- The Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have named US Fertility and Fertility Centers of Illinois as their ‘Official Fertility Partner.’
- The NWSL has been very progressive in terms of partnerships at the league and team level with several sportsbooks, crypto companies–and now a fertility company–among their backers.
- The Red Stars have been in existence since 2007 and were one of the original eight teams in the NWSL in 2013.
The sports world is changing dramatically, and nothing underscores this transformation more than team and league sponsorships. It wasn’t that long ago that teams and leagues in every sport were afraid to think ‘out of the box’ in terms of sponsorships. For that reason, it was mostly the ‘usual suspects’ such as beer companies, fast food, etc. These segments still have a place in the partnership world but the variety of industries now involved in the sponsorship of sports is astounding.
With my primary professional interests being sports betting and cryptocurrency, I’m constantly amazed at how many leagues and teams are embracing both industries as sponsors. You can look through the articles on this website and see how both industries are now visible at the highest level of sports. Just a few years ago, the notion that the Los Angeles Lakers’ home arena–formerly known as the Staples Center–would soon be known as the ‘Crypto.com Arena’ was something that few would have predicted. Ditto that teams and leagues–including the major leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL–would have a variety of ‘sportsbook partners’ was almost unfathomable.
There are other interesting new sponsorships from a variety of industries throughout sports though–to the best of my knowledge–the one we’re reporting on today is a first. The Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have named US Fertility and Fertility Centers of Illinois as their ‘Official Fertility Partner’:
Today the Chicago Red Stars announced a new partnership with US Fertility (USF) and the Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) that will see FCI, a founding partner of US Fertility, become the Official Fertility Partner of the Chicago Red Stars. FCI and US Fertility will provide education and fertility care options for Red Stars players and their families.
As a part of the partnership, Red Stars players will have access to complimentary fertility physician consultations, fertility evaluations, egg retrieval and freezing, educational events led by FCI physicians, and other fertility planning resources.
The press release gave this background on US Fertility and the Fertility Center of Illinois:
US Fertility is the largest physician-led integrated network of top-tier fertility practices in the United States. With more than 120,000 babies born to its credit, they complete more than 29,000 IVF cycles annually, and perform 1,000+ elective and donor egg freezing cycles annually. FCI is one of the leading fertility treatment practices in the United States, providing advanced reproductive endocrinology services for over 30 years with more than 35,000 babies born.
Vicky Lynch, Chief Business Officer of the Red Stars, is happy to welcome FCI and US Fertility to the team’s sponsor roster:
“We’re excited to welcome FCI and US Fertility as partners and proud to be a club that can offer fertility services to our players. In our discussions with players over the last year, it was clear that fertility care and education was important to them, and we made it a priority to find a partner that would best suit their needs. We look forward to working with FCI and US Fertility to better serve our players.”
Arin Wright, defender for the Chicago Red Stars, is excited to have this sponsor and the resources they provide:
“My teammates and I are beyond thrilled to be partnering with Fertility Centers of Illinois and US Fertility. This partnership is groundbreaking for sports in this country and we are excited to be part of paving the way for the future generations to come.”
“Having control over our fertility brings peace of mind in many aspects and provides the ability to continue to do our job without carrying the stress of our biological clock. As a player, having an option that allows us to not have to choose between our careers and family is a huge achievement and something I honestly never thought could be an option as an NWSL player. I’m very proud to be a part of an organization who is putting their players’ futures in the forefront of their minds and I’m excited to embark on this journey with Fertility Centers of Illinois who shares that same vision!”
Obviously, this is something that wouldn’t work in the NFL but for a women’s sports league it’s a perfect fit. Hopefully, we’ll see more teams following the lead of the Red Stars.
