The day after the first snow on the metropolis, CF Montreal officially said goodbye to its snowflake.
Thus, the new logo displaying royal blue and the fleur-de-lys, visual elements historically associated with the Impact, was installed on the Saputo stadium. It also began to be used in the team’s digital ecosystem.
It replaces the snowflake branding that has been used since it was redesigned in 2021. The logo, new name and simple idea of the rebrand had been criticized by many supporters.
“It’s a great moment,” said Samia Chebeir, vice-president and chief executive officer of marketing and communications for the club.
“It also shows a change, the new era in which we are, she adds. It also denotes a return to our origins. We are really proud to be Montrealers. We feel it through the brand, the values we want to put forward. »
Owner Joey Saputo, President Gabriel Gervais and Mr.me Chebeir had just launched the new logo during a presentation in front of their employees and club partners.
Saputo indicated that “it’s been almost a year to the day” that the process of creating the new logo was initiated.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
CF Montreal owner Joey Saputo
The goal was to “reposition” the club into a “community and fan-based” growth initiative, he said.
“If I were a politician, I would say that I kept my promises. »
In front of the media microphones, Gervais said he waited “all summer, all season, to get to this point”.
“We were eager to find our DNA and our identity,” he adds.
And the new shirt, when is it?
“The dates are being decided, confirms Chebeir. But you will be able to watch this around mid-February. »
Wilfried Nancy: “the file is following its course”
There was obviously an elephant in the room on Thursday. With head coach Wilfried Nancy’s contract situation still unsettled, president Gabriel Gervais has had to deal with questions from journalists about it.
“I’m not going to comment on Wilfried Nancy’s case today,” he said. All I can tell you is that the case is on track. »
Could an announcement be made in the next few days?
“News will come in due time,” he comments cautiously.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
CF Montreal President Gabriel Gervais
“There are certain deadlines that have to be respected. There is of course a training camp which starts in January. I won’t say more about that. It is something complex. »
He becomes a little more talkative when asked about the successes of this year that would be repeated next season. And if we read between the lines, we feel that the president is mainly emphasizing the “project” of his sports management, without really mentioning his trainer under contract for another year.
“Whether we win a championship, whether we make the playoffs or not, there are always changes. I’ve been through it all my professional career. Each end of the year brings, if you will, certain sources of anxiety. »
“The important thing is that I have full confidence in Olivier Renard, Vassili Cremanzidis and the technical team. Everything they built, the project we are putting in place. I have full confidence that we will have a competitive team, as we had this year. And the project will follow its course. »
Paradigm shift
For Gabriel Gervais, the unveiling of the new logo last summer had a concrete effect on the discussions surrounding the club.
Among the elders, in particular, with whom the former player who is the president still maintains relations.
“The comments are all the same: we see the blue, the fleur-de-lys, the name of our team, the year of foundation. For the elders, it was very important. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Stade Saputo sports the club’s new logo.
Then he tells an anecdote which, for him, testifies to this paradigm shift. Gervais talks about a public practice held in July, just under two months after the unveiling of the new logo. At the end of it, journalists and club members were able to ask questions to the president and Wilfried Nancy.
“I had no questions about the Impact, the logo, the identity. It’s as if the vast majority of our supporters and members have already moved on. For me, it meant that the dialogue had changed. That everyone was really focused on the club, the project, the performance of the team. »
So we still allow ourselves another question regarding the Impact: will this name be back in any way on the jersey?
“It is clear that the Impact will live through the stadium, our offices. You will see in time and place how we will bring it to life. »
Apple TV: an announcement within 10 days
MLS announced subscription prices — for the United States only — for its Apple TV-integrated service this week. It will cost $14.99 per month and $99 per year for those only interested in the broadcast platform’s MLS product. For those already subscribed to Apple TV+, it will be $12.99 per month and $79.99 per season. All of this is in US dollars.
Thursday, Gabriel Gervais confirmed that an announcement about Canadian cable television broadcasters should be made within “7 to 10 days”. About fifteen games out of 34 should be there. Remember that the matches of all the teams, without geographical restriction, will be available with the subscription.