“These colours are our rally cry, a symbol of unity that transcends the boundary of any soccer pitch.”
This week’s announcement also included the revelation that the men’s soccer team’s first game would be held in May, “14 weeks, 2 days and four hours away,” Corelli said on Wednesday afternoon.
The game will be held at James Jerome Field. Season tickets will be available soon, and walk-up tickets will also be available at home matches.
Evan Phillips was named assistant coach and Giuseppe Politi was named head coach.
Phillips is originally from Toronto, was goalkeeper for the Toronto Sandjacks and has contributed to local soccer organizations at Cambrian College, Laurentian University, as well as the Greater Sudbury Soccer Club.
He will be “the heartbeat of our coaching staff,” Corelli said, crediting Phillips with carrying a “player-centred commitment.”
Politi is technical director for the Greater Sudbury Soccer Club, technical consultant for the Nipissing District Soccer Club and a coaching educator with Ontario Soccer.
This week’s media event also announced two players, including midfielder Michael Marcantognini and winger Jack Collins.
Tryouts for the inaugural team will begin on Feb. 8 at the Lancer Dome.
More on the Sudbury Cyclones can be found on their website, Facebook page and Twitter page, which were all made live following this week’s media event.
The creation of the Sudbury Cyclones was announced in August,
They are part of League1 Ontario, and their name is a callback to Sudbury’s last semi-professional soccer team, also called the Cyclones, which dissolved more than 40 years ago after playing their final game in 1980.
League1 Ontario formed in 2014.
Last year, League1 Ontario announced that their existing 20 teams would be divided into two tiers (Men’s Premier at the top, followed by Men’s Championship) for the 2024 season, with a third tier consisting of 10 new teams to be created, called League2.
The Sudbury Cyclones will come on board as one of these new League2 teams, with the other nine yet to be announced.
Each year’s top team in each tier has the opportunity to move up a tier, while the bottom team in the top two tiers is bumped down.
It’s an open-age league, meaning anyone 16 years of age and older is eligible to play.
Upgrades to the James Jerome Field infrastructure will be considered in the event the games begin drawing significant crowds.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
