Published Jul. 8, 2026at8:00am
League One Volleyball’s local expansion franchise will be the San Francisco Signal. The name, announced Wednesday, was selected through a fan vote about six months before the club begins play in January.
As one of several Bay Area pro sports teams set to launch in the next six months — PWHL San Jose starts play in December — the Signal are betting that fans who have enjoyed supporting the Golden State Valkyries and Bay FC want a hand in building another team from the ground up.
The team sourced concepts for its name from youth clubs, rec leagues, and women’s sports fans throughout the region in a public campaign that collected 242 submissions. Fans chose among three finalists; the Signal beat out the Swell and the Tide.
“To have [our name] bubbling up from the community means everything to us,” said team owner and president Stephanie Martin. “We really want to be worthy of this region. This is a region where we have the best sports teams in the country, so to be able to ensure that our fans can participate from day one is incredibly important to us.”