Orlando (March 2, 2018) – Orlando City SC and Fanatics, the global leader for licensed sports merchandise, today announced a new long-term retail partnership as the Club kicks off its fourth Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign this Saturday, March 3, at Orlando City Stadium. Fanatics, which has operated e-commerce for the team since they joined the League in 2015, will take over in-venue operations and create a seamless omnichannel experience for fans whether shopping for merchandise and apparel online, on their phone or at the new team merchandise store at Orlando City Stadium.
"We are very pleased with the opportunity to bring the merchandise experience together for our fans,” said Orlando City SC Chief Revenue Officer Chris Gallagher. “This ongoing and growing relationship with Fanatics will help us improve their experience in our stadium and provide them with more retail options across our men and women’s teams."
In 2018, Orlando City Stadium will provide fans with a significantly enhanced gameday experience, featuring a completely renovated main team store and new concourse kiosks with an expanded assortment of team gear and apparel including jerseys, shirts, caps, scarves and more. Under the deal, Fanatics will also manage online and gameday retail for the Orlando Pride, the Club’s National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team, set to begin their third campaign in late March.
“We are excited to add Orlando City SC to our expanding in-venue roster, and to also debut new and improved stores and kiosks throughout Orlando City Stadium,” said Cole Gahagan, Fanatics Chief Commercial Officer. “Our innovative omnichannel retail experience will offer fans an even larger assortment of high quality products to show support for both Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride.”
Last fall, Fanatics extended their long-term deal with MLS, highlighted by exclusive rights to produce a significantly expanded assortment of fan gear, headwear and hard goods across all retail and wholesale channels. Fans shopping across all devices and retail channels will now have access to real-time items to celebrate team milestones, incredible player feats and record-breaking performances, available on-demand through Fanatics’ agile supply chain and vertical manufacturing model.
