10 New Partners Signed with MLL in 2019 and 5 Renewed
November 1, 2019 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
The success and value of Major League Lacrosse is directly reflected by the new partners that joined the league in 2019 and the several partners who reaffirmed their commitment to the league by renewing their sponsorships.
Ten new partners joined Major League Lacrosse in 2019. MLL welcomed new partners from the insurance, hotel, timepiece and endemic lacrosse categories. The full list of partners is: Amerind Risk Insurance, ARYSE, Boost Oxygen, Clear Screening, Corum Watches, Marriott Hotels, Maryland Tourism, Progressive Insurance, True Lacrosse, Westin Hotels. One of the benefits MLL received this year through their newly established partnership with CLEAR was the ability to offer every Major League Lacrosse player the opportunity to skip the line at airports this summer.
Companies that renewed their partnership with MLL in 2019 included Bud Light, Tito's Vodka, Cascade Maverik Lacrosse, A&R Sports and Source One. These partners all joined longstanding MLL partners, New Balance, Warrior Lacrosse and Coca-Cola.
Elements of this year's partnerships included traditional sponsorship packages (television spots, field boards, event activation, etc.); however, MLL worked with partners to think outside the box and provide uniquely aligned consumer and brand sponsorship benefits. The My Lacrosse Life halftime features were produced with New Balance and starred their MLL sponsored athletes. The three-minute features provide a look under the helmet at who these players are, what motivates them and what they are doing with lacrosse (and often with New Balance) off the field. After being aired live during games, the pieces were distributed through social media and made available on MLL's website. These pieces generated roughly 200,000 views.
As current MLL partners have experienced, and the research done by Nielsen Sports shows, MLL offers brands a deep connection to fans through the consumer journey. 65% of fans have stated that if a sponsor partners with MLL it affects their perception of the brand and they are more likely to feel positive about the company. 85% of fans are more likely to consider a brand because they sponsor MLL and 75% of fans have stated they are more likely to purchase a product/service from a MLL sponsor due to their alignment with league.
MLL's partners benefited from a year of growth and success across the league. MLL saw a 16% increase in total attendance year-over-year this season and a broadcast reach of 724 million viewers through expanded national and regional broadcast deals. Digitally, MLL had a 194% growth in social traffic, 97% growth in social engagement and 393% growth in web traffic. MLL executed the largest grassroots initiative in league history, crossing sixteen states and seeing 150 thousand lacrosse fans. And the cherry on top of it all, MLL players dazzled fans and broke records. John Grant Jr. broke the all-time points record and extended his current record of most all-time goals, Alex Woodall set the record for the most faceoff wins in a single season by a rookie, while the Atlanta Blaze went on to break long-held team records. With 141 players signed for the 2020 season (62% GDAR players), MLL is positioned for success leading into offseason signings and looking ahead to the twentieth anniversary season.
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