Earlier this month, the New York Red Bulls sent shockwaves through the sports and business world when the organization announced a historic 13-year partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets.

The strategic collaboration includes the renaming and rebranding of Red Bull Arena in Harrison to Sports Illustrated Stadium. It also features Sports Illustrated Tickets taking over in 2026 as the Official Ticketing Partner for all events at the now Sports Illustrated Stadium; opportunities for fans to experience exclusive events and immersive opportunities; plans to integrate the popular digital Sports Illustrated Fan Cover experience at all stadium events; the establishment a premium, 1,000-seat hospitality location at the stadium, Club SI; and much more.

The landmark deal – in the nine-figure territory over its duration according to a league source – marks the first such naming rights deal for either organization.

“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 in a Dec. 11 press release. “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.”

An ‘awe-inspiring moment’

“Seeing Sports Illustrated Stadium for the first time is truly an historic and awe-inspiring moment,” said David Lane, CEO of Sports Illustrated Tickets. The ticket arm of the iconic media brand launched in 2021. “For seven decades, Sports Illustrated has represented the best in sports and culture. Through this global partnership and iconic venue, we aim to showcase our vast portfolio of media, live event ticketing, hospitality and fan experiences as we continue to partner with leagues, teams, artists and venues around the world.”

NJBIZ recently caught up with officials from both organizations to discuss how the deal came together and what it means for both the Red Bulls and Sports Illustrated Tickets over the short and long term.

Joe Stetson is chief commercial officer for the Red Bulls, and has been with the club since 2014. He served as a point person for the negotiations.

Stetson reflected on how meaningful it is for the club to land a deal with such an iconic brand in the sports space.

“It is something to be associated with this brand,” Stetson told NJBIZ. “I just recall every Thursday, my brother and I fighting over who gets the Sports Illustrated first – not only to read it. But we wallpapered our room we shared with it, too. I’ve been in this business for a long time – and it is a unique partnership for a lot of reasons. But these two iconic brands coming together in this way is something that is just really, really special.”

Let’s make a deal

He recounted his first call with Lane and other folks from Sports Illustrated just over a year ago.

“And the first 30 minutes was just me geeking out (about SI),” Stetson joked. “And then we started talking business.”

He stressed that this is the first time the club is putting something other than Red Bull on the Harrison facility.

“We’re part of Red Bull – we’re part of the Red Bull family,” he explained. “The name of the team is the New York Red Bulls. The logo on the jersey is the Red Bulls. The stadium has been marked with Red Bull since it opened in 2010.”

In fact, internal discussions around potentially marketing the naming rights of the arena took place back in 2018. Stetson noted how valuable of a commercial asset that is for pro sports teams, as well as a desire to program the building beyond just soccer.

“We had some great opportunities. There were some brands that just weren’t the right fit and worthy for us to take the Red Bull name off the building,” he continued. “But by late 2019, we actually did find a partner that we were ready to move forward with and that we were getting to a good place with. As we know, in the beginning of 2020, the world changed. And we were unable to move forward with that naming rights opportunity. And quite honestly, we just decided then and there we weren’t really going to pursue the naming rights partner again, and we were Red Bull Arena – and that was going to be the case.”

An inflection point

However, soccer has boomed in North America over the last few years, between the growth of the MLS, a league deal with Apple +, the arrival of Lionel Messi and other top global stars to the league — and the upcoming FIFA World Cup 26 coming to the continent, as well as the Final at MetLife Stadium.

“And then over the last few years, opportunities really started to present themselves. We’re experiencing quite an inflection point over the last few years as far as soccer’s related in North America. Soccer’s been growing more rapidly than any other sport in North America,” said Stetson. He also noted the growth in non-soccer events, with everything from other sports to an upcoming concert — the first at the stadium since 2011).

“So, brands were actually coming to us – and asking about the opportunity for naming rights,” Stetson said. “And we decided, both at the club and globally with Red Bull, that we are going to explore this opportunity again. And really see if we could find that right brand that would be the right fit.”

Stetson said that finding the right brand was paramount. The search centered around three themes: ambition, relationships and teamwork.

“We decided that if we were going to change the name from Red Bull Arena to a new name, it would have to be not only just the right partner,” he explained. “But we were ambitious about what we wanted to deliver in terms of that sponsorship value. The league average, quite honestly, wasn’t enough for us – instead, we wanted to be in the top quartile or even better.”

Bringing it together

Mutual friends and contacts connected the two organizations for that aforementioned introductory phone call to discuss the evolving ticketing landscape. At that point, naming rights were not on the agenda.

Stetson conceded that, at the time, it did not seem like there was going to be a fit because of the timing. In fact, as talks with Sports Illustrated Tickets moved to the backburner, the Red Bulls also engaged in serious talks with two other potential naming rights partners.

Meanwhile, the team took notice of some moves by Sports Illustrated Tickets, especially its work with the NFL. Around the spring/summer of this year, the two organizations reconnected.

“And once again, I don’t think we were really necessarily in a good position to find a way to work together, to be honest with you – at that time,” said Stetson. “At that point, David, SI, and I were just kind of talking more just like checking in with each other. We were just figuring out how we could work together. And the naming rights seemed to be probably the only way that this would work.”

