New Football Team in Waterloo Has an Official Mascot Thanks to a Fifth Grader

It's almost time for Iowa's newest football team to take the field for the very first time. Just a little over a week before their first kickoff, the co-owner of the team and the head coach joined the folks at KWWL to announce the name of the mascot.

First, a little background. Back in February 2023, a new indoor professional football league announced its intent to start in 2024, and they were doing something a bit different from other start-up football leagues: they were asking people to vote for what cities should get teams.

How the Iowa Woo Came to Be:

Three Iowa cities were eligible for teams, and in May, NFL Hall of Famer and Arena League Commissioner Tim Brown announced that Waterloo would be one of the four brand new teams in the brand new Arena League. And thus, the Iowa Woo was born. The Woo are set to play ten games, with their season commencing on Saturday, May 25th, 2024 at The Hippodrome in Waterloo.

Iowa Woo co-owner Julia Stone and Woo Head Coach Mook Zimmerman appeared on KWWL News yesterday to announce that the team has an official mascot and a name. The mascot name was chosen by a fifth grade student named Trayce Banks at North Cedar Elementary.

The Iowa Woo Mascot's Name Is...:

The Iowa Woo's mascot will be named "Wacky Woo Loo," and be known as "Wacky," according to Zimmerman.

Stone followed up Zimmerman's announcement by saying that general admission tickets for the Woo's inaugural game on May 25th will be discounted and sold at $15/each. Tailgating and live music will take place before the game at The Hippodrome as well.

An Important Note About The Arena League:

The Arena League will be yet another football league looking to make a name for itself alongside the USFL, XFL, and the AFL, just to name a few. Full Disclosure: the Arena League is NOT the same as the Arena Football League. The Arena Football League began in 1986, folded in 2019, and is in the midst of a comeback (albeit a rocky one) this year. The Arena League is a brand new football league that is looking to begin play in 2024.

Commissioner Brown told the people of Waterloo in a May 2023 press conference that the Arena League is coming to the Cedar Valley because "people wanted it:"

They were chosen because of the fan support we got when we sent out the information [....] overwhelmingly the city said yes we want a team here so that is why we were in Springfield. That is why we were in Duluth and we have one more city we will announce in the next couple of weeks, and that is why we are excited because the city and fans are excited. - per KWWL

Learn more about the Iowa Woo and view their full schedule on their official website.