I’m probably one of the last to talk about this but I guess it will be a better-late-than-never kind of deal. As most of you may know by know DC United is selling space on the first of their kits.
It was pretty obvious to all when the jerseys for this season were released and the traditional white stripes in the middle of the United kit were missing. No stripes easily meant to me that there would be a sponsor before long.
Enter Volkswagen, or VW. Volkswagen recently announced that in September that it was moving its headquarters from Detroit to Herndon, a town outside of the DC area. Meaning they would instantly be interested in being apart of DCU.
With Honda out of the way as the league’s only auto sponsor (their 12 year deal ended a year ago), VW has the money and now the ad space to step in and get on board with a club like DC and also be the league’s major auto sponsor.
Interestingly enough, its being reported that a player (or two) have already been seen wearing a DCU jersey with the VW logo on the front.
A D.C. United player was seen Tuesday inside RFK Stadium wearing a team jersey bearing a Volkswagen logo, which could mean the club is nearing completion of a major sponsorship deal with the German auto manufacturer.
United spokesman Doug Hicks refused to comment as no agreement has been officially announced. Volkswagen spokesman Steve Keyes said there are no signed deals and also would not comment further.
Honestly, this deal should work out just fine for both sides and MLS. VW has a good relationship with the game and should be a solid sponsor for DC. The logo won’t drastically change the look of the jersey and will blend in nicely with the kit.
As for the money side of things, the sponsor deal will be worth around $3.7 million a year. The top deal is with the LA Galaxy who get somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 to $5 million a year from Herbalife.
The deal brings the total number of jersey sponsors in the league to nine. Ones left without a sponsor are still FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes, New England Revolution, and KC Wizards. No word yet on if the two expansion clubs (Seattle and Philly) will enter MLS with a jersey sponsor or not.
This deal coming early in the season makes me wonder who is next to jump on the jersey sponsor bandwagon here.
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