Oct. 28: Ally Financial will remain Charlotte FC’s title sponsor into the 2030s after extending a partnership that began with the club’s first MLS season in 2022.
The deal was agreed to with several seasons remaining on the current contract, in part to account for Major League Soccer (MLS) moving to a summer-to-spring schedule next year. Terms and duration were not disclosed. The Charlotte Business Journal has reported that Ally is paid about $8 million a year, well above the MLS average, which SponsorUnited puts at $5.1 million this season.
Ally’s director of marketing and public relations, Andrea Brimmer, said it is one of the bank’s biggest investments once you factor in “sponsorship fees as well as activation”.
The package remains pretty much the same. Alongside the jersey, Ally supports the Pitches for Progress program, which has built seven mini-camps in at-risk communities, and its logo appears in the center circle during team outings.
“We had over 500 Ally employees who have had the opportunity to volunteer through the partnership, which we really enjoy,” Brimmer said. “We’re really duplicating the things we’ve done and just being creative with them as we go along.”
The results support renewal. Ally’s brand awareness among MLS fans has increased by 22% and the partnership has helped recruit and retain staff at its largest employment center in Charlotte. It also soft-launched its loyalty program, Loyally, with Charlotte FC fans before taking it national.
“Andrea and her team understand what the definition of success is,” said Eric Sudol, chief revenue officer of Tepper Sports & Entertainment. “We know the KPIs and the bogeys we face.”
There is an awkward detail. Charlotte plays in Bank of America Stadium, named after an Ally competitor, which limits what TS&E can offer inside the venue. “We’ve had a lot of direct conversations with Bank of America management and we’ve just worked,” Brimmer said.
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