Women's Professional Soccer :: Women's Professional Soccer

Official Partners & Sponsors

For partnership opportunities with WPS and its teams, please contact Kristina Hentschel, WPS Corporate Development Officer, at kristina.hentschel@womensprosoccer.com, or 415.829.3348

FOUNDING PARTNERS AND OFFICIAL PARTNERS

PUMA

Global sportlifestyle brand PUMA and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) have formed an exclusive partnership making PUMA an official founding partner of WPS and an official sponsor of all WPS franchises. The multi-year partnership makes PUMA the official sport and lifestyle apparel, footwear and equipment supplier of WPS, including the official WPS Match Ball. In addition to on-field performance wear, PUMA will outfit the athletes and teams at all WPS-related events, activities and WPS appearances in sportlifestyle apparel. This partnership kicks off with the inaugural season in April 2009 and will see PUMA collaborating with WPS to enhance the game of women’s soccer and will act as the foundation in the PUMA Women’s category.

PUMA will have a presence in each market and stadiums for WPS games, as well as the WPS All-Star Game, WPS playoffs and WPS Championship game. PUMA and WPS have agreed to cross-promotional marketing opportunities via national print media, online media and television. This agreement also marks PUMA as an official licensee of the WPS for items including on field and sportlifestyle apparel, footwear and a wide variety of accessories. For more, visit http://puma.com/womenssoccer.

Citi

Citi is the second founding partner of Women's Professional Soccer. Citi recognizes and supports the opportunities that WPS has created for female athletes and women's soccer players over the past two years and looks forward to continuing to champion the growth of youth soccer in communities around the country. Citi's logo is displayed on the backs of all the team uniforms, the first national jersey partnership for WPS. Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or citi.com.

Playtex Sport

Women’s Professional Soccer and Playtex Sport have teamed up to motivate women and girls everywhere to Be Unstoppable. Through the partnership, Playtex will receive on-field signage and digital assets, as well as player participation and unique online content tied to their Be Unstoppable Movement - a celebration of physical activity that inspires others to be unstoppable. The campaign shines the spotlight on women and girls in active moments and shows how they can exude confidence with every move they make, every day.

Sahlen

Beginning in 2011, Sahlen Packing Company is the Official Hot Dog of Women’s Professional Soccer; a partnership which includes a Sahlen’s patch on the sleeve of all WPS player jerseys. Sahlen Packing Company, Inc. was founded in 1869 in Buffalo, New York as a family business. Company founder Joseph Sahlen dedicated himself to one guiding principle: only the freshest and highest quality meat products would bear the proud Sahlen name. Today – in addition to being the name behind the Buffalo area’s favorite hot dogs and holiday hams – Sahlen’s has grown from its Western New York roots to offer deli meats like "Old Fashioned" Smokehouse Ham and Turkey Breast in over 15 states..

Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard is the presenting partner of the WPS All-Star Game. As part of the All-Star sponsorship, the U.S. Coast Guard logo will appear on the front of the WPS All-Star Team jerseys. Along with becoming the presenting partner of the WPS All-Star Game, the U.S. Coast Guard will also present in 2010 the U.S. Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year Award. The United States Coast Guard is a military, multimission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security and one of the nation's five armed services. Its core roles are to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic and security interests in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk, including international waters and America's coasts, ports, and inland waterways. The U.S. Coast Guard provides unique benefits to the nation because of its distinctive blend of military, humanitarian, and civilian law-enforcement capabilities. For more information of if interested in pursuing a career in the U.S. Coast Guard, visit www.uscg.mil or www.gocoastguard.com.

Fox Soccer Channel

Women’s Professional Soccer and Fox Soccer Channel have entered into a multi-year partnership to televise a live national Sunday night WPS game of the week on America’s premier soccer network beginning 2009, the inaugural season for WPS.

The agreement covers a minimum of 20 games over the course of the regular season, one postseason match on Aug. 18/19 and the WPS All-Star Game on Fox Soccer Channel. Meanwhile, the WPS championship match on Aug. 22 plus one post-season match on Aug. 15 will reach over 80 million homes on Fox Sports Net’s owned and affiliated regional sports networks. Fox Soccer Channel’s coverage also features WPS pregame and postgame shows and WPS round-up segments on Fox Soccer Report plus content sharing across womensprosoccer.com and foxsoccer.com.

Fox Soccer Channel offers the most comprehensive coverage of world-class soccer available in the United States, including Major League Soccer, England’s Barclays Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, the Argentine First Division and Australian Hyundai A-League, as well as such global tournaments as the UEFA Cup, English FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Champions League™, CONCACAF Gold Cup™ and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers. The Official Broadcast Partner of the United States Youth Soccer Association, Fox Soccer Channel also televises the United Soccer Leagues and NCAA Division I college men’s and women’s soccer. The Nielsen-rated channel reaches more than 34 million cable and satellite households in the U.S. and Caribbean. To subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel, contact your local cable or satellite provider, or visit http://www.foxsoccer.channelfinder.net/start.asp.

Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP

Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP is Women's Professional Soccer's immigration counsel. To learn more about Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP, please visit www.hrwlawyers.com.

ISI Photos

ISI Photos is the official photographer of Women’s Professional Soccer, providing the best quality photography services at WPS games all-season long, during the WPS Playoffs and off the field, as well. For a look at the ISI Photos photography and to learn more go to www.isiphotos.com.

STATS

STATS is Women's Professional Soccer's official statistician and exclusive data distribution partner. As the Official Statistician, STATS will provide WPS in-game scores and box-score updates in addition to play-by-play and leaderboards for players and teams. STATS is the league’s exclusive licensor to all multi-media entities looking to utilize WPS statistics and information for commercial use. STATS’ WPS Match Tracker at www.womensprosoccer.com, combines real-time statistical information, editorial and interactive applications such as event animations, pitch maps and rich commentary. A salary cap fantasy game, the WPS Fantasy Challenge, will be introduced for the 2010 season and available for play at the WPS web site. STATS will provide turnkey management of the game -- including development, web hosting, technical operations and customer service.

STATS is the world's leading sports technology, data and content company. STATS’ calling card consists of real-time scores, historical sports information, Associated Press editorial content, a turnkey fantasy sports operation and SportVU technology. Today, STATS' worldwide client network of media companies and professional sports leagues and teams utilize a broad spectrum of dynamic in-game broadcast presentations and virtual images, multimedia enhancements and game analysis and tactical coaching tools. STATS is owned jointly by the Associated Press and News Corporation, with corporate offices across the globe. For a complete tour of STATS' sports content portfolio and solutions, visit www.stats.com.

Karackter

Karackter is an interactive communication platform that allows brands and businesses to create engaging & interactive Social Media campaigns and join the conversation with their users. Karackter Labs Inc. is based out of Kelowna, Canada.

WPS Karackter is a 3-D animated desktop avatar that keeps WPS fans current with scores and stats from around the league and up to date with their social media. Karackter provides realtime desktop notifications of game scores, as well as Facebook updates and Tweets from players and friends. Whether sharing a story about their favorite WPS player or tweeting their status to the world, Karackter allows users to utilize the core Facebook and Twitter functionalities through a 3-D desktop avatar. Users can update their status on each platform separately or update both simultaneously. Karackter also has a security component that notifies users of any red card worthy malicious activity - bad links, corrupt apps, SPAM, and strong language.

GRASSROOTS PARTNERSHIPS

Women’s Professional Soccer has developed partnerships with five major grassroots soccer organizations to create mutually beneficial opportunities for promotion and brand presence through a variety of platforms.

Our partnerships with AYSO, NSCAA, USASA, US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer have provided WPS and its Teams access to organizational membership via e-blasts, physical mailings and web site promotion, in addition to brand presence at localized events in team markets. In return, each grassroots partner receives in-stadium presence in each of the seven WPS markets, access to WPS players and coaches, as well as content targeted toward the development and education of its membership, from youth players and amateur adult leagues to coaches and administrators within the sport.

Check out the information below to learn more about WPS’s Official Grassroots Partners.

The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is the largest single-entity youth soccer association in the U.S. with over 600,000 registered players and 225,000 volunteers. AYSO develops and delivers quality youth soccer programs in a fun, safe environment based on the 5 Philosophies of Everyone Plays, Balanced Teams, Open Registration, Positive Coaching and Good Sportsmanship. To learn more about AYSO and how you can become a part of AYSO, contact (800) USA-AYSO or visit www.soccer.org.

From its humble beginnings in 1941, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has grown to become the world’s largest single-sport coaches' organization. The NSCAA's mission is to help its members excel in their coaching careers by offering numerous coaching education programs as well as Convention and member services. For more information about the NSCAA, visit www.nscaa.com.

The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a National Organization member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and is currently the only adult soccer member organization of USSF. USASA operates 54 national state associations through its local members and is the USSF affiliation for the PDL of the United Soccer Leagues (USL), the Women’s Premier Soccer League, the Men’s Premier Soccer League, as well as several regional interstate soccer leagues. In addition, AYSO is an adult soccer member of USASA as AYSO continues its efforts to offer adult play among its parents, volunteers, and youth players who have advanced to adult age. USASA stages national competitions for club teams, veteran’s teams, and coed teams annually, as well as staging a national player development program. For more information about USASA, visit www.usasa.com.

US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop competitive club soccer in the United States. It has been a member of the United States Soccer Federation since July 2001 and has grown to over 2,300 member clubs and leagues in 49 states. In addition to administering and sanctioning tournaments, leagues and other competitions as well as offering a range of programs for its members, US Club Soccer annually conducts the National Cup and the National Collegiate Showcase. US Club Soccer also directs its own annual player identification and development program – id2. For more information about US Club Soccer, visit www.usclubsoccer.com.

US Youth Soccer - The Game for ALL Kids!® - is the largest youth sports organization in the country. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member state associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.