The naming rights for the San Jose Earthquakes new stadium have been won by Santa Clara, Calif.-based technology firm Avaya, the club announced on Wednesday.
San Jose president David Kaval confirmed that the deal is worth $20 million over 10 years. The Quakes' new venue will be known as Avaya Stadium.
"This is truly an historic day for the San Jose Earthquakes, our partner Avaya, and the whole community," said Quakes president David Kaval at a news conference. "We spent the last four years planning, developing, and building this beautiful $100 million stadium in heart of Silicon Valley. Today we are proud to announce that everyone is welcome to Avaya Stadium."
Welcome to #AvayaStadium, proud new home of the @SJEarthquakes! #Quakes74 http://t.co/XiH8ftIu8e pic.twitter.com/WyfZGosvNM
- Avaya Stadium (@AvayaStadium) November 19, 2014
Avaya will become the official business engagement, communications solutions and technology partner of the team and the new stadium, which will be the first cloud-enabled venue in MLS. Using cloud-based technologies will allow the Earthquakes to add new features to enhance the fan experience.
"We're going to showcase technology in a way that's never been done before in a stadium," said Pierre-Paul Allard, Avaya's president of worldwide operations. "We'll be creating fan experiences, we'll be able to bring technology into the realm of soccer and into the realm of the Earthquakes."
Allard said that the company would develop an Earthquakes app that would be used by fans regardless of whether they were in the stadium. For those at the game, there would be the opportunity to order food, watch video, send messages to the scoreboard, or order apparel.
"Fans want to connect, they want to connect with the players, the want to connect with the team," said Allard. "This gives them the opportunity to be part of the family of the Quakes, and not just be a participant."
Avaya will also provide end-to-end technology solutions, such as hardware and software installation, turnkey services and the team's voice, data, video, wireless and contact center.
"We didn't want a partner who was just a name on a building," said Kaval. "We wanted a partner that would bring strategic value. Especially in this area, having a technology partner, best of breed in their industry, that is a huge win for our fans, the community, the Earthquakes."
The process of finding a partner took over eight months.
Kaval added, "It's kind of like dating. We really felt that Avaya was a partner that shared a lot of the same hopes and dreams."
The announcement comes at time of major change within the club that goes beyond the opening of the stadium. San Jose finished last in the Western Conference this season, and recently hired Dominic Kinnear -- who coached the club during its previous MLS incarnation -- as manager.
Kaval said that the extra revenue the stadium is expected to generate will allow San Jose to better compete for players. The salary cap is also expected to increase significantly as a result of a new collective bargaining agreement that is currently being negotiated between MLS and the MLS Players Union. Kaval added the team is exploring the possibility of signing a third designated player.
"In the past we've been really limited because we played in the smallest stadium and we didn't have access to some of these revenue streams that other teams have," he said. "This not only levels the playing field, but because of the size of this deal and other deals that we have, it allows us to be at the top tier in our league."
An increase in construction costs bumped the original $60 million price tag to over $100 million because of a decision to add amenities to the stadium. Kaval insisted that these were not overruns, but a conscious decision on the part of the club to add more bells and whistles to the venue, including the use of materials such as redwood, terrazzo stone, as well as expanded facilities for the players.
"We decided to kick it up a notch everywhere in the stadium," said Kaval. "Every little piece we tried to do at the highest possible level. We wanted a world-class stadium for a world-class community."
The Quakes stadium is set to be completed some time next month. It was originally scheduled to open during the 2014 campaign, but construction delays pushed the opening into 2015. Kaval said that the club will have a soft opening for the venue early next year.
According to the company's web site, Avaya has 14,000 employees worldwide and according to filings at the end of 2012, its total revenues for the 2012 fiscal year were over $5.1 billion.