Joe Ellis, president and chief executive of the Denver Broncos, has said that the NFL American football team is still hopeful of securing a naming-rights partner for its Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The franchise had hoped to have an agreement in place before the start of the 2017 season, but with the new campaign just over month away, the team is still yet to finalise a deal.
At present, the stadium is retaining its current name, despite sporting goods retailer Sports Authority being liquidated and closing down last year.
However, although Ellis spoke of his disappointment at not being able to secure a deal, he said that talks are ongoing with a number of companies and he remains hopefully that an agreement can be reached.
“I’m a little disappointed,” Ellis said, according to the Denver Post newspaper.
“On the other hand, there’s a lot that goes into these deals, and some of them take longer periods of time than others. Some are quicker than the timetable we’ve been on. I’m looking forward to getting a deal done, but it has to be the right deal, and we’ve had discussions and we have a few more coming up.
“I’m not going to reveal who they’re with. It has to be the right partner, and there’s a lot of different components to it.”
Plans to remove company signage at the venue has been put on hold until the Broncos bring in a new partner. Ellis said this will save unnecessary costs and allow the franchise to spend more on improving visitor experience at the venue.
“I’m not just going to rebrand it one time and then brand it back. We’re not going to do that,” Ellis said. “If we’re going to spend money to do those kinds of things, or take the time, we’re going to do it to make the game-day experience better for the fans.
“We try to do the best we can in that area, and I think the metrics that we get back from the league and the fan surveys and everything else shows that we’re doing good with that. We always have to put more into it, because it remains a competitive issue for us, getting people to come to games all the time, year in and year out.
“That’s where we are today. I wish I was here with an announcement, but we’re not, and someday we will be.”
Image: Thelastcanadian
