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Green Bay Voyageurs name and logo unveiled

By Lee Reinsch
Correspondent

ASHWAUBENON – As much as it hails a bright new future, the name and logo of the United Soccer Leagues League 2’s newest team harken back to the history of the Green Bay area.

The Green Bay Voyageurs Football Club’s colors, navy and gold, recall the Packers’ earlier years. From 1937 to 1949, the Packers’ team colors were navy and gold.

The name Voyageurs commemorates the area’s French explorers.

Underneath the name in the logo floats a canoe with four oars.

Even the gold sash on which the name Voyageurs is printed in vintage-style script is symbolic, according to Peter Wilt, managing director of the Voyageurs.

“The sash represents the Fox River, which connects Lake Michigan with Lake Winnebago, and the canoe, of course, was the favorite mode of transportation of the early explorers of this area, such as (Jean) Nicolet, in the late 1600s,” Wilt said. “The traditional crest shape links the logo with the traditional logo look of soccer.”

The yellow-gold does double duty representing the Dairy State’s cheddar cheese, Wilt said.

The Voyageurs called upon New York City-based graphic designer Matthew Wolff, who has designed for Nike and has done logos for football clubs in New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, and other major world cities.

“When we decided to work with Matt, I was really excited,” said Dannon Anderson, general manager for the GBVFC, adding that he believes Wolff has created a design that will last forever.

What makes them happiest is that the name Voyageurs was chosen by democratic process.

Soccer fans and members of the community submitted hundreds of suggestions.

Some that didn’t make the grade included the Iron Brigade Football Club (for a Civil War regiment), Acme FC (from the days when Acme Packing Co. owned the Packers), Smoke FC (for Smoke the Turkey, whose brief reign as the unofficial mayor of Ashwaubenon made the bird famous across the nation), and the Cheese Curds.

Regarding the choice of football club versus soccer club, Wilt called that one of the most controversial toipics in American soccer culture.

But two reasons made them go with football club: 1. The fans and community voted for football club over soccer club by a 2-to-1 margin, and 2. “This is Green Bay, and football is popular,” Wilt said.

Big Top Sports & Entertainment of Madison owns the Voyageurs along with several baseball teams around the state, including the Green Bay Booyah.

The Booyah and the Voyageurs will play their games at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.

De Pere resident Brian Kamler, a veteran pro soccer player and former major league soccer all-star, has been tapped as the Voyageurs’ head coach and technical director.

Rick and Kathy Hummel of Green Bay showed up at the name-and-logo reveal party Saturday at the Green Bay Distillery in Ashwaubenon.

One might say soccer is sort of in their blood after more than a decade of life as soccer parents.

Their three sons play the sport, including their eldest, Alex, a Preble grad who plays for Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and will be playing with the Voyageurs this summer.

Kathy Hummel said she and Rick couldn’t even begin to estimate how many hours they’ve spent at games, practices and traveling to and from soccer activities.

But it’s been fun, she said. “We’ve really enjoyed it.”

They’re glad their son has an added incentive to come home from college for the summer, too.

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