When Brett Parker learned that two entrepreneurs were introducing a United Soccer League pro team in northwest Arkansas, the pitch came to him immediately.
His advertising agency, Stone Ward, had strong experience in soccer. It was expanding its work in northwest Arkansas, and its community-building philosophy jibed with the club’s goals.
So Parker reached out to club co-founder Chris Martinovic more than nine months ago and found traction. Very soon, Stone Ward was managing a branding that had overwhelmed Martinovic and Warren Smith, his co-founder and developer of several pro teams, including the USL’s Sacramento Republic FC.
The northwest Arkansas effort called on local residents to shape the team’s name, colors and crest. Along the way, the project helped build excitement and community engagement.
The name that the club announced last month reflects the process of coming together: Ozark United FC.
The club, formerly USL Arkansas, now has colors and a crest to blaze onto jerseys, caps and hoodies. The name and crest are also crucial tools to build a base of fans and financial supporters.
A $25 million, 5,000-seat stadium is planned in Rogers, where Stone Ward has its regional office. Parker, a Stone Ward managing partner, moved there from Little Rock to help Stone Ward expand its business.
Martinovic said in an interview that he started working toward USL soccer in northwest Arkansas in 2019. The idea was to build something of value in a vibrant and beautiful corner of Arkansas.
“This branding was one of the biggest benchmarks for us,” said Martinovic, a former professional player for the New Jersey Stallions. “We knew one thing from the start, that we were going to listen to the community.” But with thousands of suggestions pouring in from the public, that was easier said than done.
As thousands of people placed thoughts on USL Arkansas’ database, Stone Ward rescued the co-founders from the onslaught. Martinovic eventually saw the “Facebook message from a guy named Parker” as a blessing, even though at the time “I didn’t know who he was.”
Stone Ward’s soccer experience was key, Martinovic said. “They have worked with the women’s national team, and … Como in Italy, a team in the top level of Italian soccer.”
That experience distinguished Stone Ward from other agencies the club was considering.
“We were talking with marketing agencies, but they were just more on the brand side, less on the community, fan engagement side,” Martinovic said. “One of the most important and differentiating factors of soccer versus other sports is that the fan of soccer is an emotionally connected owner of the team. That’s how they feel.”
A Perfect Fit
Martinovic sees the partnership with Stone Ward as serendipitous. “Turns out this was about as perfect of a fit that we could possibly have,” he said.
Ozark United has several local investors, but Martinovic wasn’t at liberty to disclose names, he said. And he’s still looking for a primary investor to help kick off the stadium project. He envisions modular grandstands to create an intense atmosphere near the pitch, an approach that would allow easy expansion.
“In Europe, stadiums are small, they’re compact, they’re on the field, and you have passion and excitement, right?” Martinovic said. “That’s what we want to create.”
The club’s name and green-and-white crest reflect the unity, diversity and collective spirit of the region, Stone Ward President Millie Ward told Arkansas Business. The colors also represent the booming region’s natural beauty.
“There’s real opportunity for us up there, and this project has given us an opportunity to learn about the northwest Arkansas market and engage,” Ward said.
Parker, in a teleconference interview from Rogers, said the branding campaign’s entire game plan was community engagement.
“That’s the theme,” he said. “Community picked the name. Community picked the design. We looked at over 2,000 proposed names from the community. They came from Spanish speakers, and Marshallese speakers. Northwest Arkansas has the biggest Marshallese community in the entire United States. There’s also the factor that 60% or northwest Arkansas residents are transplants.
“When you pull all of these puzzle pieces together, it’s probably the most challenging project we’ve done,” he said.
The region’s median age is 34, and more than 60% of residents are interested in soccer, Stone Ward’s research found. A strong percentage of northwest Arkansas fans earn more than $100,000 a year, an obvious lure for sponsors.
USL! USL!
The United Soccer League, based in Tampa, Florida, is the largest professional soccer organization in North America. Its players and markets are generally seen as just a step below Major League Soccer’s, Parker said. It encompasses more than 200 clubs in three leagues for men and two for women.
USL Arkansas and Stone Ward pared down 2,000 potential names with help from 36 “founding fans,” all passionate local residents. Spanish speakers and Marshallese residents judged one finalist too hard to pronounce.
“They told us they would have trouble pronouncing the ‘Rs,’” Parker said.
Panelists weighed in on color palettes, symbols and visual elements, “just about everything,” Parker said.
More than 90% of the panelists approved the eventual name, Ozark United FC. “I think it captured the unity and community spirit at the heart of the project,” Parker said.
Martinovic’s instinct was to push back. “We thought United was kind of a generic soccer name,” he said. “There’s a lot of United soccer teams, with Manchester United being one of the most popular. But the community really pushed that here, it actually means something. When you put it together, Ozark United is our United FC.”
Stone Ward Creative Director Emily Choate led the team that designed the crest, conferring with Larry Stone, the firm’s CEO.
When the Ozark United men’s team branding is completed, Ward and Parker plan to start a similar process for a women’s team that Smith and Martinovic are starting
The agency’s other work in the region is picking up, Parker said.
“Stone Ward is inspired to be working with the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, America’s Car-Mart and Slim Chickens,” he said. “Our core value of ‘building good’ is something we share with NWA and we are excited to aggressively pursue additional partnerships here.”
Sign up for Daily E-news
