Toronto FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy each announced jersey sponsorship deals Friday, unveiling new jerseys featuring corporate branding across the chest. The Canadian expansion side's jersey sponsor will be BMO Financial Group, which also owns the naming rights to that club's brand new soccer-specific stadium, while the Galaxy's shirts will be emblazoned with the logo for Herbalife Ltd., a global nutrition direct-selling company.
Major League Soccer became the first major American professional sports league to allow front jerseys sponsors this season. XanGo, an energy drink company, was the first jersey sponsor to sign on, buying the rights to Real Salt Lake's tops. The New York Red Bulls also have the logo of their parent company, another energy drink, displayed prominently on the front of their jerseys.
Toronto FC unveiled their new look at a media event held at BMO Bank of Montreal's First Canadian Place branch in downtown Toronto. Maurice Edu, the top pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft was on hand to model the new kits.
"Having a prominent jersey sponsor is unique to soccer teams around the world and keeps with the tradition of the sport," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns Toronto FC. "We're excited to extend our relationship with BMO Financial Group and to support them in exposing their services to a wider audience in Canada and beyond. BMO is a great Canadian brand and a strong supporter of sport and soccer."
Just minutes after Toronto's announcement, the Galaxy unveiled their deal with Herbalife. The five-year, multimillion dollar expansion of Herbalife's agreement with AEG, which owns the Galaxy, will put the company's logo front and center on the Galaxy jerseys. The jerseys are sure to be highly visible this season, especially when former England captain and international sensation David Beckham joins the club from Real Madrid this summer.
"Without a doubt, this is a milestone event in American sports marketing," said Shawn Hunter, president and chief marketing officer of AEG Sports. "With the tremendous amount of global exposure the Galaxy is expected to generate in the upcoming season, the time was clearly right for a professional league in the United States to create this branding platform."
The practice of jersey sponsorship has been prevalent in the soccer world for years with nearly all of the world's top clubs their jerseys as a unique advertising space.
"Soccer represents a great opportunity for us to deepen our relationship with customers and communities in Toronto and indeed right across Canada," said Frank Techar, president and chief executive officer of personal and commercial banking in Canada for BMO Financial Group. "We are thrilled that as an integral part of the jersey design, the BMO brand is prominently displayed so that our enthusiastic and ongoing support for the world's most popular sport will be plainly in sight at every game at BMO Field and Major League Soccer stadiums right across North America."
"The national and international appeal of soccer and of the Los Angeles Galaxy club in particular is a natural fit for our global philosophy of promoting a healthy, active lifestyle," said Herbalife chief executive officer Michael O. Johnson. "We have had tremendous success partnering with many AEG-owned properties in our effort to build our brand image and allow our independent distributors increased access to new customers."
Specific financial details of the jersey sponsorship agreements were not released.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
