South California Seahorses S.C.
Founded in 1983 as Orange FC Seahorses, South California Seahorses SC plays in the Premier Development League (the fourth tier of soccer in the USA).
The club's name originates from its humble beginnings when team names were selected on the day by those turning up on a Saturday morning to play. Most of the time the names 'Lizards' and / or 'Seahorses' were selected.
The club went on to officially adopt the name 'Orange FC Seahorses' because it was both unique in soccer and also suitable for the team's goals, which were to travel overseas each year and play international friendly matches, while developing relationships with other football clubs from around the world.
When the club purchased a franchise in the USL's Premier Development League, however, a change of name was required as the rights to 'Orange County' were already owned by another organisation. 'Southern California Seahorses SC' was selected as the official club name at this point.
The current (and third) version of the club crest / logo (top right) was introduced in the year 2000 and features a seahorse, representing the club name. The seahorse stands in front of a half-world, half-soccer ball, representing the fact that the club travels around the world to play soccer.
The seahorse also carries a cross. This is a sign that a further club goal is to share peace and hope with other soccer clubs from around the world. The crest is finished in the club colours and also shows the club name and its date of establishment.
The previous version of the club crest (shown above) was first used in 1993 and is essentially the same as the current version, albeit displaying the original club name and a black (instead of grey) coloured cross.
The club's first crest (shown right) dates from 1985 and shows the club name purely as 'Orange FC'. However, it also displays the image of a seahorse (representing the selected Saturday morning team names from the club's early days) and a soccer ball (representing the sport played by the club). All sit on a traditional shield.
Thanks to Matthew Morse, Director of Operations at Southern California Seahorses SC, for the above crests and information.
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