The logo made its first public appearance early Friday morning. A lioness stares coolly over her shoulder, with the silhouette of Delicate Arch curving up her neck.
Above the lioness’ head perches a crown, and below sit the words, “Utah Royals FC.”
The new Utah-based NWSL team, which is owned and operated by Real Salt Lake, released its name, logo and ticket prices Friday morning.
The Utah Royals’ home opener is scheduled for April 14, and the Royals will play 12 home matches at Rio Tinto Stadium. Season tickets for the 2018 season range between $120 and $300 for general seating in the lower bowl and from $600 to $1,500 for “premium seating.”
The team said in a release that it would reveal its kits, technical and front office staff, and roster decisions before the NWSL College Draft on Jan. 18. However, RSL hinted in a tweet that at least one of the Royals’ jerseys would feature gold.
Be bold, go gold. pic.twitter.com/v4kTbBuHcn
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) November 30, 2017
RSL originally planned to announce the Royals’ name Wednesday, but its Twitter account cited legal issues for the reason it pushed back the reveal to Friday.
The Utah Royals’ name extends the tradition of royalty-themed team names within the organization (Real Salt Lake, the Real Monarchs) to the women’s side.
The release of the name and logo come just two weeks after RSL owner Del Loy Hansen announced that he was launching an NWSL team. The rights to the players from defunct FC Kansas City — a city that also has a team named the Royals — have been assigned to Utah. The team announced Monday that it had hired former Seattle Reign FC coach Laura Harvey as its first coach.