FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution and Sovereign | Santander (NYSE: SAN) today announced their multi-year agreement making Sovereign | Santander the “Official Bank of the New England Revolution.” The multi-faceted agreement will focus heavily on the Bank’s and the Revolution’s joint community involvement and engagement under the tagline, “One Team, One Goal,” which will be used in all of Sovereign | Santander’s Revolution programs.
Sovereign | Santander’s agreement with the Revolution also includes day-of-game sponsorships; on-site game day programs; community clinics run by the Revolution Academy and Revs players; naming rights for the team’s official “Man of the Match” award; on-field advertising during Revolution matches; away game trips; as well as television broadcast, radio broadcast, print and digital inventory.
The New England Revolution is Sovereign | Santander’s first US-based soccer property and joins Santander’s global sporting portfolio that includes sponsorship of Copa Santander Libertardores, as well as the 2011 Copa America Argentina, Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Santander Sudamericana. Santander also sponsors the Ferrari Formula 1 race team, including Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, as well as British McLaren drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. In addition, Santander sponsors the four most prominent European races of the Formula 1 calendar: the British, German, Italian and Spanish Grand Prixs.
“Sovereign | Santander is a proud and committed partner of the New England Revolution and we carry that commitment to the communities and customers we serve,” commented Sovereign | Santander President and CEO Jorge Morán. “Soccer is the world’s most-followed sport. We have seen its immense impact through our relationships and existing sponsorships. We look forward to expanding our commitment to the sport in New England to further engage and enrich our community with this significant partnership.”
“It is great to partner with a champion in the banking industry like Sovereign | Santander,” said Robert Kraft, Chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group, the holding company for the New England Revolution. “Since our inception, the Revolution players and staff have always been champions in the community. The players regularly volunteer their time and resources to the communities that provide so much support for them throughout the year. Customer service is emphasized in everything that we do and teaming up with a company like Sovereign | Santander, which is equally committed to excellence in customer care, is important to us. We believe in the strength of teamwork and look forward to the many opportunities we will have to engage our fans through this new partnership.”
A cornerstone of the agreement will be the launch of the Sovereign | Santander New England Revolution Community Clinics. The Revolution and Sovereign | Santander will present a series of free soccer clinics – featuring on-site, interactive and instructional programs – for Boys & Girls Clubs members and children in the Bank’s local neighborhoods.
Brazilian soccer legend, Pelé, who is Santander’s soccer ambassador since 2008, was present at the announcement to show his support of the bank’s new endeavor related to “the beautiful game,” with which he is globally associated.
“I have always been a champion of the Santander Group, and Sovereign | Santander’s new commitment to soccer and the community in the U.S. is particularly meaningful to me,” Pelé said.
About Sovereign Bank, N.A., Santander Holdings USA, Inc. and Banco Santander, S.A.Sovereign Bank, N.A. is among the top 25 banks in the United States with principal presence in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Sovereign has 722 branches, 2,200 ATMs and over 8,700 team members. Sovereign Bank’s principal regulator is the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Sovereign Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). For more information on Sovereign Bank, visit http://www.sovereignbank.com or call 877-SOV-BANK.
Santander Holdings USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A., and parent company of Sovereign Bank, N.A. Banco Santander is a retail and commercial global bank, with a presence in 10 main markets: U.S., Germany, UK, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Spain and Portugal. Founded in 1857, Santander has more than 102 million customers, approximately 14,700 branches – more than any other international bank – and 193,000 employees. Santander was recently recognized as the Best Global Bank in 2012 by Euromoney magazine. For more information on Santander, visit http://www.santander.com.
About the New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is the Northeast region’s premier professional soccer team, owned and operated by the Kraft Family, which also owns and operates the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and Gillette Stadium, the home of the club. A founding member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer in 1996, the Revolution has played in the MLS Cup championship match four times in the last decade – including three straight from 2005 to 2007 – while advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship game in an MLS-record six straight years (2002-07). The Revolution also won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and the 2008 SuperLiga title. The team’s roster includes such stars as Benny Feilhaber, Matt Reis, and the up-and-coming talent, Diego Fagundez, just 17 years old from Leominster, Mass. For more information, visit revolutionsoccer.net, or interact with the Revolution on Facebook (facebook.com/nerevolution) or Twitter (@NERevolution).
About Pelé
On October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, a city in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil, a legend was born. Today, in a world of 7 billion people, soccer is the foremost sport and Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) remains at the center of "the beautiful game" - where he is universally recognized, respected and revered. Pelé started his professional career at the age of 16 for Santos Futebol Clube, a club he stayed with for nearly two decades. In 1958, he won his first World Cup for Brazil at age 17 – the youngest winner ever. He went on to win another two World Cups in 1962 and 1970, distinguishing himelf as the only person in the world with three Jules Rimet trophies. Not only is Pelé the all-time leading scorer of Santos FC and the Brazil National Team, but he is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport (1282 goals in 1366 matches). In 1974, Pelé left semi-retirement to sign with the New York Cosmos for the 1975-1977 seasons, leading the team to the 1977 NASL championship. After his final career match on October 1, 1977 in front of more than 75,000 fans, Pelé shouted, "Love! Love! Love!" and urged his audience to pay attention to the youth of the world. Named one of the "Top 20 Most Important People of the 20th Century" (Time Magazine) and "Football Player of the Century" (FIFA), Pelé today maintains his commitment to the sport and to society by fulfilling various roles as spokesperson, ambassador and philanthropist.
Sovereign | Santander/ New England Revolution Community Events Calendar
To celebrate Sovereign | Santander’s new role as the official bank of the New England Revolution, some very special community-oriented events have been planned.
Fan Appreciation Event
This fun family event offers an opportunity for the public to meet some of their favorite Revs players and get their autographs; sign up to win tickets to Rev’s games; and have their picture taken in the photo booth. Kids will love the face painting and the foosball tables. Slyde the Revs mascot will also be on hand to add to the excitement!
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Location:
Sovereign | Santander, Dedham Branch
929 Providence Highway, Rte 1
Dedham, MA 02026
New England Revolution Community Clinic
Run by the Revolution Academy coaching staff and featuring top instruction, the free clinic will give children the opportunity to interact with professional athletes within their own community.
When: Friday, October 12, 2012, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Location:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s
Blue Hill Club/George Robert White Youth Development Center
15 Talbot Avenue
Dorchester, MA 02124
