Off-road vehicle manufacturer Polaris has signed up as the fifth founding partner for U.S. Bank Stadium, the future home of NFL American football franchise the Minnesota Vikings.
As part of the 10-year deal, Polaris will receive extensive in-arena branding at the stadium, which is scheduled to open in July 2016. The company will also be granted naming rights to the Polaris Northwest Gate, one of the stadium’s connecting hallways, which is expected to be one of the busiest traffic-wise on matchdays.
“We are extremely pleased with the exposure of Polaris in the new U.S. Bank Stadium and what we will get through the year in various outreach efforts with the Vikings,” Scott Wine, Polaris chief executive, told the Star Tribune newspaper. “We certainly expect it will drive incremental sales for us.”
In addition, the operations crew at the stadium is expected to use Polaris vehicles to navigate around the arena.
The company was involved in U.S. Bank Stadium’s successful bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl. Polaris proposed that its vehicles transfer supporters from tailgating sites dotted around the stadium for the showpiece event. It hopes a similar process can be implemented for Vikings home games.
Polaris joins US-based brewery MillerCoors, supermarket chain Hy-Vee, agribusiness and food company Land O’Lakes and communications company CenturyLink as official founding partners of the arena. Eight sponsors will be named in total.