Image credit: San Jose Earthquakes
It’s official. The story that was broken by Sportico back in February has come to fruition, and the San Jose Earthquakes finally have their big-name Silicon Valley technology naming rights partner for their stadium. PayPal Park is the new name for the stadium which has been home to the Earthquakes since 2015. It’s the third name for the stadium in its short six-year history, and the second naming rights partner.
But this 10-year deal feels different. It’s not just a big corporate brand coming in to splash their name all over a stadium. Sure, that’s going to happen — that’s how this works. But Santa Clara County was once the epicenter (no pun intended) of the Covid-19 pandemic — the Bay Area being the first region in the US to go into a “lockdown” — and its small businesses have felt the pain acutely, perhaps more so than other parts of the country given the costs of living and running a small business here. This deal feels so uniquely structured for two iconic San José institutions to work together to help bring the city and community back to a better place and help small businesses recover.
“This stadium gives our community an opportunity to exhale and particularly coming out of this pandemic, there’s never a time more when we need to find opportunities to safely come together and cheer together,” said San José Mayor Sam Liccardo. “The Earthquakes are all about bringing people together, and we’re grateful to PayPal for enabling us to bring great soccer to this amazing city every year.”
Consider this: PayPal will be gifting its board signage, scoreboard time, and various stadium benefits to various San José small businesses at each home match. One small business will be featured and placed in the spotlight for all fans in attendance and watching on television and streaming services. Earthquakes Public Relations says that the club and PayPal are currently working through details to do more to support local small businesses.
In addition, 250 seats, named the PayPal Stand, will be reserved for underserved members of the community at each and every home match. In addition to complimentary tickets, PayPal and the Earthquakes are providing transportation to get these fans to and from each match at no cost to them once it is safe to do so and the Covid-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County allow for it.
“I think this partnership is going to be great for the community in general. We want to invite small businesses to be a part of this and invite the community. We want to have fairs, music, and of course all the great action that happens with the San Jose Quakes. We’re so excited about deepening our relationship with [the city of ] San José and the entire community,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal.
Earthquakes Chief Operating Officer Jared Shawlee agrees. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to find a stadium naming rights partner that aligns with our vision of uplifting the local community. With this partnership PayPal’s really making an investment in our community in San José and the broader Bay Area. It means a lot to use to partner with a hometown company with such a global reputation. I think it’s going to be great…for our team on the field as well as for our community off the field.”
The Earthquakes are also unveiling the “PayPal Pro Experience.” 20 local youth will be invited to watch a first team training session and then will get a chance to play on the stadium field afterwards, with Quakes players and technical staff serving as coaches. This will take place four times a year with different youths every time.
Image credit: San Jose Earthquakes
There are a lot of benefits for fans in attendance as well. In addition to the well-established PayPal brand, PayPal also owns the popular Venmo service, enabling the choice of either for fans in a variety of improved stadium experiences, particularly related to concessions. With COVID-19 possibly making guests uncomfortable to return to a crowded sports venue, PayPal’s technology will be integrated to create a more touchless experience. Parking, tickets, merchandise, concessions, and more will all be available to purchase through Venmo using QR codes. Not only will this enable safe cashless transactions, but also there will be a Venmo loyalty program with instant rewards and fast lanes (think DisneyLand’s FastPass) to expedite the transaction process.
“It’s been great working with the team at PayPal to build a program that will positively impact many members of our community and bring world-class technology solutions to our venue,” said Earthquakes Vice President of Strategy Ian Anderson in the club’s press release.
The full joint press release is available below.
Earthquakes, PayPal Agree to Historic 10-Year Stadium Naming Rights Partnership
Earthquakes Stadium in San Jose renamed PayPal Park
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes and PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) today announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement that includes naming rights for the Major League Soccer (MLS) team’s stadium located in San Jose, California, which will be called PayPal Park. PayPal will also become the official jersey sleeve patch sponsor of the team. The 10-year partnership is built to celebrate Quakes fans, the San Jose community, and local small businesses, and will reimagine the future of live event experiences for sports fans by leveraging PayPal’s innovative payments technology.
“PayPal is deeply committed to San Jose, and we are excited to partner with the San Jose Earthquakes to introduce PayPal Park to our passionate Quakes community and local small businesses,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. “This is a unique opportunity to partner with a valued sporting brand and strong community of fans, as we draw on our digital payments technology and work together to redefine the future of live event experiences.”
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to find a stadium naming rights partner that aligns with our vision of uplifting the local community,” said Earthquakes Chief Operating Officer Jared Shawlee. “PayPal is a highly respected global brand with its headquarters less than two miles from our Front Office. We’re excited to partner on a number of initiatives that aim to support local small businesses and underserved youth, while also making the stadium a more touchless experience for our guests.”
PayPal and the Earthquakes’ commitment to the San Jose community will be an integral part of the matchday experience. PayPal Park will feature a 250-seat reserved section of the stadium that will host underserved members of the community and provide them with access to complimentary tickets and transportation to and from home matches. Local youth and nonprofit organizations will be invited to Earthquake’s training sessions and have opportunities to play games on the stadium field. Additionally, Quakes fans will be given special offers and discounts, giveaways, and surprise and delights from PayPal and Venmo.
“We are thrilled to have San Jose’s stadium and great social gathering space bearing the name of a hometown employer, community partner, and global industry leader in PayPal,” said San José Mayor Sam Liccardo. “PayPal’s partnership with the Quakes prominently positions two authentic, wildly popular San Jose brands at our city’s gateway, greeting millions of visitors travelling annually through our airport into Silicon Valley.”
The community-first partnership will offer San Jose and Bay Area small businesses opportunities to reach new audiences and partake in events and programs that fuel their growth. For each home game, PayPal and the Quakes will spotlight a small business, driving exposure through signage, curated social media promotion and other marketing activities. PayPal Park will also explore expanding the utility of the stadium to facilitate other events that bring together the local community and small businesses.
“This is a landmark partnership for our club,” said Earthquakes Vice President of Strategy Ian Anderson. “It’s been great working with the team at PayPal to build a program that will positively impact many members of our community and bring world-class technology solutions to our venue. We look forward to hosting fans at PayPal Park for years to come.”
PayPal Park will be outfitted with PayPal’s digital payments technology, including the ability to pay touch-free with QR codes at point-of-sale (POS) systems around the stadium and feature benefits like fast lanes that provide fans paying with PayPal or Venmo a quicker checkout experience. These advancements will help transform PayPal Park into a leading-edge, post COVID-19 venue that offers new and seamless ways to maximize how fans experience live events. In addition, the Quakes will further embed the brand’s payment solutions throughout its digital properties and feature PayPal at multiple touchpoints throughout the fan journey.
About PayPal
PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 375 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.
About PayPal Park
PayPal Park, home to Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, is an 18,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located on Coleman Ave. adjacent to the San Jose International Airport. The European-inspired building is the first cloud-enabled venue in MLS and is among the most technologically advanced stadiums in the world. The stadium features a canopy roof and the steepest-raked seating in MLS to provide the best possible fan experience. Additionally, the north end zone houses the largest outdoor bar in North America, a two-acre fan zone and a double-sided video scoreboard. The suites and club seats are located at field level, giving fans a premium experience unlike any other in professional sports. The stadium has hosted numerous non-MLS regular season events since its inaugural season in 2015, including the International Champions Cup, numerous U.S. Women’s National Team friendlies, the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, the 2016 Major League Soccer All-Star Game against Arsenal FC and a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier for the U.S. Men’s National Team. For more information about PayPal Park, visit sjearthquakes.com.
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