Boston sports fandom is legendary, but it\u2019s been almost a decade since women\u2019s soccer fans in the city had a hometown team to root for.<\/p>\n
With a record-setting crowd of more than 30,000 at its debut game last weekend, it\u2019s safe to say that fans are excited to welcome Boston Legacy FC to the NWSL. And sponsors are, too, if Hyundai\u2019s five-year jersey patch deal with the team\u2014inked somewhere along the way between its bid approval, rebrand, and kickoff\u2014is any indication.<\/p>\n
Demand for jersey real estate in the league is high, with inventory having sold out across all 14 teams that were active in the league last season, according to SponsorUnited data. The valuation of Hyundai\u2019s deal with Boston Legacy, which includes a placement on the right sleeve of the kit, hasn\u2019t been made public, and Hyundai declined to disclose the figure, but the cost of jersey-patch sponsorships in the NWSL has been on the rise; the current record is reportedly held by Aflac and the NWSL\u2019s 2028 Atlanta expansion team, with a front-of-kit deal said to be worth $28 million over seven years.<\/p>\n
Given rising interest in soccer in the US ahead of this summer\u2019s FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup, the talent and fandom in women\u2019s soccer, and Boston\u2019s rich sports history, Hyundai Motor America CMO Sean Gilpin said he feels confident that investing in women\u2019s soccer is a \u201cwinning formula\u201d and that partnering early with the Legacy as the company\u2019s first US jersey sponsorship will pay off in the long run.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the growing strength of soccer, [the jersey patch] has become a much bigger opportunity for us here in the States,\u201d Gilpin told Marketing Brew. \u201cThis one was just a natural fit to get in on the ground floor with a team in a market like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
New rivalry loading\u2026<\/h2>\n
The Legacy hasn\u2019t exactly had a smooth start. The team was originally called \u201cBOS Nation FC,\u201d an anagram for \u201cBostonian\u201d that was lost on some fans, who also pushed back against the team\u2019s inaugural campaign, \u201cToo Many Balls,\u201d which was meant to poke fun at the lack of women\u2019s teams in the city. Gilpin said his team was aware of the controversy, but it didn\u2019t cause \u201cany disruption to our plans with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
It certainly wouldn\u2019t be the first time Boston sports fans got up in arms about one of their teams, and it likely won\u2019t be the last. The level of fan passion and investment was one of the reasons Gilpin said he was excited about partnering up with the Legacy, as was the possibility of a new NWSL rivalry. Naturally, Gilpin\u2019s mind went to New York\u2019s Gotham FC, the reigning champs, given the sports history between the two cities.<\/p>\n
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The Legacy also stood out because, as an expansion team in its inaugural season, a partnership would position Hyundai as a first mover, Gilpin told us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to replace someone else\u2019s jersey patch,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be a founding partner is a unique opportunity to really have credibility in the relationship with the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Live sports are an important part of Hyundai\u2019s marketing strategy, which has included work with leagues like the NFL and NBA, as well as a long-standing partnership with FIFA. A presence in the NWSL serves as a natural \u201ccomplement to that broader strategy,\u201d Gilpin said.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re only human<\/h2>\n
When Hyundai started talks with the Legacy, the team\u2019s roster had yet to be announced, and it had no on-field record, but as is the case with many sports sponsorships, Gilpin said he was most concerned with shared values.<\/p>\n
For Hyundai, \u201chumanity is a big part of our brand ethos,\u201d Gilpin said, and he was eager to know how the team planned to approach fan experiences and community engagement to understand how the brand could contribute. In the early days of the deal, that has meant incorporating Legacy players into Hyundai\u2019s social content so fans can get to know them better, he said.<\/p>\n