AC Grand Rapids Launches Name, Crest Ahead of MLS NEXT Pro Debut in 2027

Michigan’s newest professional soccer club is keeping things fairly simple with its name and crest.

Though it won’t join MLS NEXT Pro until 2027, the franchise based in Grand Rapids unveiled its name and logo at an event in the city’s downtown on Saturday, September 27. The team will be known as Athletic Club Grand Rapids, or AC Grand Rapids for short.

“Today marks a defining moment for our community,” said club co-owner Dan DeVos in a press release. “A team’s name and crest carry the heartbeat of a city, the voice of its fans and the dreams of its players. When our athletes take the pitch, they’ll wear more than a uniform – they’ll wear the pride of West Michigan across their chest.”

The crest — which was designed by Matthew Wolff, who has designed logos for MLS sides Los Angeles Football Club, New York City FC and Chicago Fire — features a gold “GR” monogram inside a black shield with a navy blue vertical stripe through the middle. The shield has a gold outline and a gold banner underneath reading “AC GRAND RAPIDS”. The blue stripe represents the Grand River that runs through the city, while the ripples at the top of the crest echo the movement of the river.

Courtesy MLive.com

The typography and banner style draw from Grand Rapids’ 19th-century lumber heritage and Midwestern industry, creating a design that honors the region’s history while giving fans a modern, timeless symbol to rally behind.
— AC Grand Rapids press release

The team is also using the GR monogram on its own on merchandise, as well as a horizontal “AC GRAND RAPIDS” wordmark.

Courtesy AC Grand Rapids

MLS NEXT Pro operates on the third tier of the American soccer pyramid, on the same level as USL League One and one below the USL Championship. The league has 29 teams for its 2025 season, with playoffs beginning in mid-October. Twenty-seven of those teams are affiliated with Major League Soccer clubs, while two are independent. AC Grand Rapids has not yet announced an affiliation.

The club’s other co-owner, David Van Andel, told MLive.com that they intentionally kept things simple with the name. “There were dozens of names that we were considering, but we always came back to having Grand Rapids in the name,” he said. “As we went through the process, it just became clearer, and in some ways easier, if we kept it simple. And even though Athletic Club is technically the full name, just putting an AC on that and making sure Grand Rapids stands out was the primary focus.”

AC Grand Rapids co-owners Dan DeVos (left) and David Van Andel (right). (Courtesy MLive.com)

Van Andel also said the gold, navy blue and black colour palette would create a “stately look” for the team.

“We believe that color combination will age well,” he said. “You could pick timely colors of today, but in 10 years, they may not look so nice. Whereas this color combo, we think will age very, very well.”

AC Grand Rapids will take to the pitch for the 2027 MLS NEXT Pro season at Amway Stadium, an 8,500-seat, $175-million stadium currently under construction in the city’s downtown core.