American Family Insurance To Sponsor Jerseys For Incoming MLS Club Atlanta United

Atlanta United has signed a multiyear partnership with American Family Insurance that will make it the first official kit sponsor of the incoming '17 MLS expansion club. The insurance company’s logo will appear on the club’s first team jerseys, and it will also sponsor Atlanta United’s first team tryout tour. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though it will put the club within the top tier of MLS in jersey sponsor revenue, with the league average being between $3-4M in revenue annually. Atlanta United will unveil its jersey later this year. Club President Darren Eales said that the jersey kit sponsor represented the latest step the club has taken as it builds towards it ’17 launch, which already has more than 31,000 deposits for ticket purchases. Eales also noted the cultural fit between the two organizations, as well as the commitment from AFI to grow the game of soccer at a local level, as two key points for the club in doing the deal. AFI in October '15 signed a 10-year partnership with AMB Sports & Entertainment to be a founding partner of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As part of that deal, the company will sponsor an interactive fan zone located outside of the stadium for select home games. This represents the first MLS jersey sponsorship for AFI, which currently has deals with the Falcons, Seahawks, Colts and Packers. The company also sponsors Warriors F Kevin Durant, Texans DE J.J. Watt, former MLBer Derek Jeter and The Player’s Tribune.

IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS: AFI CMO Telisa Yancy said the company has been impressed with the progress Atlanta United has made in terms of building their fanbase without playing a game and is excited to make inroads into the soccer industry. “When we think about the growth and attendance that you’re seeing in MLS, it’s such a interesting time to build a partnership in the league,” she said. The two sides negotiated the jersey sponsorship in-house. Premier Partnerships has represented AMB Sports & Entertainment in top-tier sponsorship sales for the new stadium, as well as for the new club, and made the initial introductions between the two parties. AFI used Ideaquest to validate the partnership.