MLS: insurance company Mapfre obtains naming rights to the stadium of Columbus Crew SC

The Spanish insurance company Mapfre acquired the naming of the stadium of Columbus Crew SC (MLS, USA-CAN) announces the club on 03/03/2015. The 20,000 seat stadium will now be called Mapfre Stadium.

The franchise, based in Ohio, announced that the agreement of "several million dollars" is the largest in the history of Columbus Crew. The contract is estimated at between €1m and €2m per season. The stadium opened in 1999, and was the first stadium specifically dedicated to a MLS franchise. Mapfre becomes the first naming partner of the stadium. The logo of the insurer will be particularly visible on the exterior facade, on the big screen and on the roof of the main grandstand.

• Anthony Precourt was appointed president of Columbus Crew SC after his takeover of the club and the stadium via Precourt Sports Ventures, an investment fund specialising in sports and entertainment, on 30/07/2013.
• Columbus Crew SC was sold by the Hunt Sports Group, the creator of the franchise, to Precourt Sports Ventures for $68m (approximately €51.5m), the highest sum ever paid for the acquisition of an…