Since July 21, 2020, Edmonton fans have anxiously wondered what will happen to the name and branding of their team. Much like the NFL’s Washington Redskins, now Washington Football Team, The Edmonton Eskimo’s made the decision to change their team name following the murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests for racial equality.
On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, Edmonton Football Team held its annual general meeting, and we received more insights into the timeline of when the announcement will come. In the team’s annual general report, the Board of Directors Chair, Janice Agrios, states
“Looking to the future, we have been working on an extensive and comprehensive re-branding process. The public engagement component of the name selection process started in November 2020 with over 14,000 respondents contributing with over 2,000 unique name submissions. In February 2021, over 38,000 people ranked their preference for the final seven names. The level of interest has been overwhelming but welcomed. We expect to be in a position to announce a new name shortly.”
In the same report, Edmonton Team President and CEO, Chris Presson states
“We continue to work on plans to launch our new Edmonton Football Team brand. This has been another very challenging project. I once again want to assure our shareholders that the decision to change our identity was not taken lightly. Your football team was faced with dynamics locally, nationally, and internationally that inevitably left no other option but to take a leadership position on change. We have had, and have encouraged, a great deal of input and public engagement during the process. We have distilled, analyzed, and listened to ALL of it. We have engaged third-party expertise throughout the process from beginning to end, and are now at an exciting time as we prepare to launch our new brand.”
Edmonton Football Team color analyst Dave Campbell added comments from Presson on Twitter, stating
“They are 80-85 percent through the process. Name will be announced for the season. Colour scheme and logo are staying.”
In the report, Agrios mentions “the final seven names,” but there are 2 additional names believed to be in the mix as well. The full list of known potential names are:
- Evergreens
- Eagles
- Elkhounds
- Eclipse
- Elk
- Elks
- Evergolds
- Elements
- Energy
It is currently believed that Elk or Elks is the leading fan favorite.
Continue the CFL Football discussions on our offical CFL Discord Channel
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Reality Check For Bomber Fans & Other CFL Fans
E8
May 13, 2021 at 4:40 pm
I whole-heartedly disagree with this name change BS. I’m a long time fan whose been to every home game for 13 seasons. Many fans feel the same way, probably many more fans are opposed to it than voted for the change. But if you have to change our name and throw away the heart, tradition, and pride of our Eskimos, the new name definitely should not be Elks! What does Elks, or Elkhounds have to do with our team, our city, and most of all CFL football??? I don’t believe that fans voted for these silly names. Out of 12,000 submissions, Elks is the best we can do? I’ll always love my Edmonton Eskimos.