Vancouver Whitecaps FC have announced a multi-million dollar shirt sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Bell Canada ahead of the team’s entry into Major League Soccer.
The deal will see see Whitecaps players sport the Bell logo, while Whitecaps FC fans will be able to stay connected with access to unique mobile content. The Whitecaps ownership group includes Yahoo founder Jeff Mallett as well as NBA star Steve Nash.
“Bell is the ideal partner for the Whitecaps,” proclaimed Whitecaps FC chief executive Paul Barber. “Our ownership group is very technology-minded, and we’re excited about how Bell is going to help deliver even more ways for fans to enjoy the excitement of the Major League Soccer experience. It was important for us to find a partner who not only shared our passion for sport, but also shared our values. Bell’s commitment to the community made them a perfect fit and the clear choice to join our club as the Premier Founding Partner.”
The partnership between Bell and Vancouver Whitecaps FC represents one of the most comprehensive agreements of its kind in Major League Soccer, reflecting both the rapid growth of soccer in Canada and North America, as well as the Whitecaps’ status as one of the region’s oldest and most famous soccer clubs.
“Coming out of the 2010 Winter Games with awesome momentum in Vancouver it was natural to partner with Whitecaps FC, a team with the capacity to excite the community from a local, Canadian and international perspective,” said Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Mobility and chief brand officer for Bell. “MLS soccer is a great fan experience and we look forward to engaging the huge base of fans in British Columbia with world-class Whitecaps FC soccer and unique mobile content only Bell can deliver.”
Oosterman told press that the deal is more valuable than any currently existing in the league. LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders both collect around US$4 million per year from their sponsorships. The Whitecaps deal can be assumed to at least match those, but also offers such things as free Whitecaps content to the team’s fans on Bell’s network.
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