FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Miami, FL (Saturday, February 2, 2019)
Our fellow Legionnaires,
As many of you may already know, Inter Miami C.F. initiated a project about 6 months ago with the intention of rebranding the Southern Legion to be more in line with the team; the rebrand would bring about a new logo and name that would more closely exemplify the ethos of Inter Miami C.F. The team agreed that, while the name and design of the Southern Legion has its value, it could do with a bit of a makeover to make it more relevant to Inter Miami C.F.
Understandably, we wanted to make the process as democratic as possible. After all, many people have put their heart and soul into Southern Legion and we wanted to make sure that, if this rebrand was to happen, it was voted upon. We also collectively agreed that the decision should not be made solely amongst the 6 Senior Leaders. As such, we conducted a poll with the 5 top names to be selected for a vote amongst the 20 Core Group members, whom have all been involved and have volunteered for years. There were several names available for the vote including Southern Legion and The Siege Supporters Club.
This first vote ended with a name selection that Inter Miami C.F. determined may be too close in brand to the team and could possibly stifle our ability to create our own identity. A second vote was conducted, and “The Siege Supporters Club” won by an overwhelming 16-4 majority. A meeting was held at Fado to discuss this matter in depth, along with discussing new by-laws. Subsequently, the by-laws, the name, and the new logo were ultimately submitted and approved by Inter Miami C.F.
To our surprise, several of our Senior Leaders have recently decided to annex themselves from the Legion and join a group along with the Vice City Boyz. While we don’t want to speculate, it seems apparent that this exodus was the result of a disagreement over the result of the vote. This was obviously very sad for us, as the democratic process is something we value and honor. The team was contacted to evaluate how we should proceed. The team explained that, if those members wanted to start a new club and call it the Southern Legion, that was their prerogative; they would, however, be starting from scratch as the re-branding is turning the Southern Legion into The Siege Supporters Club.
Further, and again to our surprise, those individuals overtly questioned the ownership of Southern Legion social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook. Since their inception, those outlets were created and maintained by Southern Legion officers; this practice continued until the rebrand whereby the Southern Legion became The Siege.
It is quite unfortunate that this is the manner and circumstance in which we must announce the rebrand. What was supposed to be an exercise in democracy and fair dealings took a turn for the worst. Regardless, we will move on. That is what Miamians do, we grow, learn, and adapt to adversity. It is the history of this great city. We will keep everyone apprised as to our progress. There are many exciting announcements coming up including our new bar, new merchandise, and much more. Stay tuned.
We are Ready! We are One! We are Fearless! We are Miami!
Sincerely,
The Officers of the Siege