Multi-Year, First-of-its-kind Deal Underscores Local Dealerships’ Commitment to Sustainable Transportation and Growth of Soccer Across Southern California
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Five-time MLS Cup champion, the LA Galaxy, and their home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP), have launched a comprehensive marketing partnership with Volkswagen. The multiyear agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, strategically aligns the brands and establishes Volkswagen as the exclusive automotive partner of the LA Galaxy and DHSP as well as a Founding Partner of DHSP.
The new relationship will provide the local Volkswagen dealerships with an enhanced connection to passionate sports and entertainment fans across Southern California, while increasing brand awareness. Additionally, the partners will use the dynamic new relationship to highlight a shared commitment to the growth of soccer and environmental sustainability across the region. The deal marks the first automotive brand to simultaneously partner with both the LA Galaxy and DHSP as well as the first-ever professional sports partnership for Volkswagen in Southern California.
“We are excited to bring Volkswagen’s enthusiasm of soccer to the local level with our LA Galaxy partnership. We look forward to engaging with the fans and community throughout the season,” said Dave Lueders, vice president, Western Region – Volkswagen of America, Inc.
As a Founding Partner of DHSP, a premium and category exclusive designation, Volkswagen will receive premium indoor and outdoor signage in and around DHSP, including logo rotation on the scoreboard during all publicly ticketed events, rotational exposure across the stadium’s 405 and 91 freeway marquees where other Founding Partners are recognized, as well as prominent concourse, fascia, and main driveway signage. Volkswagen will also benefit from additional digital exposure on the venue’s Legends Plaza media board, located outside the stadium gates.
“Dignity Health Sports Park is one of the most sustainable soccer stadiums in the world with a long-standing tradition of saving energy and water, recycling, purchasing environmentally preferable products, and helping raise awareness of environmental issues,” said Katie Pandolfo, general manager of Dignity Health Sports Park. “Volkswagen mirrors our ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, and this partnership will help us make an even bigger positive impact on our work in this area both at our venue as well as across the greater Southern California area.”
As the exclusive automotive partner of the LA Galaxy, Volkswagen will engage fans as a title night sponsor of one regular season home game per year at DHSP, a key highlight of the agreement. With its title night game, the first of which will take place on Saturday, March 19, 2022, Volkswagen will bring its brand to life with various surprise and delight activations for Galaxy fans including giveaways and more. Volkswagen will also be fully integrated into all applicable marketing materials for its title night game including digital ad campaigns, enhanced TV exposure, radio mentions LED promotions and more.
“We are honored to partner with Volkswagen as they begin their first-ever professional sports partnership in the Southern California market,” said LA Galaxy President Chris Klein. “The Galaxy and Volkswagen are committed to the growth of soccer across Southern California and this partnership will highlight that commitment in our community.”
In addition to its title game, Volkswagen will enjoy in-game branding elements and exposure including a digital scoreboard commercial feature and graphic, LED stadium ribbon board signage as well as TV-visible LED and static field board signage during all LA Galaxy’s locally broadcasted regular season home games at DHSP. Volkswagen, the LA Galaxy and DHSP will also collaborate on a variety of digital marketing campaigns across LA Galaxy’s owned and operated media channels as well as promotional content and commercial spots before, during and after the club’s locally broadcast matches.
The LA Galaxy season is always a highly anticipated event on the Los Angeles sporting calendar and this partnership provides Volkswagen with a significant opportunity to introduce passionate sports and Galaxy fans in particular to its latest vehicles, while simultaneously bringing awareness to the importance of sustainable transportation. By 2050 Volkswagen’s operations and vehicles in the United States expect to be carbon neutral, with its growing lineup of electric vehicles (EVs) helping to make this possible. Globally, the manufacturer plans to sell approximately 22 million electric vehicles (EVs) through 2028 – spreading that excitement of e-mobility all over the world. Additionally, Volkswagen plans to recycle up to 97 percent of all the raw materials used in the battery packs driving its upcoming EVs.
As the official automotive partner of the LA Galaxy and Founding Partner of DHSP, Volkswagen will have an active presence both on and off the field at every LA Galaxy home game throughout the season as well as prominent branding and vehicle displays across the stadium year-round. Inside the north-east entrance of DHSP, Volkswagen will have the all-electric Volkswagen ID.4 SUV permanently on display for guests to view at all stadium events along with additional temporary vehicle displays and activations outside of the entrance gates of DHSP during various regular season MLS home games.
The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 SUV will be assembled in the U.S.A. at Volkswagen’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Chattanooga plant’s production uses 100 percent renewable electricity and is one of the most environmentally friendly automotive sites in the United States. Currently, the Chattanooga plant assembles the Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, and starting later this year, will serve as Volkswagen’s North American base for electric vehicle assembly.
“We are proud to welcome Volkswagen to our family of partners,” said Josh Veilleux, senior vice president, AEG Global Partnerships. “Rashid Dadashi on the AEG Global Partnerships team did a tremendous job bringing this opportunity to life, and right from the beginning we knew this partnership was going to be a natural fit. Volkswagen shares our passion and commitment to the environment as well as the local communities we both serve across Southern California. We look forward to highlighting sustainable transportation options through our relationship and bringing innovative new game-day experiences to our fans.”
This agreement builds on Volkswagen of America’s partnership with the U.S. Soccer Federation and underscores its ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport. As the presenting partner of U.S. Soccer for the last three years, Volkswagen of America has supported U.S. Soccer in its mission to become the leading sport in the United States through increased visibility, player and coach development, and enhanced fan engagement across the country. With this partnership, Volkswagen expands the company’s overall investment in the sport across Southern California, one of the fastest-growing sports markets in the country.
ABOUT VOLKSWAGEN
Volkswagen of America, Inc. is an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, which is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, Volkswagen Group of America’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and a state-of-the-art assembly facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Arteon, Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Golf GTI, Golf R, ID.4, Jetta, Jetta GLI, Passat, Taos, and Tiguan vehicles through more than 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
ABOUT AEG
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments: Facilities, which through its affiliation with ASM Global, owns, manages or consults with more than 300 preeminent arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing arts venues around the world; Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like Crypto.com Arena and L.A. LIVE, Mercedes Platz in Berlin and The O2 in London; Sports, as the world’s largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Eisbären Berlin; and Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 160 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.
ABOUT DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK
Dignity Health Sports Park is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. Managed by AEG Facilities, the $150 million, privately financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. Dignity Health Sports Park features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 25,174-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts; a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. Dignity Health Sports Park is home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, the five-time MLS Cup Champions. Dignity Health Sports Park is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center and the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). For additional information, please visit http://www.dignityhealthsportspark.com.
ABOUT THE LA GALAXY
The LA Galaxy are Major League Soccer’s most successful club. Based in Carson, Calif. at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup a record five times (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014), the MLS Supporters’ Shield four times (1998, 2002, 2010, 2011) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005) since their inception in 1996. Led by LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney and President Chris Klein, the Galaxy are the premier club in MLS, with stars like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Giovani dos Santos, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Javier Hernandez and Cobi Jones representing LA over the team’s 26-years in MLS. For more information on the LA Galaxy, visit www.lagalaxy.com.
Contacts
AEG
Michael Roth
Vice President, Communications AEG
MRoth@AEGWorldwide.com
AEG Global Partnerships
Shannon Donnelly
Shannon.Donnelly@BECKMedia.com
VW
Nicole Redding
Manager, Lifestyle, Innovation & Regional Communications – Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Nicole.Redding@vw.com
