July 19 – Visa has renewed its sponsorship of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) until 2028, remaining as the exclusive payment services partner of the men’s and women’s teams.
A term of the deal is that at least 50% of the investment in soccer programming goes toward the USWNT and women’s soccer initiatives.
A major theme of Visa’s sponsorship generally has been to empower gender equity and parity in sport. Visa is sponsor of the Women’s World Cup that kicks off this week.
At the World Cup Visa is sponsoring the Player of the Match which will see it award 64 grants (one for each game) to women-owned small businesses from the same country as the national team represented by the winning Player of the Match.
As part of the USSF sponsorship Visa will remain as the presenting partner of the SheBelieves Cup — which and the fan-voted MVP award, adding a $25,000 Visa-funded grant to a U.S. women-owned small business on behalf of the winning athlete.
“Soccer’s popularity in the United States continues to surge and we are committed to working with U.S. Soccer to elevate the beautiful game for the athletes and the soccer community,” said Mary Ann Reilly, Chief Marketing Officer of North America, Visa.
“Beyond creating seamless digital payment experiences or getting cardholders closer to the action, we are focusing on advancing parity in soccer to future proof the game.”
Visa will be the presenting partner of the U.S. Soccer Mobile Fan Studio that will bring enhanced programming at select matches including meet and greets, pre-game chalk talks, exclusive merchandise, and product customisation.
Other activations will include special hospitality backstage experiences providing access to national team events, players and coaches for Visa clients and cardholders at national team matches; complimentary jersey customization offer for Visa cardholders; and ticket pre-sale access for Visa cardholders.
U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer David Wright said: “Visa’s commitment to advance the sport while advocating for equality has and will continue to be front and center for many years to come.”
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