Vancouver FC Unveil Name, Logo, Head Coach Afshin Ghotbi
November 2, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) News Release
Langley, BC – Vancouver FC today announced soccer industry veteran Afshin Ghotbi as the club’s first head coach, as part of a launch event that also saw the Canadian Premier League’s newest franchise officially unveil its team name and branding.
“We are excited to officially share our club identity with soccer fans on the Lower Mainland as we prepare for our inaugural Canadian Premier League season in 2023. Honouring our sporting past, celebrating our region, and uniting the South Coast were among our top priorities as we identified our club’s mission and values, and it was important those key objectives were reflected throughout the club, including with our branding,” said Rob Friend, Vancouver FC owner and former Canadian Men’s National Team forward.
“Our club’s identity will be similarly defined by Afshin, as Vancouver FC’s first head coach. We are excited to bring a manager of his quality and with his experience to the Canadian Premier League and expect our future squad will make our fans proud under his guidance.”
Ghotbi, a native of Iran, who was raised in the United States, has held head and assistant coaching roles in the United Soccer League, Major League Soccer, the Persian Gulf Pro League, Thailand’s Thai League 1, Japan’s J1 League and the Chinese Super League over a career that has spanned nearly four decades. He was part of coaching staffs at three FIFA World Cups: as an assistant with the United States at 1998 FIFA World Cup France© and as an assistant with South Korea at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan© and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany©.
Ghotbi previously helmed the Iranian national team as head coach from 2009 to 2011 and most recently served as the manager of Cangzhou Mighty Lions in the Chinese Super League.
“I want to thank Rob Friend and the team at Vancouver FC for trusting me with this exciting project,” said Ghotbi. “Now is an exciting moment for Canadian soccer, and the ever-growing passion for the game on the Lower Mainland and from coast to coast is evident. I look forward to building a club that will make our fans proud on and off the field.”
The CPL announced plans to expand to the Vancouver area in Nov. 2021. The league announced in April that the Vancouver-area club would call Willoughby Community Park in Langley, B.C. home.
The new club’s logo features a V-shape design, a silhouette traditional to many sports organizations on British Columbia’s South Coast. The design evokes a bald eagle, as the South Coast is home to the largest gathering spot for the animal in the world. The wings of the design emulate the cables that unite the Lower Mainland, as well as the precision of agricultural fields in the Fraser Valley, a symbol of the potential for growth here at home. A neutral palette of shades of Charcoal Black, Silver, Dark Grey, and Cinder are complemented by pops of Warm Red throughout the club branding.
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