The Brooklyn Nets have today (Wednesday) become the fourth NBA basketball franchise to agree a jersey sponsorship deal after signing a wide-ranging partnership with software company Infor.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Bloomberg news agency said it is worth $8m (€7.4m) per year across the NBA’s jersey sponsorship trial. The NBA announced last April that teams would be permitted to agree jersey sponsorship deals as part of a three-year pilot programme spanning the 2017-18 to 2019-20 seasons.
The deal between Infor and the Nets’ management group, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, covers four major areas – team performance, fan experience, team business operations and jersey patch sponsorship.
The partnership with BSE is New York-based Infor’s first combining analytics and sports in North America. The company has similar relationships in Europe and Asia-Pacific, with Formula One motor racing team Ferrari and Christchurch-based Super Rugby franchise the Crusaders.
The most unique aspect of the partnership will see Infor develop a one-stop digital hub designed to help Nets general manager Sean Marks and the team’s basketball operations department generate stronger results on the court. The centralised digital platform will aim to enhance data visualisation and to further unify all of basketball operations, including players, coaches, training and medical staff, and analytics team.
As part of the partnership, Infor will have its logo featured on the front left of the Nets game jerseys starting during the 2017-18 season and a branding presence throughout Barclays Center and HSS Training Center, the team’s practice facility in Brooklyn. HSS Training Center will serve as an incubator for new ideas in which Infor’s technology will seek to help improve communication and collaboration across Barclays Center and the Nets’ business operations, including talent sourcing and acquisition, customer service, and arena experience.
The alliance will also include significant Infor branding at Barclays Center for all Nets and New York Islanders games, as well as other events. Infor will also be integrated on the Nets digital platforms, including the team’s app and website.
“Our alliance with Infor is a transformative partnership for both business and basketball operations and is indicative of the cutting edge and gritty culture we are building,” Brett Yormark, chief executive of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, said. “The patch on the jersey represents our deep engagement with Infor and the software company’s role in taking our performance to the highest level in basketball operations and the business side. We are looking forward to joining some of the world’s most innovative brands, like Ferrari, for the unique opportunity of instilling Infor’s proven business applications into our company.”
The Nets’ fellow NBA franchise, the Boston Celtics, last month agreed a jersey sponsorship deal with digital industrial company GE. They become the latest teams to commit to a jersey sponsorship deal for the 2017-18 season after the Philadelphia 76ers teamed up with online ticket exchange StubHub and the Sacramento Kings struck a deal with almond brand Blue Diamond Growers.