Soccer team FC Tampa Bay becomes Rowdies again

The Tampa Bay Rowdies are officially back.

The professional men's soccer team known the past two seasons as FC Tampa Bay has acquired an exclusive license to the "Rowdies" trademark, with full rights to come later, team president Andrew Nestor announced Thursday.

The club will drop the FC Tampa Bay name, as well as the traditional European soccer crest logo, in favor of the Rowdies wordmark and logo for the 2012 season, which begins in April.

"Today is an exciting day for the soccer community in Tampa Bay," Nestor said. "The Rowdies is synonymous, and has been for decades, with the highest level of soccer in Florida and in this country. …It's about bringing back Tampa Bay's first-ever professional sports franchise."

The news marked the end of a three-year legal battle with Classic Ink Inc. of Dallas, which previously owned the trademark. Nestor wouldn't reveal the price of the transaction, but said it was "significant, but reasonable."

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and North American Soccer League commissioner David Downs were among those in attendance at the announcement. Buckhorn welcomed the change.

"I can remember when I arrived here in Tampa in 1981, the legend of the Rowdies," Buckhorn said. "Almost every game, Tampa Stadium would be packed and there would be an excitement. …I am so happy the Rowdies are home."

The Tampa Bay Rowdies played in the original NASL from 1975 to 1984, reaching substantial popularity in the late 1970s with home games at Tampa Stadium. They featured stars such as Rodney Marsh, and a clever marketing plan that included a bouncy theme song and the slogan "The Rowdies are a kick in the grass."

After the league's demise, the Rowdies played in various leagues until folding in 1993.

The Rowdies will host FC Edmonton on April 14 in the 2012 home opener at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg.