Nashville SC has a new stadium to call home in April. That home now has a name: Geodis Park.
Nashville SC and Geodis, a French-based global supply chain operator with its North American headquarters 10 miles from the new stadium, agreed to a partnership that includes the naming rights on the new Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood venue, along with branding across the stadium, naming rights to a premium club and additional support for community initiatives. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"This partnership allows us to plant the Geodis flag in Nashville," says Mike Honious, Geodis Americas president and CEO. "We're fortunate to have a strong economy with many major corporations based here. With local roots dating back more than 70 years, this will allow Geodis to stand out and help strengthen our abilities to recruit and retain top-tier talent both locally and across the larger Americas' region."
Geodis Park will become the largest soccer-specific stadium in North America when it opens its 30,000 seats for the new MLS club. Featuring a 360-degree canopy, a 65-foot-wide concourse and a safe-standing supporters section, it will also serve as the anchor to a new mixed-use development.
Ian Ayre, Nashville SC CEO, says Geodis is an organization that shares the club's values and culture and "proudly represents the best of the great city of Nashville." With the partnership led by Excel Sports Management, Jason Miller, senior vice-president and head of properties at Excel, says the market and demand for stadium naming rights is as healthy as he's ever seen it.
MORE: Behind the Austin FC Q2 Stadium Naming Rights Deal
"With MLS being the fastest-growing league in the fastest-growing sport in our nation, Excel has made a concerted effort since launching our properties division back in 2017 to focus on building a reputation as the go-to agency for the sale of marquee assets on behalf of clubs."
Miller says that having the chance to become the first name on a venue brings "absolutely" adds interest in the deal. "New stadiums are also a great way to invigorate a fan base and welcome new customers into the ecosystem," he says.
The desire of Ayre and John Ingram, Nashville SC's majority owner, to find the right partner led Excel to Geodis. "Once we aligned on goals, objectives, structure and a plan, everything came into place perfectly," Miller says.
Geodis Park is the first stadium naming rights partnership in the world for the 115-year-old company. Honious says the city's explosive growth makes this a great time for the company to partner with the club. Geodis has more than 2,000 employees in the region, and they plan to use the venue deal to "continue investing in our hometown and elevate Nashville's profile to even greater heights."
Being a global company and soccer the largest global sport, Geodis believes the MLS and its fanbase represent the diversity of culture that is a match for their workforce.
The relationship between Geodis and Nashville SC began with conversations between Honious and Ingram. "Being a longtime Nashvillian, I have seen and admired first-hand the tremendous impact John and his family have made on the city over the years," Honious says. "After developing a close relationship with John and learning more about the journey and vision for the club, I knew our involvement was one that we couldn’t pass up. John's vision for the club is that it is a place for everyone, a place where we can invest in and give back to the city to support the greater welfare of Nashville together. We have a shared vision of making Geodis Park a leading destination for sports and entertainment in Nashville and in the United States. Ultimately, we want to use soccer to bring the world to Nashville and promote Nashville to the world."
Along with branding on the stadium's exterior, interior, rooftop and flagship signage above the main entrance, the partnership includes Geodis serving as the presenting partner of a new soccer league focused on underserved neighborhoods in the community and the installation of mini pitches throughout the city. Geodis will also present the new One Nashville Under Gold campaign that shows images at every home game representing Nashvillians from all walks of life.
The agreement includes ways for Geodis to reward employees, with tickets allotted to the company for every home game and a Geodians night for 1,000 employees to attend a game.
The naming rights to a music-themed premium club will allow the company to entertain clients and give them a "unique Music City experience" that pays tribute to Nashville's musical history.
"We frequently host our clients from all over the county," Honious says. "The club space will offer a place we can proudly show off our city and ultimately continue strengthening our relationships with them in new ways. This offers a way for us to be a part of a space that honors and combines two elements that make us uniquely Nashville and a top destination in the United States: music and sports."
Ayre says the "park" moniker was proposed from the start. "There are many great and authentic stadiums in the world of football that use this term," he says, naming venues such as Celtic Park in Scotland to Goodson Park, St. James' Park and Selhurst Park in England and domestic venues Providence Park, Toyota Park and Children's Mercy Park. "We are in good company."
The latest to join the ranks: Geodis Park.
