Flying Squirrels Showcase Their New Identity

RICHMOND, VA - The Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to introduce the official team logos and colors for the Eastern League franchise that will begin play at The Diamond in 2010. The primary team logo features a sleek, angular flying squirrel in mid-flight. The primary logo utilizes the team's official color scheme, consisting of Radiant Red, Squirrels Silver and traditional Black. The team also unveiled a series of secondary logos and word marks, completing their overall brand.

The Flying Squirrels will utilize a secondary acorn logo, adorned with an "R" to represent Richmond in a variety of color variations. The team will also incorporate two different sets of word marks, one for Richmond, and another for Flying Squirrels. Each word mark will be used in two different color patterns.

"We have taken great lengths to create an overall identity that will be appealing to fans of all ages," said Flying Squirrels' CEM Chuck Domino. "The unique nature of our entire image gives us great flexibility, and we know our fans will be able to take pride in the new look of their new team. We are excited to have the potential of creating one of the most popular brands in professional sports."

In conjunction with the press conference to unveil the new logos, the Flying Squirrels also celebrated a soft "Grand Opening" of the Flying Squirrels' team store at The Diamond, giving fans their first opportunity to purchase Flying Squirrels merchandise. The team store, featuring all-new Flying Squirrels' apparel and memorabilia, will be open on Tuesday from 3 PM - 8 PM. Flying Squirrels merchandise will also be available on-line for the first time on Tuesday at 3 PM. The Squirrels new on-line team store is located at www.SquirrelsBaseball.com.

"It has been incredible to cultivate the Flying Squirrels brand for the fans," said Flying Squirrels' Director of Merchandise Ben Rothrock. "I can't wait to see the reaction from fans when they walk into the team store for the first time and witness all the one-of-a-kind items we have been able to create for them."

The team also announced a "Name the Mascot" contest, which will afford fans the opportunity to submit names for consideration as the official mascot of the Flying Squirrels. The contest will take place on the website of Flying Squirrels' media partner, The Richmond Times Dispatch, at www.TimesDispatch.com. The contest will begin on Monday, December 14th and continue through Sunday, December 20th.

"Helping to name the mascot is another opportunity for our fans to have some fun while they take ownership in their new team," said Flying Squirrels' Vice President & COO Todd "Parney" Parnell, who made a grand entrance at the tail-end of the press conference clad in a full Flying Squirrels suit. "I thought I would kick off that fun by getting into character, although I don't think my version is going to fly," he later joked.