Asset Management Firm Ivy Funds To Be The First Jersey Sponsor For Sporting KC

MLS Sporting KC on Thursday announced a five-year deal to make Kansas-based asset management firm Ivy Funds the "first jersey sponsor in club history," a move that is "presumably satisfying a fan base that has long clamored for such a deal,” according to Tod Palmer of the K.C. STAR. During a live stream of the ’13 MLS SuperDraft, ESPN “reported the deal was worth $2.5 million per year.” However, team sources “disputed that figure without offering specifics.” The Ivy Funds logo will “soon adorn all Sporting KC team jerseys, including a new home uniform that will be unveiled Feb. 27.” The deal “also includes naming rights for the executive suite level at Sporting Park.” The last two years Ivy Funds had a “smaller sponsorship agreement in place, but the two organizations aggressively expanded that arrangement after the 2012 season.” Sporting KC CEO Robb Heineman said that the deal “came together in about 60 days.” Heineman: “It took us a long time to get to where we are around this, but the result is excellent.” Palmer noted Thursday’s unveiling “came two days after a naming rights deal for the stadium with Livestrong dissolved amid accusations of non-payment and distrust.” Heineman said, “We needed this day, and it couldn’t get here fast enough, quite frankly” (K.C. STAR, 1/18). Only two MLS clubs -- the Rapids and Earthquakes -- do not have jersey sponsorship deals (THE DAILY).