MLS’ FC Dallas Lands Two Jersey Sponsors to Replace MTX
FC Dallas announced new multiyear sponsorships with a pair of North Texas-based health care systems on Wednesday that will include their names on the MLS club’s jerseys. Children’s Health will be the team’s official health care provider, and its name will be featured on Dallas’ primary jersey. UT Southwestern Medical Center is the new hospital partner, and its name will adorn the team’s secondary jersey, set to be unveiled next month.
The club would not comment on the financial terms of the deals. Most MLS jersey sponsorships range from $3 million to $5 million per year. In 2022, New York City FC had the biggest jersey deal, worth $9 million from Etihad Airways. Charlotte FC (Ally) and LA Galaxy (Herbalife) also have agreements worth at least $7 million annually.
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“We look forward to a true partnership between three organizations committed to the well-being and health of our North Texas community. This is something we believe will propel our entire organization both on and off the field for years to come,” Dan Hunt, FC Dallas president, said in a release announcing the news.
As part of the deal, Children’s Health will provide training staff for the main club, along with its MLS Next team North Texas SC and its academy and youth teams. FC Dallas Academy, launched in 2008, is widely regarded as the top developer of talent in MLS.
AdvoCare had been FC Dallas’ main jersey partner since 2012, before downgrading to a sleeve deal after the 2020 season. The prior year, AdvoCare was forced to pay a $150 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission as part of a judgment over the company’s practices as a multilevel marketing operation.
MTX Group, a Frisco, Tex.-based tech firm, signed a seven-year jersey sponsorship with FC Dallas ahead of the 2021 season, but it cut the deal short after just two years following a review of its “strategy in the context of a post-pandemic market.”
FC Dallas ranked 23rd in Sportico’s 2022 MLS team valuations at $470 million. The club has struggled to draw fans in recent years, but average attendance topped 16,000 last season—its highest since 2013-14—as the team finished third in the Western Conference. Revenue was projected to top $50 million last season, and the business model has been heavily supported by selling players from its academy program.
