Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew SC has announced Spanish insurer Mapfre as the first-ever naming rights sponsor of its home stadium.
The venue will be renamed Mapfre Stadium under the terms of a multi-year deal. Though financial terms of the deal have not been released, Crew investor-operator and chairman Anthony Precourt described it as “the largest commercial partnership signed in the franchise’s history”. Based on comparable stadium naming rights deals in MLS, the agreement is likely to be worth a low seven-figure sum annually.
Stadium naming rights in Houston and San Jose have both recently been sold for US$20m over ten years. As well as stadium naming rights, Mapfre’s investment in Columbus also includes community elements, and designates the company as the Crew’s official auto, life and home insurance partner.
Opened in 1999, the 20,145-capacity Mapfre Stadium was the host of the 2001 MLS Cup, two MLS All-Star Games, and eight of the USA’s home Fifa World Cup qualifiers. It also stages music concerts and other entertainment events.
April 9, 2015
