The Arizona Coyotes NHL team has signed a new partnership deal with the Gila River Indian Community. In a landmark deal, Gila River is now the first Native American tribe to sponsor an NHL team. The multi-year agreement will see Coyote players wear patches signifying the Gila River Resorts & Casinos on the home jersey this upcoming season.
The deal also comes at a time when the NHL is just now allowing teams to place advertisements on their uniforms. Rules of the league state that advertisements can only be placed on home jerseys for sportsbook operators and gambling companies. The Coyotes will be on the hunt for another sponsor to offer to advertise on road jerseys.
Presenting Sponsor for the Arizona Coyotes
On top of advertising on the Coyotes jerseys, Gila River Resorts & Casinos is now the team’s presenting sponsor for the new season. Based on NHL games focusing on the team’s new home at the Arizona State University campus, activations will be seen.
In speaking with ESPN, Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez commented that the deal is more than a brand sponsorship. The team’s goal is to bring diverse voices to the organizations and embrace all aspects of the community. The CEO stated that he has made it clear that the three pillars of the business plan include impact, inclusion, and innovation.
This is not the first time the Coyotes have worked with the Gila River Indian Community. The two have partnered in the past, with the Coyotes calling their former home base the Gila River Arena. The property was renamed the Desert Diamond just a few months ago.
The Arena is located in Glendale, and the city terminated its lease with the Coyotes after the 2021-2022 season. The team had called the city home for 18 seasons.
Moving On
Now the team is moving on, set to play at the Arizona State University for now. The Arizona Coyotes will play on the college campus at a new multi-purpose facility. The team will play there for three seasons minimum. The goal is to build a new arena on land owned by Tempe.
CEO Gutierrez says the team will be able to make more money with Gila River as its jersey sponsor than it did by having the name on the arena. He said the team would have a larger revenue partner this year, and the total package would increase overall spending.
Gutierrez pointed out that the Coyotes see the benefit of teaming up with Gila River and how it can positively affect their club.
Fans seem to be pulling for the Coyotes this year, with season ticket sales up 50% compared to former seasons. It was expected that more players would attend the NHL games since the team moved to Tempe.
The region is a hockey town, and with the college on location, younger sports fans can easily attend games. The Coyotes will see their first game take place at the new arena on October 28. Construction has been ongoing to ensure the arena is ready for the season.
It will be interesting to see if the increase in ticket sales will lead to increased bets on the Arizona Coyotes. Will fans post more bets while attending games? The NHL season is popular among bettors but has to compete with the NFL and NCAAF games. We shall see in the next few months how well the Arizona Coyotes fare in their new facility as well as how their fans and sports bettors embrace them. The next few months should be pretty interesting as the team gets started.