Once the two sides came to that epiphany, the process shifted into another gear. Negotiations took shape quickly and came to fruition, resulting in the recently announced, more-than-just-a-standard naming rights deal.

Opportunities abound

“The last part that I was talking about in terms of teamwork, just the ability of our organization to turn this around in such an amazing way,” said Stetson. “What seems to be record time – across the entire organization, every department. It was astounding. And then the teamwork to work with David and his team as SI Tickets and Sports Illustrated. It was really remarkable. And that got us to where we are able to announce – and really put together, what for me, is such a unique partnership.”

Stetson noted that the excitement stems not just from a commercial standpoint, but from a fan experience as well as an innovation and technology perspective.

“There’s just so many opportunities here – from these two iconic brands joining forces,” said Stetson. “As somebody who has been in this industry for a while and seen a lot of these types of naming rights deals – it’s not very linear. There’s just so many ways that we’re going to benefiting from this.”

Describing how things went from zero to 100 miles per hour with the negotiations, Stetson stressed that in situations like this – timing is truly everything.

“And in terms of what they were looking to do – working with a large sports and entertainment property like ours to align with; align with long-term – to be able to grow with,” said Stetson. “Then on our end, just in terms of where we were with some of our naming rights conversations – where we were in terms of our long-term plan in the ticketing space. Once again, the stars were aligned.”

The ‘right’ partner

Lane echoed that sentiment.

“For 70 years, we’ve been waiting for the right partner, the right opportunity, the right venue – where we can bring more than just a name on the side of the building. But really bring to bear all of our experience and resources to do everything,” Lane told NJBIZ. “Naming rights is the headline today. But it’s really about how do we help bring more fans into every event. And each of those fans leave with something special – a memory, a feeling, that they can’t wait to come back. And I think in Sports Illustrated and Red Bull, these two iconic, globally recognized organizations – nobody knows fandom better.”

“For us to remove our name from the building, should illustrate to the rest of the world and the sports world how important Sports Illustrated is to us,” said de Grandpré.

The home of the New York Red Bulls is turning the page to a new era.

Welcome to Sports Illustrated Stadium. pic.twitter.com/WMNBgw0OeT

— Sports Illustrated Stadium (@Sl_Stadium) December 11, 2024

“The marriage of these two iconic brands in sports, entertainment and culture is second-to-none. And we will make sure that we bring the best fan experience to all who come through our doors. That was our vision, Dave’s vision – and both groups came together and made this happen,” de Grandpré continued. “And it’s going to benefit our fans, our community, which is really important. They’re going to have an amazing experience. The technology that Sports Illustrated Tickets will bring to the table in 2026 will be something our fans have never experienced before.”

Fan-focused agreement

The two organizations also emphasized that the length and long-term commitment speaks to the alignment on what they believe a naming rights partnership should be.

“We are not just sticking Sports Illustrated Stadium on the building and saying – ‘OK, we’re done – moving on,’” said de Grandpré. “It’s truly a holistic agreement to really further the fan experience; bring more programming to the building; improve the ticketing technology in 2026; tell our story through the lens of the Sports Illustrated.

“Think about the powerful message that is for our fans and the community to hear our story through the lens of Sports Illustrated,” he continued. “They are the best at storytelling in the sports world and across media. We’re going to leverage that. It’s really important for us. And we felt that 13 years was the perfect number for us – and hopefully, it’s going to be an even longer deal.”

For 70 years, we’ve been waiting for the right partner, the right opportunity, the right venue – where we can bring more than just a name on the side of the building.
– David Lane, CEO of Sports Illustrated Tickets

“You don’t go into a partnership with short-term vision – when after 70 years or decades of building your iconic, globally recognized brand, and think it’s just going to be day one and we’re off to the races,” said Lane. “I think the goal here, for us, is not just what we do for the ’25 season. It’s how do we really start to understand the Red Bull fan base, the Gotham FC fan base, the international fan base.

“We’re bringing concerts to the venue. We’re going to create an opportunity for Sports Illustrated Stadium to become a premier sports and entertainment venue in the New York market – and a showcase for the world.”

‘A new era’

Lane stressed that that reality deserves longevity.

“I think the commitment of both of these organizations after all of this time, to find each other at this moment – is such a momentous, transformational moment,” said Lane. “A new era, certainly, for Sports Illustrated.”

Of course, the announcement comes amid the backdrop of a Cinderella playoff run that took the Red Bulls to the MLS Cup, falling just short against the LA Galaxy in the club’s bid for its first title.

But the momentum is already palpable heading into next season – and this landmark partnership, with such an iconic brand, is the cherry on top for an organization on the rise here in the great Garden State and beyond.

“We’re in a market where there’s 13-plus professional sports franchises. We’re in a very, very competitive media, sports, entertainment landscape,” said Stetson. “And I think that this is a statement. What we’ve proven is that we’re really competitive on the soccer side of things. Then now I think what we’re showing here is that we’re really competitive on the business and commercial side as well. I think it’s opened up a lot of eyes – across the industry, across brands that are looking at who they want to align with and associate themselves with.”

Stetson noted the excitement within the organization.

“It’s almost surreal we’ve had this week – where were at MLS Cup, and now we’re announcing a landmark naming rights deal,” said Stetson. “But I think this is just the beginning.”