By Troy Gillard

baseball team name, logo unveiled

Sylvan Lake Gulls excited to take flight in 2021

Mar 16, 2020 | 4:30 PM

Say hello to the Sylvan Lake Gulls.

The name and logo for the 13^th and newest franchise in the Western Canadian Baseball League were unveiled during an event held Sunday afternoon in Sylvan Lake.

After a year’s work on the new team, GM and President of Baseball Operations Aquil Samuel says it’s exciting to finally have their brand out in the public.

“It was a huge relief to see the reaction see the name and logo on the screen and see the reaction of the crowd. (It) couldn’t have gone better,” he said excitedly.

The “Gulls” name was selected following community consultations then a fan vote on the five top suggestions, which also included Sailors, Slough Sharks, Sunpeaks and Whitecaps.

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“Really loving the reaction we’re getting,” Samuel said. “I’ve been glued to social media just to see what it would be like and everything’s been positive so far.”

The next order of business for the team will be launching a website and team store with the first Gulls merchandise for local fans to purchase.

The WCBL is a summer collegiate league that plays a 56-game season, meaning means the Gulls will play 28 home games at their brand new stadium in Pogadl Park starting next year.

Season ticket packages are likely to go on sale in June once the Gulls have a better idea as to what the seat map at the new stadium looks like.

After that, Samuel says the Gulls plan to have their first coach in place this summer so they can get a head start on recruiting the 22 players who will make up their inaugural roster.

“(The coach) has to be someone who’s either got connections or will be able to make connections with some U.S. schools and the Canadian college league. That’s a big part of that hire we’re shooting for in July,” he notes, adding that having local content will also be a priority for the Gulls.

“Starting with Sylvan Lake and working our way out, we’ve got some guys that we will be watching and have been watching. If you can start in your own back yard it’s just that much better to build a foundation.”