ST. LOUIS (FEBRUARY 15, 2022) – Today, Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 25 healthcare company headquartered in St. Louis, and St. Louis CITY SC, the 28th club in Major League Soccer, announced a historic 15-year naming rights partnership that will name the club’s new, iconic stadium in downtown St. Louis. Centene Stadium, which will open later this summer, is a state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium that will help unite the St. Louis region and play an important role in the positive momentum happening in the heart of St. Louis. This agreement also makes Centene a Founding Partner and official managed healthcare provider of St. Louis CITY SC.
“Centene is not only one of the fastest growing companies in the country, but it is also a STLMade company that cares about St. Louis as much as we do,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Louis CITY SC. “We wanted a naming rights partner that was willing to invest in the continued growth of our region, and we certainly have that with Centene.” In addition to employing more than 6,000 people in St. Louis, Centene has more than 75,000 employees globally providing high-quality healthcare solutions to government-sponsored healthcare programs around the world.”
Designed to be a place where the passion of sport intersects with comprehensive regional excellence, Centene Stadium has always been about more than building a 30+ acre world-class soccer stadium and district for a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Downtown West. The club’s vision has always been to build something that serves as the heartbeat of a true soccer city and the showcase of what a sports-loving, world-class city like St. Louis has to offer.
“Centene is pleased to invest in Centene Stadium as part of our long-standing commitment to the St. Louis region. We are committed to this community and the people who live here,” said Marcela Manjarrez, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Centene. “St. Louis is our home, and we are so proud for Centene Stadium to be the home of St. Louis CITY SC.”
St. Louis CITY SC and Centene both share a focus on well-being, inclusion and community development. Centene Stadium features a large public plaza for community events, an open and welcoming architectural design and amenities to connect people together in healthy ways: public art installations, pet-friendly spaces, bike and pedestrians’ pathways, greenspace and pop-up shops and restaurants.
“We know that sports bring people and communities together,” said Suzy DePrizio, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Centene. “We look forward to activating this partnership using the power of sports to engage the community in health and wellness programs at Centene Stadium and across the region.”
Together, St. Louis CITY and Centene will develop community-driven programming that will reinforce efforts to improve the health and wellness of St. Louis by focusing on initiatives that encourage health and education as well as the social, ethical, emotional and physical development of our youth and leaders of tomorrow.
“Health and wellness are one of our club’s core pillars” said Khalia Collier, Vice President of Community Relations for St. Louis CITY SC. “This partnership will help give each organization more opportunities and resources to implement innovative, sports-oriented and community-based health and wellness programs across the St. Louis region. This is what being STLMade is all about.”
“As a healthcare company committed to helping people live healthier lives, Centene’s heart and soul has been linked to the health of the communities we serve,” said Sarah London, Vice Chairman, Centene Board of Directors. “Over the past three decades, the company has worked tirelessly to fulfill needs in healthcare and help more individuals and deliver on our purpose of transforming the health of the community, one person at a time.”
ABOUT ST. LOUIS CITY SC
St. Louis CITY SC, one of the few majority female-led ownership groups in all of professional sports, was awarded Major League Soccer’s 28th expansion team in 2019. The St. Louis-based ownership group unveiled the club’s crest, logo and branding in 2020 and will take the pitch for their historic, inaugural season in 2023. Currently, CITY is constructing Centene Stadium, an STLMade 22,500-seat world-class soccer-specific stadium as part of the stadium district which includes practice facility and team headquarters all within the same urban campus in St. Louis’ Downtown West District to create a 24/7/365 fan experience that is furthering St. Louis’ continued growth and revitalization.
