For the first two years of its existence, St. Louis CITY SC was the only MLS team to play in a soccer-specific stadium that did not have a corporate sponsor.
That distinction ended on Thursday.
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During an on-field press conference, the club announced that the 22,423-seat facility in Downtown West will be renamed Energizer Park ahead of the 2025 season. The rebranding will take effect on January 1, 2025.
Previously known as CITYPARK, the stadium is receiving a new name for the second time in as many years. Centene owned the naming rights from February–October 2022 before backing out of a multi-year deal. Although Energizer Holdings president and CEO Mark LaVigne declined to disclose the terms of the contract, he characterized the deal as a “long-term investment.”
Energizer, which manufactures batteries and car care products, moved its headquarters from Town and Country to Clayton earlier this year. The company joins a roster of high-profile, St. Louis-based sponsors that includes Nestlé Purina PetCare, BJC HealthCare and Washington University Orthopedics, Together Credit Union, Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Enterprise Mobility, World Wide Technology, and Moneta.
At Thursday’s press conference, CITY CEO Carolyn Kindle, along with president and general manager Diego Gigliani, spoke of the club’s desire to boost the region’s national and international profiles through such partnerships with major brands. Highlighting Energizer as a St. Louis-based company gives CITY more evidence that it belongs in the same conversation as some of the biggest names in industry.
“From Day 1, this ownership group has always wanted to do things that promote the city,” Kindle said. “To have these announcements with globally-recognized companies like Energizer, Enterprise, and Purina, it’s allowed us to hold on to our true values and keep that vision alive. It’s really exciting that a lot of people didn’t know that Energizer was headquartered here. So it’s a great story for us to tell as we promote the city and put it back on the international map where it belongs.”
Of course, the corporate sponsorship of stadiums can be a tricky proposition for some fans to stomach. After the deal to name the venue Centene Stadium fell through, the club rebranded the facility as CITYPARK—a pivot that pleased many fans as a sensible alternative. That name, however, was never meant to be permanent.
While it may be tempting for fans to draw a line from revenue generated from the Energizer partnership to future investments on the sporting side, Kindle says that the two may not be closely connected.
“We want to make sure that we continue to drive a high-energy fan experience,” Kindle said. “We still need to continue to work on our home here [Energizer Park]. It’s only our second year, so we learned a lot about how we can enhance the fan experience. Right now, we’re just trying to focus on what we can offer at Energizer Park.”
Although CITY’s season is over, the stadium will remain busy during the coming weeks. The 2024 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament semifinals and championship match will be held at the facility on November 7 and 10. The United States Men’s National Team will also face Jamaica in a Concacaf Nations League clash in Downtown West on November 18. St. Louis could also host the MLS Next Pro Final next month, should CITY2 advance this weekend.
CITY fans will begin to see the rollout of Energizer Park branding before the end of the year. Stadium signage will be in place by CITY’s 2025 MLS home opener. In addition to updated signage around the team’s city campus, the Energizer Stadium logo will be painted on the facility’s roof.
“We’re obviously delighted that the fans embraced the name of CITYPARK,” said Diego Gigliani, the club’s president and general manager. “It was always the intention to have, ideally, a local brand that would take the name of the stadium. We were always actively involved in finding that partner. The sooner we could find it, the better, so that name change could start impacting the language of fans and media as they speak about this venue. I think we were very fortunate to find [not just] a company, but also a brand, that is just as powerful, if not more than CITYPARK already was. If you think about the opportunity of being able to call this Energizer Park, it really adds value to the name of the stadium. That was very exciting for us.”
For his part, LaVigne doesn’t mind if it takes some time for the name to stick.
“I think Energizer Park is going to catch on,” he said. “People will still call it CITYPARK and that’s just fine with us. We’re going to allow for the authenticity of the experience, to embrace what Energizer Park has to offer.”
