Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health will sponsor a new professional soccer team in what will reportedly be the biggest such deal in the league's history.
National Women's Soccer League franchise Bay FC, which will play its home games in San Jose, Calif., will wear Sutter Health patches on its jerseys when the team launches with the 2024 season, beginning in March. The deal, which calls the health system a "founding partner," is worth $2.6 million a year for five years, a record for the league, according to reporting by Sports Business Journal and Forbes.
"We hope seeing the Sutter Health logo on the front of the team's jerseys inspires girls and women in our communities to get involved in soccer, other sports, or even healthcare," Sutter Health President and CEO Warner Thomas said in a December news release. "We also know participating in sports is a great way for young women to take charge of their own health and well-being, promotes confidence and often leads to them taking on leadership roles both on and off the field."
Sutter Health will also be Bay FC's official medical provider and invest alongside the team in community health and wellness programs.
Other health systems have reportedly paid $4 million to $6 million annually to sponsor men's Major League Soccer teams.