The Washington Commanders, of American football’s NFL, have announced a new partnership with international commercial agency Elevate as it advances its new stadium project.
The multi-year agreement will see Elevate support several core areas tied to the new stadium project, including:
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- Premium seating and hospitality sales and strategy, including the development of premium spaces and fan experiences
- Creative strategy for the stadium experience center and sales center, including presentation materials, storytelling assets, and renderings.
- Insights, strategy, data, and research to aid planning, positioning, and market decisions.
Ben Gumpert, chief strategy and growth officer at Elevate, said: “The Commanders are building something genuinely historic, a new home for one of the NFL's most storied franchises in one of the world's great cities.
“We're proud to bring everything we have, commercial strategy, insights, hospitality, creative, and more, to help the Commanders build a landmark that will define the next era of the franchise.”
The new deal comes a year after the Commanders announced they would return to their home in the US capital, having gained approval from the D.C Council to build a new stadium at the defunct Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium site, where the team played for more than three decades.
The new, approximately 65,000-seat stadium and surrounding mixed-use district is expected to open in 2030 at a cost of almost $4 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, the Commanders will invest at least $2.7 billion to build a roofed stadium that can be used year-round, with the city investing roughly $1.1 billion over the next eight years for the stadium, housing, green space, and a sportsplex on 170 acres of land bordering the Anacostia River. The stadium itself will take up just 16 of those acres.
In addition to building the stadium, the Commanders will be responsible for activating and developing multiple parcels of land around the stadium with restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, housing, green space, and more.
Andrew Sidney, chief ticketing officer at Washington Commanders, said: “Elevate has long been a trusted partner, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we advance plans to deliver a premier destination that will serve our fans and the broader community.
“Their team understands our business, our market, and the opportunity ahead, and their expertise will be an important part of bringing that vision to life.”
The new agreement builds on Elevate’s previous relationship with the Commanders, which saw the agency lead the search and negotiation for the new naming rights partner for the team’s current stadium – situated in Landover, Maryland, last August.
Elevate secured an eight-year deal with Northwest Federal Credit Union, with their home venue now called the Northwest Stadium. The deal runs through the 2031 season, around the time that the Commanders are expected to move to the new stadium.
For Elevate, the deal adds to its portfolio of clients, which includes US stock car racing’s Nascar, motor racing’s elite Formula 1, the US Open grand slam, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and English soccer giants Manchester United.
The Commanders have played in Maryland since moving there in 1997, with the team’s lease at Northwest Stadium running through 2027. Before that, the team played at RFK Stadium, two miles east of the US Capitol, for 35 seasons from 1961 to 1996.
The stadium project has been spearheaded by the franchise’s new owners, a consortium led by billionaire Josh Harris, which concluded a takeover of the Commanders in July 2023.
The consortium also included basketball legend Magic Johnson and billionaire Mitch Rales, Harris’ longtime sports business partner.
The Harris-led group acquired the franchise for a record price of $6.05 billion, topping the previous mark set in 2022 when the Walton-Penner family ownership group bought the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion.
