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San Jose Earthquakes announce new kit sponsor

By on January 26, 2016

The San Jose Earthquakes have unveiled Sutter Health as their long-awaited kit sponsor at a press conference at Avaya Stadium. After three years without a sponsor, the Quakes have signed a three-year deal with Sutter, making the Northern California healthcare system the club’s second cornerstone partner alongside stadium sponsor Avaya.

“When looked at our jersey there was something definitely missing,” joked Quakes general manager John Doyle at the announcement. Finally, the club have found a kit sponsor that club fans have been pining for since their last deal with Amway ended in 2011. The Quakes have been in negotiations with Sutter Health for around six months and the new kit will be see action for the first time when the Quakes first team takes on the Under-18 academy side at Avaya Stadium tomorrow, a season-ticket holder event.

Although the design itself hasn’t dramatically changed but for the addition of Sutter Health’s logo on the front of the jersey, the Quakes’ goalkeeper jersey has undergone a significant design refresh and a potential new away kit has also been leaked on social media.

Doyle marked the deal as another milestone in the club’s history. “It’s changed, years past we didn’t have a beautiful stadium or practice field and the funding to do all the things we do now.”

Although the specific details are yet to be worked out, Sutter Health appear set to provide the team some health-related services as part of the agreement and will also work closely with the Quakes in their Get Earthquakes Fit program, an ongoing commitment to reducing childhood obesity.

Kaval said that the deal, which falls in the top five in MLS in terms of cash to the club, will boost their first team squad and give them “more freedom to invest in players.” It will also go towards building a proposed $27 million, privately financed academy complex that the Quakes proposed to the San Jose City Council earlier this month. The club have altered their plans to build four fields adjacent to Avaya (the area will be paved for parking before the season begins, Kaval said) and instead hope to construct seven fields at a new location as part of the Academy complex.  “We’re hopeful that in the next couple years we can open the complex,” said Kaval.  Their current training pitch adjacent to the stadium will remain there in the long-term, however.

In other Quakes news, coach Dominic Kinnear gave an update on the various injuries plaguing the team’s early preseason. Midfielder Fatai Alashe is out for another month and fellow United States Youth International Mark Pelosi has begun his recovery from injury. Fullback Jordan Stewart is also being slowly integrated back into training and Innocent Emeghara is nearing a similar place in the coming weeks.

New signing Simon Dawkins is also due to fly into San Jose from the UK later this week.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.