- The National Hockey League (NHL) Florida Panthers have partnered with Allied Sports as its ‘exclusive sales agency’ to lead the search for an arena naming rights partner and a jersey patch partner.
- The Panthers play in 19,636 seat FLA Live Arena–previously known as the BB&T Center–in Sunrise, Florida.
- BB&T has merged with SunTrust Bank to form Truist Bank and the decision was made mutually not to extend the naming rights agreement.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Florida Panthers were a dumpster fire but things are definitely looking up. The Panthers have become one of the best teams in the NHL, currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-13-5 record for 79 points. They’ve also become one of the best home teams in the NHL with a 25-6-0 record at the FLA Live Arena. The team is set to host the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in February 2023. Now they just need to come up with a permanent name for the facility.
The Panthers’ home ice had been known as the BB&T Center since 2012 but prior to this season a mutual decision was reached not to renew the naming rights agreement. BB&T has merged with SunTrust Bank to form Truist Bank, so essentially the building was named for a company that no longer existed. The venue was renamed FLA Live Arena on an interim basis as the team searches for a permanent naming partner. After the change, Panthers chief commercial officer Shawn Thornton thanked the team’s previous naming partner and explained what they were looking for in a new one:
“We want to thank the leadership at BB&T now Truist for their loyal support and partnership for the past 11 years. As we move forward in identifying a new naming rights partnership for the arena, we will seek to build on this incredible momentum with an innovative long-term partner that aligns with our culture, brand and growth trajectory as South Florida’s hockey market continues to grow exponentially.”
Earlier today, the team took the next step in that process by naming Allied Sports as the ‘exclusive sales agency’ to help lock down a new naming rights partner. In addition to the naming rights deal, the agency will also help the team locate their first ever jersey patch partner. According to the press release, the team is already seeing strong interest from the South Florida business communities.
Panthers Chief Commercial Officer Shawn Thornton had these comments about Allied Sports joining the naming partner search:
“As a leader in creating brand partnerships, we are thrilled for Allied Sports to come on board to assist us with our search for a long-term naming rights partner. We look forward to collaborating with Allied on identifying the best company that aligns with our goals for the Florida Panthers, concerts, events and more at our exceptional Broward County venue.”
Greg Luckman, Chief Executive Officer of Allied Sports, shared the pleasantries:
“We are excited to partner with the Florida Panthers to execute a commercial strategy for the team’s marquee assets. This is a powerful platform for modern marketers looking to align with an organization on the rise and to establish a deeper connection with fans in the South Florida region.”
Don’t be surprised to see a cryptocurrency company in either or both sponsorship roles. Miami has become a hotbed for cryptocurrency and blockchain related companies and they’ve already got the Miami Heat’s home venue named for the FTX crypto platform as FTX Arena.
