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The basics:

• Red Bulls are excited and optimistic about the season — both from a sporting and business perspective.
• Arena’s private events business revenue has grown 30% year over year from 2022 to 2023.
• The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final and eight matches will offer opportunities to showcase the arena.

Leading up to the team’s home opener March 9 against FC Dallas in Harrison, the New York Red Bulls sought to build on last season’s momentum – on the pitch and in business.

The Red Bulls began the season on the road for two matches before returning to their home crowd last weekend at Red Bull Arena. The team’s second home match on March 23 brings Inter Miami back to New Jersey – but it is not known whether superstar Lionel Messi will play because of a potential schedule conflict with his Argentine National Team responsibilities, which may include a friendly the day before in Philadelphia. Messi’s appearance in Harrison last year had the area buzzing.

Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer marked a pivotal next step in the league’s evolution – bringing more eyeballs and attention – which coincided with the groundwork the Red Bulls have been laying in several areas. NJBIZ recently caught up with Red Bulls officials about the year that was, the season ahead, and to learn more about the organization’s growth and areas of focus.

“Last year both our organization and the league gained a great deal of momentum propelled by the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV,” Marc de Grandpré, president, New York Red Bulls, told NJBIZ. “Over the years, we have enjoyed growth in attendance at Red Bull Arena, revenue across the club and our record-breaking engagement numbers that have really fueled stronger awareness in our market.”

The Red Bulls president noted the strong partnerships the club has formed with Garden State-based companies.

“Our New Jersey-based marketing partners including Hackensack Meridian Health, Provident Bank, NJ Lottery, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, Affinity Federal Credit Union, Kean University, NJIT, TotalEnergies have all expressed their continued passion and commitment to being part of the Red Bull family,” said de Grandpré.

He says that the entire club is excited and optimistic about the season — both from a sporting and commercial perspective.

“On the pitch our team is led by our newly named captain, Swedish national player Emil Forsberg and new head coach, Sandro Schwarz. Local soccer fans can come out and see some of our homegrown talent from New Jersey including John Tolkin (Chatham), Daniel Edelman (Warren), Peter Stroud (Chester), Serge Ngoma (North Plainfield), and others,” de Grandpré explained. “We are also looking forward to the upcoming groundbreaking of our new state-of-the-art Training Complex located in Morris Township that will be opening in 2025.”

In describing Red Bull Arena as providing the best fan experience in the local sports and entertainment scene, the team president said that experience will be elevated even more with several enhancements this season, such as:

• A state-of-the-art LED lighting system at the arena to provide enhanced visibility and safety, as well as new entertainment features to heighten the overall spectator experience
• A new Arena Services Event Day Team to accommodate guests
• New concession food offerings
• Street to Seat for fans arriving at Red Bull Arena with enhanced CrossBar and BULLevard programming, along with elevated game presentation throughout the match

“Each of our 17 home matches will have a different theme night for fans to enjoy with their families,” said de Grandpré. “Our work in the community remains in the forefront of our club’s mission, with nights dedicated to bringing awareness to causes including autism acceptance, childhood cancer (with our partner Hackensack Meridian Health) along with education and food insecurity for our neighbors in need.”

Shaun Oliver, vice president, Operations, and general manager, Red Bull Arena, told NJBIZ that he can feel the excitement. He pointed to some of the team’s acquisitions, such as Forsberg, as well as hires that de Grandpré made on the business side. “There’s definitely been a change in the way we’re playing on the field, but also the way we’re marketing in different ways,” said Oliver, who has been with the club for nearly two decades.

That sentiment was echoed by Jamie Ponce, head of special events at Red Bull Arena, who has been with the Red Bulls for 13 seasons. “There is definitely a different pep in everyone’s step,” Ponce said.

That energy can be felt in the area around the arena in Harrison, which is undergoing a resurgence. That was reflected in a major announcement the day NJBIZ spoke with Oliver and Ponce regarding Harrison PATH Station.

“I think Harrison’s become a different place,” said Oliver. “You can see it from the front door of our stadium with the new development that’s going up. Obviously, the infrastructure they’re putting into the PATH Station to make sure they can house a lot more trains coming through Harrison – as it becomes kind of the gateway for the west to New York City. And we’re right at the doorstep of that. Harrison, they’ve been a good partner with us, too, in just every initiative we’re trying to do to make sure that we’re taking the community into consideration as we try to build up what we’re trying to at the stadium – bring in the Women’s Team, bring in international games. I think Harrison’s been a phenomenal partner.”

Oliver said all these factors are coming together – along with the pandemic in the rearview – to set the stage for this exciting next chapter. “We’ve slowly built momentum, I think, on the business side, to really have a plan of attack on what we’re going to do for the next couple of years,” Oliver explained. “And like I said, the town is doing their thing and the community is being developed around us. Now, the investment on the field is also going to show that there’s a whole ecosystem of change going on at Red Bull.”

Playing host

As Oliver noted, in addition to the Red Bull match days and other international matches and soccer-related activities, there has been a major focus on building out the private events business on days when there are no ticketed events — an effort that Ponce has overseen.

