CARSON, Calif. — AEG has signed a new naming rights deal for, what will be the formerly named, StubHub Center starting in 2019. Hospital operator Dignity Health has purchased the naming rights to the sports complex in a brand new 10-year deal that was announced on Thursday and was first reported by the LA Times.

Dignity Health Sports Park will now be the new name of the stadium and it’s surrounding facilities.

This will be the third name for the sprawling complex located on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. The original naming rights deal, given to the location upon its completion in 2003, was the Home Depot Center – a deal that lasted until 2013.

StubHub acquired the rights in 2013 and changed the facilities name to StubHub Center which lasted through the 2018 season.

“Dignity Health is dedicated to providing excellent care for those in need, and as the new naming rights partner for one of AEG’s marquee facilities, we look forward to working with them to amplify our efforts to make a positive and lasting difference for all our fans,” said Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of AEG in a press release. “Sports has the power to bring people together, and Dignity Health is the perfect partner to help us highlight and support the LA community that surrounds the LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park.”

In Dignity health, AEG went back to a 10-year deal — much like the Home Depot sponsorship for the original stadium — that will have the stadium and it’s surrounding fields, tennis courts, and velodrome locked into the new name through 2028.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed between the not-for-profit Dignity Health — made up of Catholic Healthcare West and is merging with Catholic Health Initiatives — and AEG, the total package includes more than just the naming rights to the facility. Similar to the deal with StubHub that had the online ticket reseller becoming the official secondary ticket market of the club.

Dignity Health, in addition to grabbing the name, will provide first-aid services at the stadium, operate a mobile health clinic during the Galaxy’s long MLS season, and sponsor some of the clubs youth programs. Players will also make regular visits to Dignity Hospitals throughout the season and special viewing parties will be arranged for patients and support staff at Dignity Health facilities.

“It is with great excitement that Dignity Health joins the LA Galaxy and AEG as their exclusive health care partner,” said Lloyd Dean, president and CEO of Dignity Health. “It is our hope that we will deepen our ties with the communities we serve in the greater Los Angeles area through the Dignity Health Sports Park. Whether supporting the youth sports league, offering health clinics, or providing funds to charitable organizations, together, we will promote greater health and wellness for all.”

The LA Galaxy, the primary tentants of the facility, currently have a shirt sponsorship with Herbalife that will expire in 2022 — a deal that was valued at over $44-million when it was signed in 2012 — and will see their TV deal with Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable) expire in 2021 (valued at $55-million over the 10-year course of that deal).

But with recent struggles on the field for the Galaxy, AEG will need to be cognizant of how that could affect the negotiating power of the club as those deals start to expire.

The Galaxy are competing in a market that they once solely operated in. But with the launch of Los Angeles Football Club earlier this year, every dollar will be competed for. And success on the field could determine the winner of that money and those lucrative sponsorships.

StubHub Center, soon to be named Dignity Health Sports Park, is home to the Galaxy, and is playing as a temporary stadium to the LA Chargers of the NFL. The Chargers will leave the stadium once their new home at Hollywood Park is completed in time for the 2020 season.

Additionally, starting in 2020, the LA franchise of the XFL is scheduled to play on the field as well.

Comments

comments