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Rugby New York have formally adopted a new nickname for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The defending champions will be known as the ‘Ironworkers’. A new logo recognizing the change was unveiled on Monday. Former captain Mike Petri narrated the brand reveal.
We’re building something special here in New York.
And it’s time to get back on the tools because we have a job to do.
Introducing the Rugby New York Ironworkers.
Make a difference #ChangeTheSkyline…
Be a part of it in 2023. Season Deposits open at https://t.co/yYix55AsgP pic.twitter.com/iUv0tqDVf3
— Rugby New York (@rugbynewyork) December 12, 2022
It’s the third name change in the club’s short history. Initially conceived as ‘Rugby Club New York’, the team used a placeholder logo until rebranding as ‘Rugby United New York‘ prior to their exhibition campaign in 2018. The color scheme was altered in 2019 and in 2021 the logo received a full re-design.
Shortly after their inception fans took to calling the team RUNY (pronounced ‘roo-nee’) and the supporters club adopted the ‘Roosters’ name. The name did not stick, however, and the team decided to drop the ‘United’ from their name in 2022. An updated logo was released, though the team often suited up using a simplified version on their playing kits.
Notably, the team also created a new name for the academy program in 2022. It was dubbed the ‘New York Foundry‘. Evidently this was a hint at things to come.
Curiously instead of simply rebranding as the ‘New York Ironworkers’, the team will officially retain the ‘Rugby’ part of their name. One does wonder if it will soon be left behind. It also remains to be seen if the new logo reflects a change of the team’s colors.
The image below charts the changes to the club’s brand since its inception, starting with the initial placeholder before Rugby United New York took the field for the first time in 2018.
