San Jose Earthquakes have signed their first stadium naming rights partner, teaming up with Silicon Valley company Avaya, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/. The club's new home will be named the Avaya Stadium when it opens in March.
Avaya, a Santa Clara-based firm that provides technology services, will pay US$20 million over a ten-year period, according to Mercury News.
As part of the deal set to be announced later on Wednesday, the company will contribute to the technological side of the stadium, which the Earthquakes hope will be the most advanced in the MLS. For one, it will be the first cloud-enabled stadium in the league.
"We wanted to find a company that could actually enhance the stadium; that's why a technology company would be logical for that," said Dave Kaval, president of the Earthquakes. "The cool thing for fans is it's going to be constantly evolving."
The 18,000-seat stadium already has its pitch and thousands of seats installed and is set to be completed by the end of December. It includes the largest outdoor bar in North America, large double-sided scoreboards and field-level suites.
According to Kaval, the naming rights drew interest from 40 to 50 companies, ranging from local firms to companies in Europe and Asia that wanted a foothold in the area.
"This is a way for us to play a bigger part in the community," said Joe Manuele, Avaya's vice president of cloud services. "It's also a showcase for us so our customers can see the technology in action in a very unique environment."
