The Washington Nationals could be set for a landmark stadium sponsorship deal after it emerged that the Major League Baseball team has appointed the Excel Sports Management agency to market naming rights to Nationals Park.
Forbes has reported that Excel will also seek out a jersey patch sponsor for the Nationals. Currently, the Nationals are the only MLB team that has never had a stadium sponsor or a jersey patch sponsor.
The Nationals are said to be hopeful that deals can be struck later this year, with Forbes estimating that a stadium partner and jersey patch sponsor could, together, generate more than $20m (£15.7m/€19m) a year for the team.
The searches for a stadium naming-rights partner and a jersey patch sponsor are expected to take place “largely independently”, according to Forbes.
The team’s home stadium has been known as Nationals Park since opening in 2008. Earlier this year, reports emerged that the Nationals are planning a new entertainment hub at Nationals Park to provide the stadium with more year-round revenue opportunities.
The stadium is owned by Events DC, and in November, DC Council approved legislation to provide funding for upgrades at Nationals Park. The funding is dependent on the Nationals extending their lease to play at the stadium until 2054.
Nationals Park has a capacity of around 41,000, with the Nationals averaging 24,287 fans at games last season.
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