Tampa Bay Buccaneers extend long-running stadium naming rights deal

US financial services company Raymond James Financial has retained naming rights to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home stadium as part of a 12-year extension of its contract with the NFL American football team.

The Buccaneers’ ground will continue to be named Raymond James Stadium until the end of the 2027 season as part of the deal. Financial terms of the extension were not disclosed.

Under the agreement, Raymond James, a Florida-based company, will continue to support the Kicking for Kids and Sack Hunger initiatives. The company donates $1,000 (€896) to Kicking for Kids for every successful field goal made by the Buccaneers. The initiative has so far raised $300,000 for local children’s hospitals.

“It’s rare in today’s business climate to form the type of long-lasting partnerships that can endure the test of time,” Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said. “By the end of this extension, our partnership with Raymond James Financial will have reached 30 years. That type of long-term approach has defined our relationship to this point and will serve as the foundation for the years to come.”

A $100m renovation project is currently being carried out at Raymond James Stadium, with the first stage of work scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2016 NFL season in September. Work on the ground includes a new integrated sound system, a state-of-the-art video board and four high-definition tower video displays.

Raymond James has held naming rights to the stadium since it opened in 1998. Its deal is the second-longest continuous active stadium naming rights partnership in the National Football League.