The New York Red Bulls have made an improbable run to the MLS Cup. They’re not letting the moment go to waste.
On Saturday, the underdog Red Bulls will face the LA Galaxy in their first final appearance since 2008. The return to the championship comes as the franchise is riding its best revenue year ever, as the team has watched its attendance jump 10% from last season. While the players have been outlasting opponents in the playoffs, the business operations staff has been making calls and closing deals.
“We see the momentum,” Red Bulls president Marc de Grandpré said in an interview. “We have a lot of folks who were on the fence about renewing and now are renewing. The business is going in the right direction. … It’s a great opportunity for us to capitalize.”
The Red Bulls are going up against the five-time champion Galaxy as the lowest playoff seed to ever reach the final. The Red Bulls, the seventh-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, look to convince prospective sponsors and season ticket holders that this season wasn’t a fluke. That has not been much of an issue, as renewals with partners like Audi and Heineken have increased by more than 100% from the previous deals, according to de Grandpré.
Those recent partnerships show the value that the club’s dream season has provided, with an emphasis on the future. The Red Bulls have the second-youngest starting lineup in MLS this season, and plan to open a new privately funded training facility in New Jersey next fall.
The club, owned by the Austrian energy drink giant, has more leverage as it looks to fill several sponsorship categories from airlines to technology.
This list also includes the naming rights to Red Bull Arena, the team’s 25,000-seat stadium in Harrison, N.J. The club’s parent company hasn’t been in a rush to sell those rights; it’s reaping the benefit of marketing its namesake year-round for what de Grandpré calls the “most valuable asset for the brand.”
The Red Bulls nonetheless want to find the right partner and believe that this memorable postseason run could help get the team “across the line” next year. This is especially true if they pull off one more upset and secure their first MLS Cup in franchise history.
“Everyone wants to be associated with a team that’s winning and performing at the top of its game,” de Grandpré said. “Our team has to be on point and leverage it as best as we can.”
The club plans to not only invest in the roster but also wants internal staff to appreciate the moment. The team owners have flown front office workers, food and beverage partners, and custodial and security staff to Los Angeles for the match. They have purchased more than 2,000 tickets that will be utilized by season ticket holders and sponsor partners. A select number of supporters are having their travel to the West Coast subsidized by the team, which is planning to host execs who work out of Red Bull North America headquarters in Santa Monica.
“You never know when you’re going to back in this moment,” de Grandpré said, “so you have to make sure you leverage it across the board.”
