ORLANDO, Fla. – The Alliance of American Football announced the name of Orlando's new professional football team on Thursday. The Orlando Apollos will play in the Alliance East division beginning next year.
The name comes from Florida being the Sunshine State and Apollo being the Greek god of sun. It also reflects the power, imagery and energy that comes from the sun. The team name gives tribute to the 50-year anniversary of the American Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
“The selection process of naming each Alliance team began by listening to our fans and working with each city to hear their suggestions and determine a long list of great ideas,” said Charlie Ebersol, the founder and CEO of the Alliance. "We feel strongly that our team names identify with the great cities we call home to our Alliance teams and positively represent the region and our fans.”
The colors for the team are navy blue, dark orange and bright orange to represent the sunshine in Florida. The logo shows the strength and aggression of Apollo with an arrow aiming toward a championship.
Orlando will play home games at Spectrum Stadium at the University of Central Florida. The team will be coached by legendary head coach Steve Spurrier.
The Apollos will play in a division with the Birmingham Iron, Memphis Express and Atlanta Legends. The Alliance West division will announce team names and logos next week.
The 10-week season kicks off Feb. 9, 2019, the weekend following the Super Bowl.
Head coach and Florida Gators legend Steve Spurrier, along with Apollos general manager Tim Ruskell, sat down with News 6 sports director Jamie Seh to discuss the new nickname and the upcoming season. Watch that interview in the media player above.