NWSL and Voyager Ink Crypto Deal in one of League’s biggest sponsorships – Sportico.com

[ad_1]

The National Women’s Soccer League has signed a multi-year deal with cryptocurrency brokerage Voyager Digital, one of the largest corporate sponsorships in the league’s history.

NWSL players will receive part of the deal directly in cryptocurrency. Each year, Voyager will set aside a portion of its payments to the NWSL – around 50%, according to a person familiar with the terms – to create a pool that will be split evenly by each player on a NWSL roster. Traveling will help educate players about crypto, and they will be able to choose the currencies to receive their funds.

The deal comes a month after the NWSL announced an extension with Nike (NYSE: NKE), the largest trade deal in league history. Terms of the deal with Voyager (TSX: VOYG) have not been released.

The Nike and Voyager deals both show corporate confidence in a league emerging from a tumultuous season. The NWSL has been rocked in recent months by a slew of allegations of verbal and sexual abuse by coaches, with the league itself criticized for failing to respond appropriately to accusations when they were made to the first time. The scandal led to the departure of Commissioner Lisa Baird, along with a series of owner, coaching and front office changes.

The revelations came in the middle of a season that was shaping up to be a huge commercial success, with an influx of sponsor dollars and strong results from the second season of its media partnerships with CBS. The league is expected to grow to 12 teams in 2022, with expansion franchises in Los Angeles and San Diego.

“The future of the NWSL is so bright and we want to be a part of it,” Voyager co-founder and CEO Steve Ehrlich said in an interview. “These women are popular athletes in our culture. They are going to play in the World Cup, and everyone is listening. We love the vision for the future of the NWSL, we love the addition of new teams and what [interim CEO Marla Messing] do.”

The rise in popularity of cryptocurrency has created a valuable selling opportunity for sports teams and leagues. Over the past few months, cryptocurrency companies of all kinds have signed major jersey patch agreements, naming rights agreements, and fan-token partnerships.

Based in New York City, Voyager has already made a handful of sporting deals, including partnerships with NFL player Rob Gronkowski, NASCAR driver Landon Cassill and an international deal with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.

This partnership was negotiated on the league side by Messing and revenue director Mitch Poll.

[ad_2]