Daytona Beach, FL - With less than a week to go before the contest ends, over 170 different names have already been submitted as potential choices for Daytona Beach's new professional football team.
The American Patriot League plans to narrow those nickname submissions down to three before allowing the fans to choose which one represents the team, with the winning name announced sometime in January.
Marques Ogden, one of three Managing Directors for the APL, says that they've received 174 names since mid-December.
"We really care about what the fans think and we're letting the fans be able to call the shots to help them get involved right out of the gate," Ogden added.
Ogden also noted that that the corporate office will decide which three names would make the most sense for the location before sending those names out to be voted on.
The APL didn't provide a list of those names.
Whoever submits the winning name by December 31st is eligible for a $1,000 cash prize and two season tickets, according to the APL website.
Daytona Beach became the first city to join the newly formed spring league in October. Three other cities - Mobile (Alabama), Sacramento (California) and Shreveport (Louisiana) - have since joined, with at least four more cities expected to do the same before the league starts its first season in March.
January will also bring a two-day tryout session at Daytona Stadium, the home of Daytona's APL team, on the 5th and 6th. Hundreds of invited players are expected to attend the sessions, which are open to the public.
