American Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire has signed a multi-year deal for paint manufacturer Valspar to become its new shirt sponsor.
Under the agreement, which begins with the 2016 MLS season, Valspar become the club’s largest single corporate partner. The company has also been named the official paint of the Chicago Fire.
As part of the agreement, Valspar’s branding will appear on the jerseys of the Fire’s first team, as well as its academy and junior sides. The two parties will work together on community-based initiatives such as training camps and clinics.
Valspar has also offered to provide Fire supporters with supplies for any banners or visual displays they may have planned. In addition, the company will join with Fire staff, players and supporters to paint a mural in a local neighbourhood for each season of its partnership.
Valspar becomes the Fire’s third jersey partner, succeeding Quaker Oats. Terms were not disclosed but the Crain’s Chicago Business website said the contract is likely to be worth between $2.5m (€2.2m) and $3m per season over a three-year duration.
Aaron Erter, Valspar’s vice-president and general manager of North American consumer products, said: “We take great pride in working with our partners to help improve the local community.
“Through our work with the Chicago Fire, we hope to enhance the spirited and inclusive nature of the soccer community and support valuable, philanthropic activities that are so much a part of that culture.”