In Honor of Dale Mabry Airfield

As Tallahassee Soccer Club evolved from a plan on paper to a vision, creating the right brand became a critical component of the club’s identity. Club Founder and President Chris Petley knew that he wanted to stay away from the Capitol and the colleges. He wanted something to unify all Tallahasseeans, something that would truly embody the entire city and the love we have for it.

He kept coming back to Dale Mabry Airfield.

In 1941, on the location of what is now Tallahassee Community College, the former Dale Mabry Airfield became a World War II-era U.S. Army base. The next four years saw a surplus of land and air military vehicles live at the location, as well as the involvement of over 5,000 people ranging from military. Even the Tuskegee Airmen trained in Tallahassee.

Prior to this point in history, Tallahassee was a sleepy little town. Over 173,000 people move in during the next three years, it changed the women’s college to coed, and it changed the course of where we are.

With an eye on this unique turning point for the city, Petley kept playing with the term ‘battalion’ and eventually settled the Battle Lion as our team’s mascot. That’s what you see on our logo, but that is not the end of the story.

Shortly after revealing the logo publicly, the Dale Mabry Airfield Museum contacted the Tallahassee Soccer Club and revealed the history of the 338 Fighter Group at Dale Mabry Field, whose insignia was a winged lion and their motto was Ad Metam, Latin for "To the Goal."

It is with great pride that the Tallahassee Soccer Club honors this history, for we carry on this motto now as well.

To The Goal!