MONTAGE HEALTH TO PARTNER WITH CLUB
Multiyear partnership to also promote health, wellness programs using soccer to reach audiences
MONTEREY >> Citing “a tremendous soccer DNA in the city of Salinas” as one of the reasons he is bringing professional soccer to the region, Monterey Bay Football Club owner and Chairman Ray Beshoff along with Montage Health President and CEO Steven Packer announced a multiyear partnership Thursday.
“Soccer is an all-encompassing sport, it brings different nationalities together,” said Beshoff at the joint news conference on Thursday at Montage Health Center in Marina.
Montage Health was unveiled as the official kit partner for the Monterey Bay Football Club as both organizations partner on elevating the health and wellness of the Monterey region.
The partnership will prominently feature Montage Health across the front of Monterey Bay Football Club’s kits or jerseys.
Beshoff said that besides the city of Salinas’ contribution to the sport through promoting amateur soccer, two other important reasons exist to bring professional soccer to the re
gion: the number of youngsters who play soccer in the area and the CSU Monterey Bay stadium that his organization will help to renovate that will provide a bridge between the Monterey and Salinas communities.
“I think bringing a professional team here to help those kids improve themselves is a great acknowledgment of what they’ve done,” said Beshoff. “There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of boys and girls who play soccer here every weekend. The soccer fields are full of young kids who love this sport, it’s a worldwide sport, it’s the No. 1 sport in the world.”
Jersey sponsors have long been a prominent part of soccer and its culture and are considered one of the most important partnerships for a soccer team.
“Obviously you cannot be successful in this venture unless you have sponsors,” said Beshoff. “When we looked for sponsorships that feel the same as we do about what we are going to be achieving, Montage was an unbelievable introduction to us. From Day 1 when we met those guys, Dr. Packard and his team, it was just we knew that was the relationship that we wanted.”
Packer said that when presented with the opportunity to partner with the football club, it was a natural fit because Montage is about health and wellness.
“We’re really excited. This is a first for us,” said Packer. “It’s unique for us in that we’ve never partnered with a professional sports team before as an organization.”
As part of the partnership, the football club and the health organization will collaborate to raise the importance of health and wellness in the area including visits with patients by the players, fundraising for health causes or programs, and helping to promote health awareness campaigns.
Many of the programs will utilize soccer as a tool to reach audiences, including Monterey Bay Football Club matches. Montage Health facilities will be used for the fitness and physical therapy needs of Monterey Bay Football Club players.
“We want to be as successful off the pitch as on the pitch,” said Beshoff. “It’s important we give back to the community. It’s important we become involved. Our players need to be involved in looking after the sick or visiting hospitals, being out in the community and being great examples.”
Thursday’s announcement is a significant step for the United Soccer League Championship club which will host its 2022 inaugural season on the CSU Monterey Bay campus.
The development and design of the kit begins immediately and will include input from the community. An online survey was launched by the club so fans could share ideas of what they would like in a design of the kit along with other merchandise. Select fans who participate in the survey will be some of the first to receive the official team jersey.
The club is currently developing its crest and colors which will be unveiled in the Monterey Bay community this summer.
Puma was named Monterey Bay Football Club’s official sports apparel partner earlier this year and will provide the official kit and training gear for the club, its players, coaches and training staff. The inaugural kit for the Monterey Bay Football Club is planned for release in the fall.
In February, the United Soccer League announced that Monterey Bay Football Club had joined the league for the 2022 season. With the club’s plan to play at CSUMB, it will invest millions to upgrade existing facilities at the university including renovating the stadium, bringing its capacity to 6,000.
Monterey Bay Football Club is led by Beshoff and its soccer operations by two-time Major League Soccer Coach of the Year Frank Yallop, who will serve as sporting director and head coach for the club, alongside assistant coach Ramiro Corrales.
Montage Health is the nonprofit parent company of health care organizations including Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Medical Group, MoGo Urgent Care, Aspire Health, Montage Health Foundation and Montage Wellness Center.