THE CLEVELAND BROWNS STADIUM, home to the NFL franchise since 1999, will be called FirstEnergy Stadium in 2013 under a long-term partnership between the Browns and the energy company.
One of the largest investor-owned electric utilities in the US, Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy has been a corporate partner of the Browns since 1999. It was a gate partner at the stadium from 2002 through 2006 and is the current scoreboard sponsor.
As part of the naming rights agreement, FirstEnergy becomes the official energy partner of the Cleveland Browns.
“By joining two Ohio traditions, this partnership and regional branding opportunity makes good business sense,” said FirstEnergy’s CEO, Tony Alexander.
“FirstEnergy and its predecessor utilities have been serving the energy needs of customers throughout northern Ohio for more than a century, while the Browns’ rich legacy in the same regional footprint dates back to 1946. It is clear the team is headed in the right direction and we look forward to being part of the new energy in FirstEnergy Stadium.”
Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, the partnership consists of both interior and exterior stadium signage, use of Browns trademarks, event sponsorships, as well as a full complement of media assets, including TV, radio, print and digital.
As a component of the deal, a FirstEnergy Stadium web site will also be launched in the near future. The deal is contingent upon approval from Cleveland City Council, but once approved, the stadium will become the 23rd of 31 NFL venues to have entered into a naming rights deal.
These are: Bank of America Stadium, CenturyLink Field, Edward Jones Dome, Everbank Field, FedEx Field, FirstEnergy Stadium, Ford Field, Gillette Stadium, Heinz Field, Lincoln Financial Field, LP Field, Lucas Oil Stadium, Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, M&T Bank Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, MetLife Stadium. O.co Coliseum, Qualcomm Stadium, Raymond James Stadium, Reliant Stadium, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Sun Life Stadium, University of Phoenix Stadium.