DENVER, Colorado - Kroenke Sports Enterprises and the Colorado Rapids unveiled today the new uniforms, colors and logo that the team will use going forward. The Burgundy (PMS-202) and Sky Blue (PMS-278) tones that reign in the team's new identity are a continuation of the common DNA that runs through the identities of the other sports entities in the KSE family.
"Since KSE arrived on the Colorado sports scene, the company has created a bloodline that has been shared by all its teams," said Colorado Rapids Managing Director Jeff Plush. "The Rapids will now have the company's lineage reflected in their identity as we now move forward tied indelibly to KSE's strong winning tradition and commitment to excellence."
The Rapids' new home kit showcases a burgundy jersey, white shorts and burgundy socks, while the away uniform will be comprised of sky blue jersey, sky blue shorts and sky blue socks.
The team's new logo is unique in design in the international world of soccer, but is traditional and characteristic of marks from some of the biggest clubs from around the globe. While having colors that reflect KSE's identity, it also incorporates elements unique to the team.
The Rapids' new primary logo, which was designed by sports branding company SME, features several intrinsic elements: a trademarked shield design, the number 96, which is representative of the team's year of inception, a stylized one-of-a-kind version of a traditional soccer ball graphic set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, and all of it crowned by a re-imagined Colorado Rapids word mark.
"It is a new day for the world's game in Colorado," said Fred Popp, CEO & Partner, SME . "The new Colorado Rapids brand identity effectively combines Colorado's active outdoor lifestyle with a traditional soccer sensibility to establish the Rapids brand as a legitimate global soccer brand."
With a new era beginning for the team today and the opening of their new 18,000 seat Dick's Sporting Goods Park set for April 7, 2007, the Colorado Rapids club is poised to set a new standard of excellence in Major League Soccer and around the world of sports.
About SME
SME is a leading branding and communications consultancy. Founded in 1989, SME has been the pioneering force in defining and revolutionizing the fundamentals of sports branding. With over 2000 brand-building solutions to clients worldwide, the firm has developed an unparalleled understanding of how sports are consumed and how brand strategies and communications programs must be approached differently than with any other types of consumer brands. SME leverages it experience against each client engagement with brilliant and strategic results. Its extensive client network includes the world's most recognized sport properties such as the NBA, NHL, NFL, FIFA and the United States Olympic Committee.
