Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders are hoping their new kit sponsorship deal will keep them healthy both on and off the pitch.
The Sounders announced on Friday, January 19, that they had struck a multi-year sponsorship with health care provider Providence that will see the company’s logo placed on the front of the Sounders’ kit starting with the upcoming 2023 season.
On their website, the Sounders called the new deal “a dynamic agreement, centered upon driving meaningful impact in the area of youth mental health and wellness.”
Providence’s logo will appear on all Sounders kits — including training gear — starting this season. The agreement also makes Providence Swedish the club’s official medical services provider and official health care partner, with physicians from Swedish Medical Group serving as team doctors.
Both Providence and the Sounders will also work with Renton School District leaders “to develop, implement and provide support for a variety of programming and services focused on concrete ways to improve mental health for students.” Renton, Washington, is 11 miles south of Seattle, and the Sounders’ new training facility will open on the site of a former horse racing track there in 2024.
“From our earliest conversations with Providence, this partnership was always about shared values, especially our combined organizational commitment to our region’s youth and making communities healthier places to live, said Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer.
“In our club’s view, working with community-minded partners is critical to Sounders FC’s overall mission, and in Providence we have found a partner that is deeply vested in the Puget Sound region and whose values and goals align with our own. Today’s announcement is less about the mark that our players will wear across their chests on gameday and more about the deep community investment that Providence and Sounders FC are coming together to fulfill. Mental health – especially for young people – is a critical part of a healthy society, and we’re looking forward to employing the resources and reach of our two organizations to focus on these outcomes.”
“As two Renton-based organizations, Providence and Seattle Sounders FC have been looking for ways to partner to improve the health of the community,” said Providence president and CEO Dr. Rod Hochman. “One area where we share common urgency is the mental health crisis among young people. Passion for sports like soccer is often a powerful way to join people together in a common cause. We’re excited to use this platform to help to improve access to resources for our local youth, starting with the Renton School District.”
Providence replaces online children’s wear retailer Zulily as Seattle’s front-of-kit sponsor. Zulily had partnered with the Sounders since 2019. Prior to that, the club had worn the Microsoft Xbox logo on the front of its jerseys.
The Sounders also previously sported the logo of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health on their training kits.
The logo of Emerald Queen Casino remains on the right sleeve, while — as with all other teams in the league this season — the Apple TV+ logo will sit under the MLS shield on the left sleeve.
Friday’s announcement was accompanied by photos of Sounders players in their home kits with the new logo on the front. The home kit was introduced in February 2022, and the club should be introducing a new away kit in the next few weeks.
The Sounders open their 2023 MLS season at home on February 25 against the Colorado Rapids.
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