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The Boston Breakers have found another sponsor in the form of Bud Light, adding them to the ranks of NWSL clubs who have found high-profile team sponsors this season.
“This is an exciting partnership for us as we look to tap into the 21 to 30-year-old age group,” said general manager Lee Billiard via team press release. “With Bud Light’s knowledge and promotion to that crowd, we hope to see a greater awareness of our team along with an increase in attendance of that specific demographic. Bud Light will also be promoting us during their own weekly activations, which is huge exposure for us. It's going to be an exciting partnership.”
The targeting of the adult market is noteworthy for a league that has often been described as appealing mainly to young girls. It’s also interesting when individual clubs hook big-name sponsors like Bud Light (see also: the Seattle Reign hooking Microsoft through the local connection, or FC Kansas City getting Dominos) while the league itself is still quiet on adding more high-level sponsorships to its current roster. NWSL did recently announce a new partnership with Cutter bug spray, and perhaps it’s easier for Bud Light to commit to a single geographic region or partner as opposed to a national league sponsorship, but considering Anheuser-Busch is an official sponsor of US Soccer, it seems like the league could at least get their foot in the door to discuss expanding this deal nationwide. Perhaps they have and we simply don’t know about it yet. (Any time you want to talk about it, Commissioner Plush. Any time.)
It’s also interesting that the Breakers went with Bud Light, considering Boston’s connection to Sam Adams. But as noted above, Anheuser-Busch and US Soccer have a pre-existing relationship, which may have helped get the ball rolling on discussions between the Breakers and Bud Light.
Regardless of the league issues, this is a nice get for the Breakers. They might be bottom of the table, but at least the business side of the club seems to be making the right moves.