STATESBORO, Ga. – South Georgia Tormenta FC established its USL W League team in June 2021, under the placeholder name of Tormenta Women, and now takes another significant step forward to announce its official team branding.
After much thought and suggestions from staff, players and fans, the new USL W League team will stay under the official club name and branding of South Georgia Tormenta FC. The club hopes to break new barriers and act as a leader in women’s soccer by moving away from the norm of referring to women’s teams solely by their gender and by unifying all teams under one brand. Each team will be differentiated by the league in which they play (i.e. Tormenta FC’s W League team, Tormenta FC’s League One team, etc.).
With this decision, Tormenta FC hopes to continue growing its brand recognition around South Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Including the TFC Academy, thousands of players, parents and supporters make up Tormenta Nation.
“Here at Tormenta, we believe that we are one club, one family and we all play, work and cheer for one crest. We work, train and strive together to win championships; we support others in our community, and our community supports us. When we try to positively impact who we are, others, and where we live, we come together as one. “Tormenta is greater than one person and greater than one team. We are one family. We are one club.”
Netra R. Van Tassell, Tormenta FC Co-Owner
Tormenta FC’s branding symbolizes unity throughout the club with countless teams operating under one identity, working together to grow the beautiful game in South Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Since its founding in 2015, Tormenta FC has pledged to be a force for good and now commits to pushing the women’s game forward and leading others in player development and equity. The team is dedicated to creating equity for all teams inside the club, while also partnering with locally female-owned businesses and creating more opportunities for female athletes to start their path to pro journey.
Additionally, the team recently kicked off a new web series named ‘Empowering the 912’ which gives a spotlight to young girls across the region who are personally impacted by the addition of Tormenta FC’s USL W League team. The first edition showcases 13-year-old Abbigale Akins from Rincon, Georgia, who dreams of playing soccer professionally and hopes to play alongside her USL W League role models one day.
Shortly after announcing its USL W League team, Tormenta FC revealed Jim Robbins as Head Coach. Robbins has begun to build a strong inaugural team with four announced players thus far on the 2022 W League roster. In November 2021, 17-year-old TFC Academy forward Elise Holcey made history as the first player announced across the USL W League.
Holcey is joined by University of South Carolina Beaufort midfielder Madison Foshee, Western Illinois University record-breaker Amy Andrews and local Charleston, South Carolina native Remi Olalere on the current 2022 roster with additions to come.
Athletes interested in making history with Tormenta FC while developing on and off the pitch can try out for the new W League team in front of club technical staff. The team will host its third and final open trial on Sunday, Feb 6, at the Tormenta FC Training Ground at The Clubhouse in Statesboro, Georgia.
Tormenta FC W League will play its matches on Optim Health System Field at the club’s new 5,300-seat stadium in Statesboro, which is set to open during the 2022 season. The state-of-the-art stadium will also serve as the home to Tormenta FC’s USL League One and League Two squads, as well as Georgia Southern University Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I soccer teams.
The USL W League is an elite pre-professional pathway for women looking to build their careers both on and off the pitch. For two decades between 1995 and 2015, the W League saw some of the biggest names past and present in the sport compete on the field, and this new era will build on the legacy of its predecessor. In alignment with the USL League Two season, the W League will kick off in May and end with the W League Playoffs and W League Final in late July.
To stay up to date on Tormenta FC W League, fans can follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the USL W League, visit USLWLeague.com or follow the W League on Twitter.
