USL club Sacramento Republic FC on Thursday announced a "new-naming rights agreement" for their home stadium with national pizza chain Papa Murphy's, according to Matt Kawahara of the SACRAMENTO BEE. The team's 11,500-seat Cal Expo facility "will now be called Papa Murphy's Park." Since its debut in '14, the stadium had "been known as Bonney Field, named for the Sacramento-based plumbing contractor." Republic FC President Warren Smith said that the "new agreement is for three years" through '19 -- after which the team "hopes to graduate" to MLS and move into a new stadium. Smith said that naming rights for the team's current stadium "became available when Bonney chose not to continue its association after last season." The deal announced Thursday "does not extend to that proposed stadium." However, Smith said that Papa Murphy's has "expressed 'interest in also participating at a higher level,' if the team joins" MLS. Republic FC VP/Marketing & Communications Erika Bjork said that along with new signage, Papa Murphy's Park this season will "have new field-level LED boards," making Republic FC the only USL team "to include that feature at its home facility" (SACBEE.com, 3/9).
