The countdown to professional women’s soccer in Canada’s largest city is officially on after AFC Toronto launched its crest and visual identity on Monday, June 3.
The Northern Super League club made the announcement on their website and social media channels Monday morning. When the Toronto group signed on to the project that would become the NSL in April 2023, they did so under the name “AFC Toronto City,” but they ended up dropping “City” from the moniker in the final product.
While the “AFC” in AFC Toronto does stand for Association Football Club, like it does for numerous European teams, the Toronto club said in its press release that, for them, it “takes on a deeper meaning: Always For: Commitment, Change, Courage and Celebration.”
AFC Toronto has gone with a color scheme of “Mighty Maroon” and “Victory Vermillion.” The former symbolizes “ambition and resilience” and “reflects the team’s solid foundation and toughness,” while the latter “embodies energy and passion, capturing the teams bold and spirited approach to the game.”
At the center of the primary crest is the “anchor T,” which the club says “symbolizes Toronto, the bold angles shooting upwards capture momentum, forward movement and the rally cry of the club, ‘Rise up!'” The mirrored 7s on either side of the T honor the seven founding members of AFC Toronto, as well as the city’s original six boroughs plus the Greater Toronto Area.
The anchor T combines with a vermillion shield to form AFC Toronto’s secondary logo. With its 11 strokes, it “represents the starting XI on the pitch signifying unity, tenacity, athletic excellence and the strength of the club on the field.” The upper and lower strokes of the shield are left open to “symbolize the club’s commitment to continually push boundaries while creating an inclusive and fair-play environment.”
All these elements weave together to form AFC Toronto’s primary crest. The shield is surrounded by a roundel, with “ASSOCIATION” on the left side, “FOOTBALL CLUB” on the right, “TORONTO” along the bottom and “2025” on top.
“From the very start, we’ve been committed to taking a different approach in the development of our club and its story, and we knew the key to this was to involve the community and create a brand that was built in Toronto, for Toronto by Torontonians,” club chief marketing officer Jill Burgin said in Monday’s press release.
Development of the AFC Toronto identity was led by Sunday+Night, Inc., a Toronto-based brand design firm. Part of the process was an all-day brainstorming session that included business leaders, artists, media personalities, Olympic athletes and amateur athletes.
“This is an exciting time for soccer in Canada, and we can’t wait to kick off in 2025 in the Northern Super League,” AFC Toronto CEO Helena Ruken added in the press release.