By William C. Singleton III
Hoover city officials want to hear what residents think about a name for the new $80 million sports complex after community outcry made them rethink the name initially chosen.
The Florida firm hired to manage the sports complex recommended naming it “The Alabama Sports and Events Center” and calling it by the nickname “The BAM.” Officials with Sports Facilities Management had caps and T-shirts made touting the names and distributed them during an Oct. 3 City Council meeting.
Hoover residents quickly took to social media to criticize the name and city officials for not including the public in the naming process. A thread on the “Hoover Vote” Facebook page registered more than 65 comments on the topic, most of them critical of the recommended names.
“If we sit back and think about it, do we really want people to refer to the sportsplex as ‘Bam’?” asked Hoover resident Sam Swiney. “If we are honest with ourselves, then we do not. There is no mention of Hoover. The name is geared toward that of a regional facility and excludes the branding name of the city.”
“It seems that SFM did not do their homework as is evidenced by the sports grill (in Cahaba Heights) named BAM as well as the BAM acronym for Books-A-Million,” said Hoover resident Karen Bailey.
“It’s embarrassing,” Sharon Minter said. “The citizens who are ultimately funding this venture get no say so whatsoever. The name is ridiculous.”
Ashley Whittaker, marketing director for Sports Facilities Management, said the official name was chosen to reflect Hoover’s connection to the greater Birmingham region, and a nickname was selected because people would likely shorten the name, anyway.
“We wanted to give it a name that would stand up to a national marketing platform,” she said. “Not everyone knows where Hoover is.”
The council, however, reversed its course and held a meeting Oct. 17 to take suggestions from residents on a new name. The council appointed a committee to filter through the suggestions and present recommendations.
“It’s important that our community portrays this new venture in a positive light,” Councilman Casey Middlebrooks said. “And we want the community to buy into it, and that starts with their input. The public voiced very clearly they are unhappy with the original name so we’re going to start all over and include public input and more transparency in the process.”
The council also has set up an email address, [email protected], to take suggestions from the public. The email account will accept suggestions until noon Oct. 20.
The committee will wade through all of the suggestions from the public and narrow them to five names, Middlebrooks said. Residents will get to choose from the five names through a public survey, Middlebrooks added. The council will ultimately vote on the new name.
Sports Facilities Management issued a statement saying it supports the community’s desire to rename the complex: “We believe the process outlined with the council will engage the community for input in order to arrive at a name that will be successful for the development. Ultimately, we aim to have the brand name and activities be something the community is proud of and excited to participate in.”
The sports facility will include a 155,000-square-foot, indoor multi-purpose center; NCAA regulation-size fields for soccer, football and lacrosse; NCAA regulation-size baseball fields that also can be used for softball; tennis courts; a walking track; and a pro shop.
The indoor facility is scheduled to be completed by May 2017 and the fields by February 2018.
