A global conglomerate of alcoholic beverages Pernod Ricardwhich reported $12 billion in sales for fiscal year 2024will sign a multi-year sponsorship with Major League Soccer.
The partnership will be for Pernod Ricardo’s Jameson brand of Irish whiskey. The deal with MLS will be Pernod Ricardo’s largest sports sponsorship in North America for any of its brands.
“We believe in the dynamics of this market,” said Conor McQuaid, president and CEO of Pernod Ricard USA, in an exclusive interview with Wealth. “The time is right for us to associate the brand with this popular and rising sport.”
As part of the agreement, Jameson will be included in national broadcasts and have a significant brand presence at the annual MLS All-Star Game in July. The brand has also signed individual sponsorship deals with six MLS clubs: Chicago Fire FC, Houston Dynamo FC, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York City FC, Orlando City SC and San Diego FC.
“There’s no limit to where MLS can go, and we value brands that share the same beliefs and vision,” said MLS Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President Carter Ladd Wealth.
The growing popularity of professional football
MLS has seen record interest over the past few seasons. In October, the league reported that it broke the previous season’s regular season attendance record. More than 11 million fans attended the 2024 MLS season, a 5% increase from the previous year, according to league data. The growing popularity of MLS also led to an all-time high in sponsorship revenue for the season. Sponsorship revenue is up 13% in 2024, according to MLS data.
As soccer’s popularity in the US grew, so did sales spirits stagnated. Alcohol sales in the U.S. have grown steadily for about 20 years, then spiked during the pandemic before falling in 2023. Through July, total U.S. alcohol sales fell 2.8%, according to to a report from beverage industry market research firm IWSR.
Jameson’s trajectory in the US largely mirrors that of the spirits market as a whole. McQuaid said the brand “has been under attack in the U.S. for the last 20 years.” And while Pernod Ricard doesn’t always report sales of individual brands, its overall U.S. business fell 10% in the third quarter, according to the call. for earnings in October.
McQuaid said MLS’ diverse audience was a major selling point for Pernod Ricard when negotiating the deal. On average, MLS fans are five to 10 years younger than those in traditional sports leagues, Ladd said. They are also much more likely to be Hispanic, country the fastest growing demographic.
“Soccer is the sport for the new North America, and the MLS audience is young, diverse and digitally native,” Ladd said.
The success of the league has take off since it is arrival Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi in July 2023. Although Jameson has no commercial relationship with Messi, McQuaid said he is a “great addition to the league” because of his “star quality.”
“It’s great to have him here,” McQuaid said. “It’s another piece of information that the opportunity for soccer in the US has no limits.”
Much of MLS’s recent surge in popularity is also due to the first media rights deal it was signed to Apple in 2022, Apple will pay for MLS $2.5 billion over 10 years for global distribution rights. MLS didn’t sell international broadcast rights piecemeal like most sports leagues do, instead opting to keep all of its content with Apple.
“We’re in the midst of a transformational period where the sport’s greatest player has chosen Major League Soccer, and the most innovative company in the world – Apple – has given us a global platform,” Ladd said, referring to Messi.
During the partnership between MLS and Pernod Ricard, the USA will host the Men’s World Cup in 2026. Although separate from MLS, the World Cup will still bring a lot of media attention to American soccer, which will have a “halo effect” for Jameson, McQuaid said.
“The next few years will be like rocket fuel for our sport as North America will be at the epicenter of the beautiful game,” Ladd said.
