The logo features a peregrine falcon – a species native to the Ottawa region and considered the fastest animal in the world – outlined in light blue and reaching into the centre of an O (for Ottawa). A tulip can be seen on top of a round shield, a nod to the Canadian Tulip Festival in Commissioner’s Park in Ottawa every year in May. “OTTAWA RAPID FC” is written in the lower half of the panorama in bold, light blue letters.

The symmetry of the falcon’s wings is “a nod to the structure and formations on the field,” according to Rapid FC’s Press releasewhile the negative space in between represents the area’s three main rivers: the Ottawa, the Rideau and the Gatineau.

The club also unveiled a French logo variant on Thursday, with the words at the bottom of the circus replaced with “CF RAPIDE OTTAWA.”

The club has also released alternative logos, with the bird inside a light blue circle and the letters “RAPID FC” or “CF RAPIDE” underneath.

The team worked with marketing agency Critical Mass on the entire branding.

When considering the setting, we identified two different naming conventions: one (North American) that focused on symbols and mascots: Lions, Tigers, Kraken, Fire, and another that focused on locations and team identifiers: United, Sporting, etc. We wanted to find a place in between, something that gave us a little symbolism but wasn’t completely based on something outside of the game, but also something that was really connected to the place and spoke to the emotions of what we were building.

Rapid is a name that came up early in the discussions and stuck in our minds. We looked at various alternatives and kept coming back to it. We had a great committee working with us and Critical Mass that included some national players, some Ottawa locals and some marketing executives who had been through the process several times. The more we talked about it, the more it struck a chord with us. It triggers such a strong instinctive reaction, the speed, the movement, the progress; but it has this double meaning that is closely tied to the city and the geology of the Ottawa Valley.

— Press release from Ottawa Rapid FC

The shades of blue in Rapid FC’s color palette “refer to water, sky and the power of nature around us,” the press release states. Neon orange is also used as an accent color, a nod to the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill: “a fountain that does not freeze, a flame that never goes out, a symbol of our resilience that gives back to the community.”

Rapid FC joins the Halifax Tides, AFC Toronto And Calgary Flames FC as well as clubs that have revealed their identities before the NSL launches in April 2025. The league will also have teams in Montréal and Vancouver. The NSL itself announced its name and logo in May 2024.