The San Jose Earthquakes and PayPal Holdings Inc. have entered into a 10-year sponsorship agreement, which includes naming rights to the club’s soccer-specific stadium, PayPal Park, the Quakes announced Monday afternoon.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to find a stadium naming rights partner that aligns with our vision of uplifting the local community,” Earthquakes chief operating officer Jared Shawlee said in a statement. “PayPal is a highly respected global brand with its headquarters less than two miles from our front office. We’re excited to partner on a number of initiatives that aim to support local small businesses and underserved youth, while also making the stadium a more touchless experience for our guests.”
PayPal Park will feature a 250-seat reserved section of the stadium that will host underserved members of the community and provide them with access to complimentary tickets and transportation to and from home matches. Local youth and nonprofit organizations will be invited to Earthquake’s training sessions and have opportunities to play games on the stadium field. Additionally, Quakes fans will be given special offers and discounts, giveaways, and surprise and delights from PayPal and Venmo.
“PayPal is deeply committed to San Jose, and we are excited to partner with the San Jose Earthquakes to introduce PayPal Park to our passionate Quakes community and local small businesses,” PayPal CEO and president Dan Schulman said. “This is a unique opportunity to partner with a valued sporting brand and strong community of fans, as we draw on our digital payments technology and work together to redefine the future of live event experiences.”
For each home game, PayPal and the Quakes will spotlight a small business, driving exposure through signage, curated social media promotion and other marketing activities. PayPal Park will also explore expanding the utility of the stadium to facilitate other events that bring together the local community and small businesses.
PayPal Park will also be outfitted with PayPal’s digital payments technology, including the ability to pay touch-free with QR codes at point-of-sale (POS) systems around the stadium and feature benefits like fast lanes that provide fans paying with PayPal or Venmo a quicker checkout experience. These advancements will help transform PayPal Park into a leading-edge, post COVID-19 venue that offers new and seamless ways to maximize how fans experience live events. In addition, the Quakes will further embed the brand’s payment solutions throughout its digital properties and feature PayPal at multiple touchpoints throughout the fan journey.
