Golden State, who are set to begin operations of the WNBA’s newest franchise in 2025 at the Chase Center, announced Tuesday that they have chosen “Valkyries” as their new team monicker.
“Originating from Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike. This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce,” the club announced via an official press release.
The Valkyries, who will become the first WNBA expansion team since 2008, have already surpassed 7,500 season ticket deposits for their inaugural season. Features of their new logo include:
-The outer shape of the logo is a V, reinforcing the V in Valkyries, which symbolizes the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight, and standing for victory.
-The Bay Bridge is depicted to reinforce the team’s presence across the Bay, but specifically the tie between the team’s homes in both Oakland, where the team’s practice facility and front office is located, and in San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the team will play all home games.
-The bridge tower doubles as a sword—a symbol of courage, power, and authority. Swords are weapons frequently depicted with Valkyries in mythology.
-The bridge cables double as wings, a strong telegraphic symbol of Valkyries.
-The five triangles formed within the wings represent the five players facing each other on each side of the court.
-The thirteen lines coming from the top of the sword represent the Valkyries becoming the 13th active team in the WNBA.
-Valkyrie Violet symbolizes power, ambition, nobility, and women’s empowerment, much like purple has been used symbolically in modern history.
“The story of the Golden State Valkyries begins now,” said Valkyries President Jess Smith. “And what better way than to be surrounded and supported by Bay Area legends as we take our rightful place in the WNBA and beyond. This is the Bay’s time to show what’s possible with the best fans in the world.”
The club will play out of the Chase Center next summer as they will share the facility with their NBA counterpart, the Golden State Warriors.
“Communities own sports teams, so it’s only fitting that as we embarked on the brand identity development process, we really listened to the fans and selected a name that they wanted,” said Chin. “Through surveys and social media, the name that continued to come up the most, by far, was Valkyries. Once we completed a rigorous process to examine and approve the name, we worked around the clock to build the supporting brand elements that our players and fans alike would be proud to represent.”
The franchise plans to host a “block party” on Saturday May 18th from 2-6pm with several local broadcasters and celebrities planned to make appearances.
Photo: Gregory Varnum. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.