Subaru's deal with the Union is the company's first with a major league sports team worldwideGETTY IMAGES
The Union has signed a multi-year stadium naming rights deal with Japanese automaker Subaru, renaming the club's 18,500-seat soccer-specific venue, until now known as Talen Energy Stadium, Subaru Park. The club declined to disclose terms, but sources familiar with the deal pegged it in the low seven figures annually. The length of the agreement falls in line with the MLS average for naming rights deals, the Union said. The agreement marks the first time the leading automaker has entered into a partnership with a major league sports team, domestically and globally. Subaru also will become the official and exclusive automotive partner of the Union. Additionally, the company and team will produce a series of charitable programs in the Philadelphia metro area centered around youth soccer, pediatric cancer, pet adoption, and environmental sustainability. OVG Global Partnerships brokered the deal on behalf of the Union (Dhingra & Burns, THE DAILY).
GETTING A MAKEOVER: In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald notes this is the "first time that the Japanese car manufacturer, whose U.S. headquarters is in Camden, has done a deal like this with any major-league sports team worldwide." The Union also announced a "trio of major enhancements to the stadium complex." The "most prominent is a new video board over the west stands, where the old video board stood." It will "span 109 feet by 32 feet, offering a 281% increase in screen size and a 200% increase in resolution compared to the old board." There also will be "new LED ribbon boards at field level and atop the seating bowl, and more than 200 new monitors around the stadium, including the main concourse." Under the River End stands, the Union will "launch a high-end lounge called the Tunnel Club." The premium space "soft-opened last year, and is now fully operational for fans with some of the highest-end tickets" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/18).
