Chiefs get ‘teeth’ with naming rights deal

Article posted by Coliseum, March 9^th, 2021

Image: Kansas City Chiefs

Missouri-headquartered GEHA will be the exclusive naming rights partner for Arrowhead Stadium (US). An announcement in this regard was made by the professional American football team Kansas City Chiefs and GEHA recently. Beginning with the 2021 National Football League (NFL) season, the home of the Chiefs will be GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

A statement on the Kansas City Chiefs website stated that GEHA and the Chiefs are committed to ensuring Arrowhead Stadium remains the identity of the stadium.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri, US. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference West division.

Apply for membership

The Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) is a nonprofit provider of medical and dental plans for federal employees.

The 76,416-capacity Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.

The 2021 NFL season will be the 102^nd season of the National Football League (NFL). The length of the season is contingent on whether the league decides to expand the regular season from 16 to 17 games and due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The season will begin on September 9^th, 2021 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (US. The season will end with Super Bowl LVI, the league’s championship game at the sparkling SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and will be held on either February 6^th or 13^th, 2022, depending on whether the regular season is expanded.

The website quoted Chiefs President Mark Donovan as stating, “We are extremely proud and excited to announce our naming rights agreement with GEHA. When we set out to find a partner for the field at Arrowhead, it was critical to identify a national leader that shares our core values, as well as a deep connection to the local community and respect for Chiefs Kingdom.”

Added Donavan, “Our relationship with GEHA over the last few years has only served to reinforce the alignment between our two organizations and proven their strong, long-standing relationship with the local community. This expanded partnership will continue to build lasting health and wellness programs that support the team, GEHA and our community.”

The above announcement marks an expansion of the already healthy partnership between GEHA and the Kansas City Chiefs, which has gone from strength to strength since the relationship was first announced in July 2019, when GEHA became the club’s Exclusive Health, Dental and Vision Plan Partner.

GEHA is a national leader in providing medical and dental plans to more than 2 million Federal employees, retired military and their families worldwide. Both GEHA and the Chiefs are deeply committed to promoting their missions of driving and supporting health and wellness. The naming rights deal provides a highly visible platform to support GEHA’s efforts to empower its members to enjoy robust health.

Stated Shannon Horgan, GEHA’s Chief Growth Officer, “Expanding our commitment to the team and community with naming rights for GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is the natural extension of the partnership we first put in place with the Chiefs in 2019. Through our relationship with the Chiefs, we have been able to accelerate awareness of GEHA’s mission, the breadth of our provider networks, and the quality of our health plans. The opportunity to grow our brand helps us reinvest in the families and individuals we serve and will be an invaluable benefit to current and future GEHA members. Expanding this partnership will help GEHA do what we do best – serve those who serve us.”

The long-term contract runs through the end of the current lease agreement with the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority.

Stadium staff will begin integrating GEHA branding and logo assets throughout the venue in the coming months, and stadium signage will be in place by the kickoff to the 2021 Chiefs season in September 2021 – the 50^th season for the Chiefs in iconic Arrowhead Stadium.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 250 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue