The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has adopted a newly updated and refreshed logo, effective Oct. 10, 2011.

“In embarking on this rebranding effort, our goal was to enhance a visual entity that already has a great amount of brand equity,” said NSCAA CEO and Executive Director Joe Cummings. “The enhancements that have been made provide a strong visual entity for our Association as we move into our eighth decade of service to soccer coaches throughout the United States and around the world.”

The new branding was developed by Kansas City-based Version, a VML company. The agency performed in-depth research of the NSCAA, its history and its branding goals before developing the new corporate look. The effort was inspired by the recent update of the National Football League’s logo, which focused on refinement of the visual elements and the use of stronger, more contemporary colors.

The changes also give the logo greater versatility across a broad spectrum of presentation media and provide identity for sub-branding the NSCAA’s numerous outreach efforts, such as its education and awards programs and committees representing the various diverse groups that comprise the Association.

The most noticeable change has been the repositioning of the letters “NSCAA” from the bottom of the circular shield to the top, a move that makes the Association’s monogram the first visual element encountered. The five stars that were arrayed at the top of the old logo have been replaced by three stars at the bottom of the new logo. Those three stars, and their positioning, represent the three pillars of the NSCAA: Education, Events and Membership.

“The three actions NSCAA members can engage in are to learn, participate and belong,” said Cummings. “The three stars of the new logo are a visual representation of each of those. Taking part in our many educational offerings helps coaches learn to be better instructors of our sport; being active in our many events, including our annual Convention, allows coaches to participate in our organization; and through membership coaches around the world can belong to a strong association that shares the common goal of advancing the sport of soccer.”

Other enhancements to the new logo include the use of bolder colors, simplification of graphic elements such as the soccer ball at the center of the shield and establishing a standard typeface and protocols for use of the various versions.

The new logo and branding standards are being incorporated into a complete redesign of the NSCAA’s website, www.NSCAA.com, which will launch in the coming weeks. All other uses of the logo will be phased in as necessary across the NSCAA’s many platforms.

For further information or to request permission to use the new NSCAA logo, please contact Craig Bohnert, Assistant Executive Director for Communications, at cbohnert@nscaa.com.

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