The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.
– John Updike
A few days ago, New York City FC changed their URL.
Ever since Alexander Hamilton walked the streets of Manhattan, the web address of the club was nycfc.com. No more. Now it's newyorkcityfc.com.
The old address still works – type nycfc.com into your browser and the cables and tubes that make up the internet will redirect you to newyorkcityfc.com. But those extra letters are a small but important part of a visual refresh announced by the club.
The update includes a custom font from hotshot design firm Frere-Jones Type that is "inspired by the unique letterforms of the pre-unification New York City Subway," a bright palette of secondary colors (Excelsior Blue, Neon Yellow, Roosevelt Violet, Copper Green), and new iconography. It also features the declaration that "we now proudly refer to our club as New York City FC."
As our friends at The Outfield put it:
INBOX: New York City FC would like to now be called...New York City FC
— The Outfield (@OutfieldNYCFC) March 5, 2024
The franchise mindset
True, the name is and always has been New York City FC. But when the organization was officially launched in May of 2013, it was often referred to as City to bank on the strong identity of parent club Manchester City. These were early days in the City Football Group empire, when it was shaping up to be something like a brand of luxury properties: They were going to bring that Four Seasons/Aman/Mandarin Oriental quality to every club they owned throughout the world.
