Bay FC Scores Big as the NWSL Side Signs Six-Figure-Worth Partnership Deal With $1.96 Billion Global Firm

With each passing day, the NWSL landscape evolves with new developments. As the season continues, all eyes are on the expansion team, Bay FC. However, the debutants have encountered difficulties sitting in the lower places of the table. Despite their on-field troubles, there is a silver lining in their off-field endeavors, as they secured a huge six-figure collaboration arrangement with a $1.96 billion corporation, Sixth Street. 

The global investment firm will feature its logo on the back of the team’s jerseys. According to Sportico, the deal is valued at over $500,000 for this year, marking the largest back-of-shirt sponsorship deal in the league to date. This partnership represents the latest marketing endeavor for the club, which is primarily owned by Sixth Street’s evergreen Tao Fund. However, the sponsorship is directly from the firm itself, separate from the team’s ownership structure. Notably, Sixth Street has earlier spearheaded a consortium that invested $53 million last year to join the NWSL. 

Interestingly, representatives from Bay FC and the NWSL declined to disclose the exact value of the deal or how it compares to other teams’ sponsorship agreements. The NWSL has recently expanded jersey advertising space, providing teams with opportunities to attract existing sponsors or secure new ones. Remarkably, the team has already sold out its inaugural home opener and secured partnerships with several entities, including Sutter Health as a front-of-shirt sponsor, Visa as its sleeve partner, with Lyft and PNC Bank also joining as partners.

Either way, this deal certainly comes out to be a major boost for Bay FC as well as a historic moment for the league. Perhaps these developments are what led them to top a special chart.

NWSL outshines Taylor Swift and YouTube in 2024’s Prestigious Business Innovators list 

Fast Company, a US-based business magazine, recently published its annual ranking of the world’s most innovative companies, covering 58 different industries and sectors. Surprisingly, the NWSL has secured a spot in the top 10 of the list, claiming fifth place for its role in ‘resetting the value of women’s sports.’ The league ranks behind United Auto Workers (4th), Microsoft (3rd), and Novo Nordisk (2nd), with Nvidia, a tech-based firm, taking the top spot. 

NWSL also surpasses well-known companies like YouTube (7th), Taco Bell (8th), and Taylor Swift Productions (15th). It has even outpaced Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, which falls just behind Swift’s production company. While architectural firm Gensler (6th) and aerospace engineering company KinetX (10th) also secured spots in the top 10, tech giants Google (30th), WhatsApp (32nd), and Adobe (33rd) surprisingly find themselves much further down the list. 

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