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Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Kennecott Renew Long-Standing Partnership

March 16, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and global mining leader Rio Tinto Kennecott have extended their 15-year partnership. Rio Tinto Kennecott will maintain its current role as an official community partner of the Club and will hold many sponsorship and branding rights with the Claret-and-Cobalt, including media, hospitality and employee engagement initiatives. Specific terms of the partnership have not been disclosed.

"Rio Tinto Kennecott has been one of our longest standing partners, a relationship that has extended clear back to our stadium's original opening in October of 2008," said Real Salt Lake President John Kimball. "The legacy of our partnership has extended well beyond our stadium, and we look forward to continuing to work together to create incredible experiences for our fans, their employees, and the member of our local community."

A worldwide mining corporation, Rio Tinto has been the owner and operator of the state's iconic open-pit mining operation, Kennecott Utah Copper, since 1989. The mining group first entered into a partnership with Real Salt Lake in 2008 as the original naming rights sponsor of the club's stadium in Sandy, then called Rio Tinto Stadium.

"Rio Tinto Kennecott and Real Salt Lake have long been a winning combination, and this relationship has always meant a lot to us," said Rio Tinto Kennecott managing director Nate Foster. "Kennecott has called Utah home for 120 years now, with our Bingham Canyon Mine in operation since 1903. We value the opportunity to continue our partnership with Real Salt Lake, another key community builder in our area."

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