Perth anounces their team name

Western Australia’s team in the Tooheys New Super 14 competition has been officially named the Western Force.

The name and logo were unveiled today in front of an expectant gathering of Perth’s media, corporate and Rugby communities.

After conducting months of detailed community consultation, Rugby WA unanimously endorsed the Western Force as the name that best represents a strong, energetic and inclusive Rugby team that has a solid connection to the State’s ideals.

The name was also chosen for the way it represents the natural elements that have shaped the state of Western Australia – the waves, the heat and the wind ‘ and the minerals and resources that have underpinned its economic strength.

The Western Force logo features the State’s traditional black swan insignia in a dynamic circular shape, representing the unity and inclusiveness that the team will bring to the WA community.

While the Western Force’s official jersey launch is still six to eight weeks away, today’s announcement also revealed a hint of the team’s colours.

The logo features a mid-blue that represents Western Australia’s beautiful coastline and clear blue skies, while a sandy gold represents the State’s stunning beaches, its mineral wealth and the ever-present sunshine.

The Western Force was one of 400 names suggested in a competition run by the West Australian newspaper earlier this year. The name also surfaced in the 200 plus letters and emails that were sent directly to Rugby WA.

However, before a name and logo could be selected from the 600-plus suggestions, Rugby WA first conducted an exhaustive community consultation process to gain an understanding of the attitudes of the people of Western Australia.

Rugby WA CEO Peter O’Meara said the team’s new name and look were drawn from a powerful set of values that the community identified as representative of what the team stands for.

‘We are delighted with the name, logo and colours. They give us the foundations on which to build the team, as well as giving supporters, players, staff and the community an identity to connect with,’ O’Meara said.

‘With the help of the community we have identified a name that represents a powerful Rugby team that will unite and inspire its supporters through its energy and vision.

‘The first step in this process was to compile the list of names that were suggested by the community, which exceeded 600 names.

‘Rugby WA then conducted extensive community research to gain an understanding of what our team represents in the minds of the people of Western Australia.

‘This research included interviews with amateur and professional Rugby players, coaches, staff, supporters, sponsors, the business community and the Western Australian public.

‘The overwhelming response from the community research was that our new Super 14 team represents energy, unity, vision, growth, pride, professionalism and delivery.

‘Our working group used these key values to filter the 600 names down to five ‘possibles’. These five names were then given to an advertising agency to investigate how they could be represented, visualised and communicated.

‘When we were presented with the creative execution of these five options, it quickly became clear that Western Force was the stand out because of how well it represents a powerful, energetic team that will unite and inspire the WA community.

‘The focus groups with the public provided some very interesting results. At one stage we gave a group of people a list of 150 names that they shortlisted down to their two preferred names, one of which was Western Force, so we believe this name will really resonate with the WA community.

Western Force Coach John Mitchell, who was heavily involved in the final month of the process, said the Western Force was a perfect fit for the new team.

‘It is a great name, and one that reflects our local environment. It portrays the lifestyle that we live in and is underpinned by the values that came out of the extensive community consultation,’ Mitchell said.

‘Everyone I have spoken to in my short time in Perth shares a common vision for this team. They want a Rugby team that will unite and inspire them, one that will allow them to be a part of this team’s Super 14 campaign.’