Impact Sign Five-Year Jersey Sponsorship With BMO For MLS Debut

Canadian bank BMO has signed a five-year jersey sponsorship deal with the Montreal Impact, slated to make their MLS debut in '12. The team has yet to release images of the jersey, but Impact President Joey Saputo said it will remain blue. The Canadian bank, which in '07 signed a jersey sponsorship deal with Toronto FC, becomes the first company to sponsor two MLS squads' jerseys simultaneously. BMO’s sponsorship includes the front of the Impact jersey as well as signage at Saputo Stadium, on team tickets and on the team’s bench. In addition, BMO is one of the founding partners of Canada’s other MLS team, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The bank currently sponsors the Canadian Soccer Association and the country’s men’s and women’s national teams, as well as 900 soccer teams at the youth level. BMO will introduce a Team Up campaign with the Impact program that funds youth players to attend Impact games (Fred Dreier, SportsBusiness Journal). In Montreal, Stephanie Myles reports the BMO partnership is the "biggest sponsorship deal" in the Impact's history, and "one of the biggest sports sponsorships in the history of the province." Saputo said, "That was one of my selling points. You're the Bank of Montreal, you have to be in Montreal. ... It was only natural for them to get involved with Montreal if they want to be known as Canada's soccer bank." While the Impact will not change colors, a "new logo is in the works" (Montreal GAZETTE, 6/15).