Cleveland Soccer Group Looks to Stars to Find Name of Women's Team: Astra

For its new men’s soccer team, Cleveland Soccer Group looked to history for the name Forest City Cleveland. For the forthcoming women’s team, it looked to the stars.

CSG announced this morning that the new women’s team, which is expected to start play in spring 2028 in the WPSL Pro, will be known as Astra.

As with Forest City Cleveland, CSG undertook a yearlong process to come up with the name, logo and colors for Astra, with interviews with more than 3,000 fans. The team colors are violet ad astra, Lake Erie midnight and golden era, and the logo features the state of Ohio with a compass rose over Cleveland, and a bear, a nod to Ursa Major, the constellation that’s used for navigational aid.

The branding was developed by Alex Kocher, a Medina native experienced in soccer branding, and former Portland Thorns player Mo Fitzgerald. Both helped develop the FC Cleveland branding as well.

“Athletes from Greater Cleveland are playing in NWSL, Super League and top-flight leagues across the globe,” said Gina Prodan Kelly, CMO of Cleveland Soccer Group and co-founder of Cleveland Astra in a statement. “Our team was created to inspire, embolden and support women to achieve their greatest potential – on or off the pitch.”

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