According to the Red Bulls, the private events business revenue has grown 30% year over year from 2022 to 2023, while total private events at the arena have doubled since 2021. These events can include everything from production shoots, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate holiday parties and offsite meetings, private company tournaments, college graduations and the American Lung Association Annual Fight for Air Climb to the SBC Summit North America cocktail and networking event that will have bring hundreds of online gaming and betting executives from all over the world to Harrison.

“We have some core values in the organization – growing the soccer business and, of course, growing our fanbase. Where I see we play into that from the private events business is the more people that can come into the building on a non-game day, the more eyes that are on our field, everything within the building,” said Ponce, explaining that every new attendee to a different event could be a potential Red Bulls fan and that it is important to establish that first touchpoint.

And each event offers the opportunity for the word to spread via social media and other means about the unique and fun experiences available at Red Bull Arena for a wide range of activities and events. “The vision is how we do help continue to get new people into the building,” said Ponce. “But, then also, it is a revenue-generating opportunity.”

Ponce said the production shoots have been particularly exciting – noting that he has connected with the New Jersey Film and Television Commission on the effort to update photos and disseminate information, which has led to calls from location scouts.

“All they are looking for is someone or some place to be film-friendly – and we’ve portrayed ourselves as that,” Ponce explained, noting that productions for Netflix, Hulu, and NBC Universal have filmed there as well as commercials, including one that featured Giants star running back Saquon Barkley.

On the subject of upcoming events and matches that the club is excited about, Oliver pointed to that time period later in March, which will include Red Bull Arena hosting a friendly between Ecuador and Guatemala on March 21; the Red Bulls match against Inter Miami (and perhaps Messi Mania again) on March 23; and a friendly between Ecuador and Italy (the Azzurri, who have not played in the U.S. in nearly 20 years).

“Kind of being the center of the universe for soccer for a weekend,” said Oliver. “And we’ve been able to build that portfolio just year after year of doing the work – and then building that back portfolio, which Jamie is working on. Being able to show to the community and to the industries that – look, we can do a soccer game on a Saturday; we can do a soccer game on a Sunday; and then Monday morning, we are available for a video shoot.”

Concerts are another major area of focus – with Ponce working with concert promoters to bring back live music to the arena, and pointing out that there has not been a show there since 2011 when Dispatch performed.

“That’s probably one that excites me as well – just really trying to get back into the space of the live music business,” said Ponce, who has been getting back into the community, talking with agents, promoters, and companies such as Terrapin Station, which has been working with pro sports teams and created an initiative with the Red Bulls and several other MLS clubs to package them as a potential spot for touring artists. “We’ve had lots of good discussions – with potential events. And hoping to land the next one pretty soon.”

An all-purpose facility

In addition to all of those events and initiatives, there was, of course, a seismic soccer-related announcement for this area earlier this year. The FIFA World Cup 26 Final coming to New Jersey – and eight matches in total over six weeks in the summer of 2026 – will offer the Red Bulls no shortage of opportunities to showcase and activate the arena and surrounding areas.

“I think the good thing about where we’re positioned in the market is that we are, for better or worse, the soccer experts in the market,” said Oliver. “So, we’ve been working very closely with MetLife and the New York New Jersey Bid Committee over the last few years to push MetLife Stadium as the host for World Cup 2026.”

Oliver is hopeful that the Red Bulls will be involved as training facilities, base camps for one or two international teams, and more during that time.

“But also, we have this great 25,000-seat sports entertainment venue right down the street from where the main stage is,” said Oliver, who added that a focus is on making sure programming makes its way to Red Bull Arena. “I think there’s some pretty cool ideas that are being floated right now of different ways to utilize the stadium, not only as a training pitch – but as a convention center or a gala center or something like that. Red Bull does thinking outside-the-box better than most. So, we’re pretty excited about the opportunity.”

As for the message heading into the home opener, the upcoming slate of events, and the season ahead — Red Bulls officials stressed that the club and the arena are open for business.

“We’ve been doing a lot of great things over the past few years. But we’re trying to get better at some of those areas where we probably haven’t been highlighted for in the past,” said Ponce. “And this is one of those spaces – bringing in new events. We’ve been kind of under the radar. But people are starting to take notice. People are starting to see this as a facility for all-purpose or multi-purpose.”

“I think the other message I would send is – I think anybody who has been to a Red Bull Arena event, especially a soccer match, sees how accessible the whole stadium is; how friendly and how much we emphasize the guest experience,” Oliver stressed. “When you’re coming here, you’re not just a fan – you’re part of our community, and we celebrate that.”

Oliver emphasized that they want to develop a relationship with attendees and fans – and not just have it be a one-time transaction – that they want people to come out and be involved with the club.

“That is the message that Marc has sent to us – that the fan experience, the guest experience, it’s not just on match day. But anybody that comes to the stadium for outside business, they’re being treated as if they’re part of our ecosystem,” said Oliver. “And it’s not just transactional.”

“We are constantly evolving and looking to improve; both on and off the pitch,” said de Grandpré. “Our mission remains to inspire, unite, and engage the community through innovative soccer and by being the home for unrivaled experiences.”