Let’s take a look at the automotive brands leveraging soccer’s surging popularity by partnering with U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer.
In 2013, Chevy and U.S. Soccer announced a three-year deal making Chevy the Official Vehicle Partner of the Federation. This partnership complements Chevy’s global deals with Manchester United and One World Futbol.
Audi and MLS announced their multi-year partnership prior to the start of the 2015 season, making Audi the Official Automotive Partner of the League. While Audi has partnered with the League, they also have several local deals complementing the wide array of other auto brands involved with teams, both domestic and foreign.
It is interesting to note that only three out of the 23 local team deals are with American auto brands. Perhaps we can attribute this to foreign auto brands being engaged in the sport longer across various overseas leagues. Another interesting thing to note is that Kia has exclusive deals with all of the Canadian teams.
Teams currently without auto deals include D.C. United and the New England Revolution. Sporting Kansas City has a unique deal with a local auto group that represents foreign luxury brands.
Categories: Agnostic, Featured, Major League Soccer, Sponsorship