The downtown-based home of St. Louis CITY SC is now known as Centene Stadium, it was announced Tuesday.
The expansion club, which will become Major League Soccer’s 29th team upon competing in 2023, has entered a 15-year naming rights partnership with the multi-national healthcare enterprise.
Centene Stadium, which opens later this summer, is a state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium that will have a 22,500-person capacity.
“Centene is not only one of the fastest-growing companies in the country, but it is also a STLMade company that cares about St. Louis as much as we do,” Carolyn Kindle Betz, St. Louis CITY SC president and CEO, said in a release. “We wanted a naming rights partner that was willing to invest in the continued growth of our region, and we certainly have that with Centene.”
At Centene Stadium, all seats are within 120 feet of the pitch and there will be a 3,000+ safe-standing supporter section. All four sides of the venue will be open, and the canopy roof design pays homage to the Gateway Arch in its materiality and ability to reflect light.
“Centene is pleased to invest in Centene Stadium as part of our long-standing commitment to the St. Louis region. We are committed to this community and the people who live here,” Marcela Manjarrez, EVP and chief communications officer of Centene, said in a release. “St. Louis is our home, and we are so proud for Centene Stadium to be the home of St. Louis CITY SC.”
Nearby, St. Louis CITY SC will also have a practice facility and team headquarters within the same urban campus in St. Louis’ Downtown West District.