The phoenix is an immortal, mythological bird that comes back to life from the ashes of its predecessor. In ancient Egypt, the phoenix was associated with sun worship. Today, the phoenix is depicted in movies as a fiery bird who assists the protagonist in vanquishing the villain. It’s a therefore fitting image for the crest of the new club in Austin, Texas—Austin Rise FC.

Before, Austin Rise FC was FC Austin Elite, a bright spot in Austin. A champion of women’s soccer, Elite guided UWS’ expansion into South Texas, but last summer brought about changes and challenges for the team (see other Protagonist articles for the background, Taking a Stand and The Fallout). Elite was ultimately suspended, leaving behind a void in the community.

But that didn’t deter Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul, Rachelle D’Amico, Erin Webb, Amanda Lisberger, Katie Reed, and Christiane Lessa (pictures below) and in the midst of exposing fraud and ethical violations, they began to consider what their ideal team would look like—a team they could call their own.

A picture on the team’s Instagram of the owners of Austin Rise FC. From left to right: Katie Reed, Rachelle D’Amico, Erin Webb, Amanda Lisberger, and Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul. Not pictured: Christiane Lessa.

A Team for the Community

Tucked away in the quiet of the off season, the embers in the hearts of the players began to burn. After a season that could have seen them raising a trophy, the ex-players of Elite met and built a mission, a vision, and a brand that reflected their passion for creating more opportunities for women in their community to continue their playing career. After deciding on branding, they then selected a league that would launch their first flight in the summer of 2023—they decided on the WPSL. Austin Rise FC is a women-owned small business, and its owners are very proud of their journey so far.

However, they’ve shared in conversations with Protagonist staff that this new club would not have been possible without the support of the Austin Community, specifically Los Verdes, the supporters group of Austin FC, and the Austin co-ed league. The inception of Rise FC has been very community-driven from the start, and Cyrtmus-Davaul has shared that they plan to continue that by offering community soccer clinics and other community events in the future.

It takes courage, risk, sacrifice, and allowing the internal fire to blaze to step out and start a business, running a soccer club. These women each have strengths in different areas that they bring to the team, extremely capable of owning a team. From the Austin Rise FC Instagram, team values will be their guiding light of: resiliency, integrity, support, and excellence. These women rose up like the phoenix and have overcome adversity. They have goals of their engagement in the community and to win a national championship with a team built on these core values.

The Branding of Rise FC

Austin Rise FC revealed their branding this week on social media.

Brainstorming on brand development was a process. The goal was to have a name, crest, and brand that would be with them forever. Initially two names, Rise and Soul, were being evaluated. Soul would have been a nod to the music scene and SXSW. But while in the process of deciding on their club name, the Oakland Roots released their women’s team, the Oakland Soul. After a quick pivot, all 6 women came to an agreement on an idea for the crest—a phoenix—and colors—fiery red and bold navy blue (two colors also found in the flag of Austin).

Reed shared they wanted to create an indentity that was unique to them, so Texas orange and Austin FC green was avoided. “Ice blue was their choice versus a gold option and it felt fresher with vibrancy and life. Phoenix red for fire. They wanted to steer away from the Texas orange and Austin FC green.”

After working with a local designer who has experience working in soccer, Cyrtmus-Davaul stated, upon seeing the crest, that it was one “they would feel proud to wear.” Both Cyrtmus-Davaul and Reed stated the crest felt fresh and timeless, something they could build a brand on that would last for generations. “The phoenix on the crest and the vibrancy of colors have a feel of looking to the future,” said Reed. “It’s timeless in nature.”

Next Steps

This week, the owners of Austin Rise FC made their efforts public and announced their club name, crest, and today, their league. Their passion for soccer, Austin, and each other is evident in every square inch of their new crest and every press release, and we predict, it will be evident when they take to the field in 6 months with Lessa as their coach.

Austin Rise FC will begin play in the summer of 2023. “We are thrilled to be welcomed into the WPSL for our inaugural season and are excited to be part of a league that dedicates itself to positively impacting the women’s game,” Austin Rise FC founders stated in a collective statement. “We look forward to running a successful campaign in 2023 and are proud to call the WPSL home as we start our journey.”

The owners also sat down with Protagonist Staff to go in depth on the process from start to finish. That episode will air December 16th at 9:00 AM CST on all Protagonist Pods platforms.

Website: www.austinrisefc.com

Social: @austinrisefc across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

LinkedIn: Austin Rise FC