AFC Lancaster Lions

AFC Lancaster Lions

Full name	All Football Club Lancaster Lions
Nickname(s)	Lions
Founded	2015
Stadium	Manheim Township Athletic Complex
Ground Capacity	500
Owner	Brian Ombiji
Head Coach	Jenn Hood
League	American Soccer League
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors

AFC Lancaster Lions is an American professional soccer team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which competes in the American Soccer League (ASL). The team plays their home matches at the Manheim Township Athletic Complex.

History

The American Soccer League granted a team to Lancaster for the 2015-16 season. Brian Ombiji, a veteran of the USL's Harrisburg City Islanders and youth soccer programs in South Central Pennsylvania, is the primary owner of the AFC Lancaster Lions. Additional investors include Daniel Savage, Angelo Disomma, Dean Kline, and Jenn Hood.

The AFC Lions plan to establish an U-23, comprising athletes from colleges and universities throughout Lancaster County. They are also cooperating with the Penn Manor Soccer Club to develop youth soccer programs. In addition to the ASL, the Lions hope to form a women's team that would rival the Lancaster Inferno of the Women's Premier Soccer League for local talent.

The main rival of the AFC Lions is the Philadelphia Fury, named for a previous club by the same name that played in the original North American Soccer League.

Logo and colors

The colors of the AFC Lancaster Lions are red, white, blue, and gold. The crest features the motto, Unos pro omnibus, ones pro uno (sic.), a Latin phrase meaning, "One for all, all for one." The heraldic imagery of a lion, a red rose, and the contour of the shield likely recall traditional English insignia. For example, the Royal Arms of England features a red shield charged with three golden lions on display, with blue as an accent color. The Pennsylvania city of Lancaster was named for Lancaster, Lancashire, England, whose official symbol was the Red Rose of Lancaster. The soccer balls arranged at the top of the crest are also English in style, with outlines similar to those found on the shield for Manchester United F.C., a renowned Premier League club. The logo also includes two crossed hickory logs, a more local reference since Lancaster city was first named "Hickory Town." The design also shares many elements in common with the civic flag of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, itself featuring two red roses and English royalty colors. Finally, the founding year of the city, 1730, and the inaugural season, 2015, of the AFC Lions finish the logo.

External links

• AFC Lancaster Lions (official website)