Many years ago I had the opportunity to see a Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer game. While the play on the field was nothing special, I fell in love with their logo of a Rhino with a soccer ball on his horn.
Over the years the team has had a lot of success. They won three A-League titles and in 1999 they defeated the Colorado Rapids of MLS in the US Open Cup. They became the only non MLS team to win the national cup since the beginning of MLS in 1996.
The club went on hiatus in 2017 to rebrand. Further complications and then the COVID pandemic led to a longer pause than had initially been expected.
A major announcement came this past June when it was revealed that Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy had joined the club as a co-owner and that the team would begin play in 2022.
Vardy’s own personal story inspired the founding of his V9 Academy with a goal of giving opportunities to non-league players to become professionals. Vardy’s project leader at his UK academy, Lee Tucker, will be the new Rochester Sporting Director.
Further changes were announced earlier this month. The club rebranded itself Rochester New York FC and Introduced a new logo.
When asked about the rebranding of the club, Vardy said:
I’ve been written off so many times in my career, nearly as many times as the Rochester Rhinos. The rebrand and slogan ‘Believe Impossible’ is what we are all about. We believe we can win trophies again and prove people wrong. This is what inspires me on and off the pitch. When we get knockbacks, we come back stronger. We will never forget the legacy of the Rhinos and the great things the team did, but now it’s time to build on that and look forward as Rochester New York FC.
Co-owner David Dworkin added:
We needed to evolve and become a modern-day football club with global appeal. With Jamie coming on board as a co-owner, now is the best time to do that. The Rhinos will always be part of our DNA and we will always celebrate the club’s successes. This is a new beginning and a journey that we are excited to embark upon.
It’s also been announced that the club will be producing a series entitled Rhino Reboot. It will showcase the rebuilding of the team.