Seattle Sounders FC will have a new jersey sponsor for the 2023 season, announcing Friday a long-term partnership with non-profit health system Providence.
The club's third-ever kit sponsor, Providence replaces previous partner Zulily (2019-22) for branding privileges on all of Seattle's home and away match jerseys. The company logo will also be visible on all team travel jackets, rain and stadium jackets, official polo shirts and all Sounders FC development teams, from Discovery Program squads through the MLS NEXT Pro sides.
Seattle will play their first game in their new kits next month at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco. As 2022 Concacaf Champions League title holders, the Rave Green will debut on Feb. 4 against the winners of the Round One matchup between Al Ahly (Africa runner-up) and Auckland City (Oceania winner).
Should they win their Second Round contest, the Sounders would advance to the semifinals for a Feb. 8 showdown against four-time tournament champions Real Madrid.
“From our earliest conversations with Providence, this partnership was always about shared values, especially our combined organizational commitment to our region’s youth and making communities healthier places to live,” Sounders FC majority owner Adrian Hanauer said in a press release.
“In our club’s view, working with community-minded partners is critical to Sounders FC’s overall mission, and in Providence we have found a partner that is deeply vested in the Puget Sound region and whose values and goals align with our own."
Both the Sounders and Providence heralded the new partnership – which was announced at Renton (Wash.) High School – as a vehicle to promote youth mental health and wellness in the local community. Initiatives will include working hand-in-hand with district leadership to develop, implement and provide support for a variety of programming and services focused on concrete ways to improve mental health for students.
Renton, whose school district serves over 15,000 young people, will be the home of Sounders FC Center at Longacres, the club's state-of-the-art training facility that's set to open in 2024.
“As two Renton-based organizations, Providence and Seattle Sounders FC have been looking for ways to partner to improve the health of the community. One area where we share common urgency is the mental health crisis among young people," Providence president and CEO Rod Hochman, M.D. said in an official statement.
"Passion for sports like soccer is often a powerful way to join people together in a common cause. We’re excited to use this platform to help to improve access to resources for our local youth, starting with the Renton School District."
