Republic-Elevate to ‘buoy up’ fan engagement

Article posted by Coliseum, July 25^th, 2025

Image: Sacramento Republic FC and MANICA

The USL Championship team Sacramento Republic FC announced recently a strategic partnership with Elevate, a global, integrated agency network, to lead the commercial development and ticketing strategy of the club’s new stadium in downtown Sacramento’s historic Railyards District in Jacksonville, Florida (US).

‘SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC’ stated that Elevate will bring its expertise in sports business operations, data analytics and partnership strategy to support the club’s ambitions of redefining the fan experience as well as investing in the growth of Sacramento.

The Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California (US) that competes in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level of US soccer.

The Sacramento Republic FC is one of the premier clubs in USL Championship. Since 2014, the club has reflected the indomitable nature of California’s capital City breaking league records year over year, winning the championship in its inaugural season and sparking a regional passion for soccer.

The Heart Health Park is a sports venue located on the grounds of Cal Expo in Sacramento, California, United States. The soccer-specific stadium has a capacity of 11,569 and includes a full-sized (120 x 80 yard) soccer field. The Heart Health Park is the current home of the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team.

The Sacramento Republic FC is building a new, privately-funded, 12,000-seat soccer stadium in the downtown Sacramento Railyards district in Jacksonville, Florida (US). The stadium, part of a larger Railyards redevelopment project, is expected to be completed in time for the 2027 USL season. The stadium will be expandable to 20,000+ seats in a future phase.

New York (US)-based Elevate is a global, integrated agency network committed to helping properties, brands and universities forge deeper connections with their audiences to unlock growth. Serving more than 1,000 clients across sports, entertainment, consumer products, retail, and more, Elevate transforms its followers into devoted fans.

Asserted Todd Dunivant, Republic FC President-cum-General Manager (GM), “With Elevate’s proven track record in the sports industry and their data-driven approach we are confident this partnership will help us deliver a best-in-class experience for the fans, the partners and our community. Elevate has been part of the Sacramento Republic FC (SRFC) family for several years and the new stadium now allows us to maximize the potential of our long-held partnership.”

Observed Dustin Vicari, Elevate Executive Vice-President (VP), Property Sales, “The new stadium represents a transformative moment for the Sacramento Republic that will unlock new revenue streams, deepen fan engagement and position the club for long-term success. After five-plus years of strategic collaboration Elevate is proud to continue supporting the Republic FC as they take this exciting next step in the club’s journey.”

‘SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC’ further stated that Elevate will build upon prior new stadium survey and feasibility work to immediately oversee premium and ticket sales strategy, from product development and pricing to staffing, marketing and sales operations. The company will also collaborate with the Republic FC on launching an early interest campaign, designing an immersive experience center and developing marketing tools to maximize awareness and conversions. Elevate’s work will be fully integrated with the club’s leadership and marketing teams to ensure a seamless and effective rollout.

In addition to ticketing, Elevate will spearhead the partnership revenue strategy including securing high-value naming rights and founding-level sponsors for the new Republic Stadium. A dedicated Elevate executive will lead day-to-day partnership operations from Sacramento supported by Elevate’s broader global partnerships team, guiding asset valuations and creating partnership tiers using best-in-class methodologies and Elevate Performance and Insights Cloud (EPIC), Elevate’s proprietary intelligence platform. Elevate will also help the Republic FC with recruitment to develop a Sacramento-based sales team to support the club’s goals. In addition, Elevate will oversee sales reporting, contract development and long-term sponsorship forecasting to ensure sustainable commercial success.

Elevate’s Elevate Performance and Insights Cloud (EPIC) is a groundbreaking data and artificial intelligence (AI) platform which combines consumer insights, ticketing management and property analytics to transform the audience data into actionable intelligence thus enabling organizations of all kinds to build meaningful connections with the fans.

This is the latest addition to the Republic FC’s stadium development team which boasts expertise from the award-winning sports and entertainment facilities as well as public mixed-use projects around the world. The club is driven to work alongside the industry leaders and innovative partners to create a uniquely Sacramento venue that meets the needs of its team, the supporters and the entire region. After the recent unanimous term sheet approval by the Sacramento City Council construction activity will begin on the site leading to a groundbreaking ceremony later this Summer.

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