ST. LOUIS 鈥 The soccer stadium known as CityPark will don a new moniker for the upcoming season.
And it has local flare: Energizer Park.
Officials with 最新杏吧原创 City SC and Energizer Holdings announced Thursday that the 最新杏吧原创 County-based battery maker bought naming rights for the 22,500-seat stadium on Market Street near Union Station in the downtown area.
The new name launches in 2025 and will be painted on the roof of the stadium.
A digital rendering of CityPark stadium displaying signage for the facility鈥檚 new name, Energizer Park.
鈥淭he atmosphere here is unmatched,鈥 Energizer Holdings President and CEO Mark LaVigne said during the media event at the stadium. 鈥淲e want to shine a bigger spotlight on 最新杏吧原创.鈥
Pink fireworks erupted after City SC CEO Carolyn Kindle and LaVigne, wearing City SC and Energizer-branded soccer scarfs, unveiled the name during a celebration that was rife with energy and power puns. Over a hundred Energizer employees were in the stands cheering along with Club President and General Manager Diego Gigliani and City SC players like Rasmus Alm and Indiana Vassilev.
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鈥淲e鈥檙e going to fully embrace that word 鈥榚nergy,鈥欌 said Gigliani.
Pyrotechnics go off as 最新杏吧原创 City SC owner Carolyn Kindle, left, and Energizer Holdings CEO Mark Lavigne reveal Energizer Park as the new name for CityPark stadium on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in 最新杏吧原创.
Energizer joins a stack of local corporations that are City SC sponsors including Nestl茅 Purina PetCare and Anheuser-Busch.
In addition to the naming rights, there will be a new premium section in the stadium, details of which will be announced later.
Kindle said the ownership group has sought to integrate the local business community into operations as part of the team鈥檚 broader goal of boosting civic pride and investment. She hinted at possible future development around the stadium, adding that she wants to see a variety of 鈥渆xperiences鈥 that add density while also complementing Energizer Park.
鈥淥ur goal from the start has been to drive this region鈥檚 transformation,鈥 Kindle said.
The stadium has been known as CityPark since the team鈥檚 inaugural 2023 season 鈥 after health care giant Centene Corp. backed out of a 15-year deal to name the venue Centene Stadium.
Officials Thursday declined to disclose how long the deal lasts and how much Energizer paid.
A previous estimate hovered between $3 million to $5 million for the Centene deal.
Artist's rendering shows CityPark with its new signage as Energizer Park. The stadium, home of 最新杏吧原创 City SC of Major League Soccer, will become Energizer Park under a new naming rights agreement. Rendering courtesy 最新杏吧原创 City SC
Founded over 100 years ago, Energizer is best known for its eponymous battery brand, as well as the Eveready and Rayovac brands.
LaVigne said after the announcement that Energizer has been a 鈥渜uiet company鈥 in the 最新杏吧原创 community and that it is now seeking to have a bigger role in the region鈥檚 urban renewal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time to make an investment in 最新杏吧原创,鈥 he said.
The company will relocate its headquarters from Town and Country to Clayton next week. It employs 400 locally and 5,000 globally, the company said in a release.
Corporate sponsorships were a major component in 最新杏吧原创鈥 campaign to draw an MLS expansion team. Having them assured the league and the other owners that the region could support a team, Commissioner Don Garber said in 2019.
But even after Centene pulled out of its contract, the team faced little fan blowback, and sold out 34 consecutive home games.
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