Wells Fargo Sponsors the Mexican National Team and Major League Soccer
Wells Fargo connects with 90 million U.S.-based soccer fans
San Francisco, CA. August 14, 2013 Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) today announced its sponsorship of the Mexican National Team for the team’s annual U.S. Tour, beginning with today’s game against Ivory Coast at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The sponsorship further establishes Wells Fargo’s commitment to supporting soccer in the U.S., building on the company’s July 31 announcement of a national sponsorship of Major League Soccer (MLS). Both agreements run through 2016.
“Soccer is a growing sport in the U.S., with a dedicated fan base, and Wells Fargo is proud to support MLS, the Mexican National Team and the ‘beautiful game’ of soccer,” said Jamie Moldafsky, Wells Fargo Chief Marketing Officer. “We believe this is an incredible opportunity to connect with local communities and soccer fans across the country to share Wells Fargo’s passion for their financial success, as well as the sport of soccer.”
The company unveiled its support of soccer during the 2013 MLS All-Star Game in Kansas City, KS. Today’s Mexico-Ivory Coast game in New Jersey, the fourth of five U.S. Tour matches in 2013, will again showcase Wells Fargo’s commitment to the sport.
“We welcome and thank Wells Fargo for their support of the tour which allows ‘el Tricolor’ to visit all of its fans across the United States annually,” said Justino Compean, president of the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol, the Mexican soccer Federation.
In addition, through its sponsorship of the Mexican National Team, Wells Fargo secures a second national soccer platform to introduce and strengthen the Wells Fargo brand in the minds of the 90 million soccer fans across the U.S. The agreement also allows Wells Fargo and the Mexican National Team to work together on philanthropic and community programs during the team’s annual U.S. Tour.
These community programs complement similar efforts within MLS, where Wells Fargo is a presenting partner of the MLS WORKS Community MVP program, recognizing individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. Each year, one Community MVP is selected to represent each of the 19 MLS clubs across North America. During the 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Bobby Samra, the 2013 grand prize winner, was presented with a $20,000 donation from Wells Fargo and MLS WORKS to help support the charity of his choice.
“We are excited to welcome Wells Fargo to the soccer family,” said Kathy Carter, President of Soccer United Marketing. “Soccer fans are passionate, loyal and community-oriented qualities that Wells Fargo and their team members share and embody everyday as they seek to help their customers succeed financially.”
About Wells Fargo & Company
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at blog.wellsfargo.com.
About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer’s 18th season features 19 clubs each playing 34 regular-season matches. Those clubs include the Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; 2012 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy; Montreal Impact; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Portland Timbers; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. New York City FC, was unveiled May 21, 2013. For more information about MLS, log on to the league’s official website atwww.MLSsoccer.com.
About Soccer United Marketing
Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the preeminent soccer business company in NorthAmerica. SUM holds the exclusive rights to the most important soccer properties in the region, including: all commercial rights to Major League Soccer; the United States Soccer Federation; promotional and marketing rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. SUM also manages promotional and marketing rights in the United States for Mexico’s most popular sports team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas).
In 2009, SUM announced the creation of theMLS Digital Properties, the only soccer advertising network of its kind, covering all facets of the sport in the U.S., and which allows advertisers to reach millions of soccer fans via online advertising and sponsorships campaigns. These global properties are represented by SUM’s slogan: One Sport. One Company. For more information, please visit www.SUMworld.com.
