The Orlando Pride is the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club owned and operated by Orlando City SC, announced on October 20, 2015, as the league’s tenth team. The club’s name, logo, and colors were unveiled at a press conference held at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, where founder and president Phil Rawlins introduced the new franchise.[1][2]
Design and History
The Orlando Pride logo is based upon the fountain at Lake Eola, a landmark familiar to all residents of Central Florida. The logo was created by three members of the Orlando City marketing team: James Pellington, Matt Stone, and Eric Allsopp. The team spent over a month designing more than 40 different concepts and 50 iterations of the final logo before settling on the design.[3]
According to Pellington, Orlando City’s brand manager, the fountain at Lake Eola was chosen because it is one of the most recognizable icons in Central Florida. The design team wanted the logo to be “clean and simple” while representing both the club and the city.[3]
The name “Orlando Pride” was chosen to capture how the city feels about Orlando while firmly tying into the OCSC Lions family, according to Rawlins. The team was not permitted to use the lion or any derivative of the lion in its branding, as that mark belongs to MLS and is used by Adidas, while the Pride’s women’s apparel is produced by Nike.[4][2]
In 2025, to celebrate the team’s tenth year in the NWSL, Orlando Pride unveiled a commemorative logo used throughout the 2025 season as part of the “10 Years of Pride” campaign.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo features the colors City Purple, which represents the Orlando City soccer culture, and Eola Blue, which represents the water geyser at Lake Eola and the chain of lakes known to Central Florida.[3] The Lake Eola fountain has served as the club’s badge for its first ten seasons.[6]
The name “Pride” carries a dual meaning. It references a pride of lions, tying into the Orlando City Lions family, while also sharing an undeniable link to the gay community.[7] Following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the team’s name took on greater meaning as the club became a rallying point for community healing.[8]
Typography and Design
The logo is a circular design with a purple outer ring containing the encircled wordmark “ORLANDO PRIDE.” The design prominently features an illustration of the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain from Lake Eola Park.[1][3]
For the 2025-26 Decennial Kit, the club introduced an iridescent version of the crest to represent the Pride winning the 2024 NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Championship, along with a gold star above the crest denoting the reigning NWSL champions.[6]
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