Hull City AFC will be renamed Hull City Tigers, says club owner Assem Allam. The "Association Football Club" part of the Yorkshireclub's name, which has been in effect since their formation in 1904,will be scrapped.
Any references to AFC on club branding will be phasedout, but will remain on the shirt crest during their first season backin the Premier League. Allam wants to market the club as Hull City Tigers locally and Hull Tigers to national and international audiences.
He told theHull Daily Mail: "In the commercial world, the shorter the name, the better. The more it can spread quickly.
"
My dislike for the word 'City' is because it is common. I want the club to be special. "It is about identity. 'City' is a lousy identity. Hull City Association Football Club is so long."
Egypt-born Allam, who moved to Hull in 1968 to studyand has since set up a multi-million pound company in nearby Melton,took charge of the clubin December 2010.
"I have always used short names in business. It givesyou power in the science in marketing. The shorter, the more powerfulthe message. In Tigers, we have a really strong brand."
Allam's son and vice-chairman, Ehab Allam defended the decision to drop AFC from the club's name after 109 years.
"AFC is redundant, it is not used by the club. The fans never mention AFC, nor do the media," he said.
Bernard Noble of the Hull City Official Supporters' Club admitted he had mixed feelings about the decision.
"My personal opinion is I'm disappointed because I'm a bit of a traditionalist," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"But this guy saved us from liquidation andadministration and it's his club. I will still say 'I'm going to watchCity', 'I'm going to watch the Tigers', 'I'm going to watch Hull'. Iwill still say that and so will many other people.
"As far as Hull City Tigers is concerned, the fans -the 25,000 people who will be there for the first home game againstNorwich - they'll say 'I'm off down to watch City'.
Managing director Nick Thompson, meanwhile, urged supporters "to judge it in the fullness of time".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23629379
