Toronto FC ‘banks’ on BMO; renews partnership

Article posted by Coliseum, July 4^th, 2022

Image: Toronto FC

The Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Toronto FC (Canada) has signed a 10-year extension of its foundational partnership with the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Financial Group.

‘Sportings’ stated that the renewal will allow BMO to remain the main shirt sponsor of the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment-owned (MLSE) franchise for the duration of the contract and retain the naming rights to Toronto FC’s 30,000-capacity home. The contract was last extended in 2016 and was reportedly priced at US$4 million a year.

The Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at the BMO Field, located at Exhibition Place on Toronto’s shoreline West of Downtown Toronto.

The 27,456-capacity BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

The Bank of Montreal is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as the Montreal Bank. While its head office remains in Montreal, the operational headquarters and executive offices have been located in Toronto, Ontario, since 1977.

The Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Limited is a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

‘Sportings’ further stated that on June 16^th, the BMO Field was named as one of the host venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, which will be played in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The new agreement sees the financial group and Toronto FC committed to continuing to support grassroots initiatives. BMO will continue as the presenting partner of Kickstart, an MLSE Foundation-led program that introduces young people to football, expanded to girls for the first time under the new partnership.

Remarked Toronto FC President Bill Manning, “BMO has been a founding partner of Toronto FC from Day One of the franchise’s history and has been instrumental in the development of the club and its many successes over those 15 years. It is fitting that we announce a long-term renewal with BMO as we set our vision to not only deliver another championship for the City and our fans, but to grow the sport and create opportunities for women and girls. We are grateful to BMO for their continued support and excited for all that we will be able to accomplish together over the next 10 years.”

Commented Cameron Fowler, BMO’s Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, “This renewed partnership with Toronto FC demonstrates our commitment to the franchise and the power to drive gender equity in soccer and beyond. We aim to boldly develop the good in business and life and our commitment to an inclusive society drives us to partner with leading organizations like the MLSE to build and expand programs that address barriers to inclusion.”

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