Sounders FC find match with Xbox
Seattle expansion team inks sponsorship deal with Microsoft
Majority Owner, Joe Roth said, "We wanted the best for our team, so we took a very strategic approach in our search for a partner for our team. They [Microsoft] have never done anything like this before, but we didn't want that to stop us. They have a culture similar to our own and a commitment to our community, so we went after them, and we got them!"
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division added, "We haven't done anything like this before, but when we saw what Sounders FC are doing in our home state, and the fact that they are bringing the world's most popular sport to Seattle, it was the perfect fit. Xbox 360 is the new home for sports, and our goal is to entertain a global audience. By sponsoring our hometown team we have a perfect fit."
The sponsorship has many faces, but the most obvious is in having 'Xbox 360 Live' emblazoned on the Sounders jersey, which is green in color with blue highlights. Additionally, the sponsorship gives Xbox 360 the right to use MLS League and team marks and logos, as well as banner advertisements at every MLS game and sponsorship of major events such as the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup Final. Xbox 360 will also be a sponsor of MLS grassroots and community initiatives.
The popularity of the team isn't waning either. A lunchtime press conference at Qwest Field drew around 200 noisy fans, and Todd Leiweke, CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, announced that the team now has more than 16,200 season ticket deposits.
Sounders FC have also been scouring the globe for talent. Adrian Hanauer listed Brazil, Argentina, Holland, England and Ghana as some of the countries they they had been looking at.
Indeed it appears that Xbox 360 is probably the perfect sponsor for the team as he relayed an experience he had recently in Ghana were he and director of football Chris Henderson scouted some 'magical' young players who didn't want to talk with him as they were busy playing with their Xbox 360 devices once their practice was done.
Laurence Moroney is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
