Gotham FC•News•NYCFC•Red Bulls
Red Bulls Announce Partnership, Rename Arena to Sports Illustrated Stadium
Red Bull Arena is no more.
The Harrison, New Jersey, home of the New York Red Bulls, NY/NJ Gotham FC, and sometimes New York City Football Club will now be called Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The naming rights announcement on Wednesday is part of a 13-year partnership between the Red Bulls and Sports Illustrated Tickets, a live event ticketing marketplace that first launched in 2021.
The partnership is the first stadium naming rights deal for Sports Illustrated, whose history as a publication dates back to 1954. Sports Illustrated Tickets will also become the official ticketing partner for all events at the venue.
The home of the New York Red Bulls is turning the page to a new era.Welcome to Sports Illustrated Stadium.
— Sports Illustrated Stadium (@sistadium.bsky.social) 2024-12-11T13:37:21.930Z
“We are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking long-term partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets and the iconic Sports Illustrated brand,” said New York Red Bulls President Marc de Grandpré.
“Our shared values and unwavering commitment to delivering an unparalleled guest experience will further cement Sports Illustrated Stadium as a premier destination for sports and entertainment in the metropolitan area. We are truly honored to call Sports Illustrated Stadium the home of Red Bull New York, and together, we eagerly anticipate creating unforgettable memories for all our fans and guests.”
The announcement also states that beginning in 2026, Sports Illustrated Tickets’ primary blockchain event ticketing platform, “Box Office,” will power all events at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
“This transformative technology will revolutionize the event experience, providing attendees with a secure, interactive, and efficient ticketing solution,” the announcement reads.
“Beyond seamless access, the Avalanche blockchain will elevate fan engagement by transforming event tickets into dynamic digital assets, offering exclusive perks, personalized content,t and more, creating a truly next-generation event experience.”
These digital assets and perks will most likely be NFT-based, marking Major League Soccer’s continued dive into the market. In late October, the league launched MLS Quest, a blockchain-based collectibles marketplace and gaming experience with the NFT platform operator Sweet.
Discussions regarding a naming rights deal for the arena have been discussed for close to a decade. In October 2015, the Red Bulls reportedly started shopping naming rights to Red Bull Arena, working with Fenway Sports Management on selling naming rights that industry sources told Sports Business Journal were worth, at the time, more than $4 million per year. In 2018, rumors officially reported by MLS said talks were happening between the organization and sports betting companies. However, nothing came to pass.
Last year, talks picked up once again when de Grandpré appeared on a podcast ahead of the team’s match against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF.
An article by Sportico claimed a deal could earn somewhere between $7 and $10 million annually.
“This (naming rights decision) was a long discussion internally about, Should we do it? Should we not do it?” de Grandpré said on the podcast.
“We’re going to see if there’s (an) appetite to get a partner to the arena.”
PHOTO: Sports Illustrated Stadium/Twitter/X
The 25,000-seat stadium will undergo renovations this offseason, including demolishing the current press box behind the team benches to make way for upgraded suite seats.
The former Red Bull Arena has hosted multiple high-profile matches since it opened in 2010, including its first match, a friendly match between RBNY and Santos FC of Brazil. In September 2017, the venue held its first and only FIFA World Cup Qualifying match, where the U.S. Men’s National Team fell to Costa Rica 2-0. The arena has also seen two championship games, with New York Red Bulls U-23 beating Chattanooga FC to win the 2014 NPSL Championship and New York Red Bulls II beating Swope Park Rangers to capture the 2016 United Soccer League (now the USL Championship) championship.
Since 2020, the venue has served as a secondary and controversial home for New York City Football Club when Yankee Stadium, and later Citi Field, proved to be unavailable. Initially used as a venue for 2020 CONCACAF Champions League matches early in the year, NYCFC played five regular-season matches at the arena due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Every season since, the team has played at least one home game at the arena, including eight during the MLS Cup-winning 2021 season.
In women’s soccer, NY/NJ Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League has called the arena home since 2020. Initially, the then-named Sky Blue FC played two home games in Harrison in 2019 before a rebrand and full move the following year. While COVID also impacted that first season at the arena, the team has grown into its new home, winning the 2023 NWSL Championship and setting a team record in 2024 with an average attendance of 8,589.
The arena has also been used for other sports, such as college football, rugby union, and lacrosse, as well as music concerts.
PHOTO: Sports Illustrated Stadium/Twitter/X
Discover more from New York Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Gotham FC News NYCFC Red Bulls