Real Salt Lake Sign New Sponsorships With JetBlue, Burger King

MLS Real Salt Lake has signed JetBlue as the team's official airline, while Burger King has become "a sponsor of similar financial magnitude," according to Mike Gorrell of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. RSL President Bill Manning said that the sponsorships "signify 'that we're bucking the trend' of a recession-strangled economy." Manning: "If we can weather the storm of this economy this season, I think the sky's the limit." But Manning acknowledged that the team has "felt the downturn," as two potential telecommunications and automotive sponsors "withdrew just before signing contracts." Manning said that the club's average sponsorship "tripled in value," while renewal rates are up 50% and RSL has added 15 new sponsors. Manning declined to specify how much JetBlue and Burger King -- which both signed multi-year deals as "Royal Partners" -- are paying, but he said they were "well north of $150,000 annually" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/19). SCP Worldwide Chair Dave Checketts, whose company owns RSL, is on the JetBlue BOD, but Manning said Checketts was "very hands off." JetBlue will do a trip giveaway and paint a plane with RSL colors. It will receive TV, online and radio advertising, in-stadium signage and advertising on a marquis near Interstate 15, which runs near the stadium. Manning: "They have increased their presence in Salt Lake and added more flights. They wanted to make a statement with our team." Meanwhile, Burger King will be the team's official fast-food burger and will offer free Whoppers to ticket holders the day after a win. The company will be featured in media advertising, exterior and interior signage and featured as presenting sponsor of a series of local Hispanic soccer clinics. The two become the 23rd and 24th sponsors, respectively, and push RSL's sponsorship revenue 115% above where it was last year (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal).

CORPORATE SUPPORT: The following is a list of RSL's partners this season. Founding partners pay $250,000 or more, while Royal partners pay at least $50,000 and Corporate partners pay at least $25,000. The chart does not include stadium naming-rights holder Rio Tinto or jersey sponsor XanGo. New sponsors for the '09 season are indicated by an asterisk (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/19).

Founding Partners	Royal Partners	Corporate Partners
American First Credit Union	Burger King*	Allied Sign*
Anheuser-Busch*	Hoopes Vision*	Colonial Flag*
KFC	JetBlue Airways*	Cricket Wireless*
Mountain American Credit Union	Les Olson Co.	Fiji Water*
Salt Lake Regional Medical Center	SCA paper*	Pepsi*
	Sony*	Rocky Mountain Voice*
	Workers Compensation Fund	Siegfried & Jensen
	Zions Bank	Waste Management Inc.*
		Xinsurance*