Q2 Stadium becomes official name of Austin FC’s state-of-the-art stadium

The stadium rapidly taking shape in the Austin skyline, which will be home to Austin FC for its debut Major League Soccer season this year, now has an official name: Q2 Stadium, following the inking of a naming rights partnership with Q2 Holdings. 

Q2 Stadium was officially christened January 25, 2021, during a ceremony that also celebrated Q2 joining as the Official Community Partner of Austin FC.

The event made official a landmark, multi-year stadium naming rights partnership between Austin FC and Q2 Holdings, Inc., an Austin-based leading provider of digital transformation solutions for banking and lending.

The deal means that the Club’s state-of-the-art US$260m stadium enters its first season with a distinct identity.

Regarding the partnership, Andy Loughnane, Austin FC President, said:

Establishing a long-term stadium naming rights partnership with an Austin-based company that is committed to using this platform to give back to the community was the Club’s top priority. Q2 Stadium holds the distinction of being the first and only major league venue in Austin, and Austin FC is exceptionally proud to begin our MLS journey with Q2 as our partner and Q2 Stadium as our home.

Matt Flake, Q2 President and CEO, said:

Q2 is an Austin-born company with a mission to build strong and diverse communities by strengthening their financial institutions. Our partnership with Austin FC shows we are doubling down on our commitment to our mission in our own community. As one of Austin’s fastest-growing companies and a regular on the best places to work list, our partnership reinforces to our employees and top talent that Q2 is committed to everything that makes Austin special – culture, community and now, world-class professional sports sure to bring a diverse, global audience to our community.

Naming rights

Excel Sport Management’s Properties division, the go-to-solution for commercial strategy development and the sale of marquee partnership assets such as stadium naming rights and on-uniform branding, was retained by Austin FC to secure the team’s stadium naming rights partner. Excel sourced and negotiated the Q2 partnership alongside Austin FC management.

In addition to the stadium becoming Q2 Stadium moving forward, Q2 has also secured naming rights in the deal to the Q2 Field Club, the premium seating and Club experience adjacent to the players’ benches and locker rooms. The distinctive Q2 logo will also be visible on top of the stadium’s East and West canopies, as well on the south end of the stadium above the Supporters’ Section.

By design

The multipurpose venue has been strategically designed to accommodate a variety of community and spectator events, including (but not limited to) professional soccer events ranging from MLS to U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) matches; additional professional and amateur sporting events; concerts ranging from headliner acts to festivals to smaller/up-and-coming artists; community activities and cultural events; and private functions such as corporate meetings and weddings.

Q2 Stadium has been designed by Gensler, a world leading design and architecture firm, and is being built by Texas-based Austin Commercial, one of the nations recognised leaders in commercial construction.

Q2 Stadium construction has remained on-schedule since groundbreaking occurred on September 9, 2019. Levy Restaurants will operate all food, beverage and hospitality programming at Q2 Stadium and Levy’s retail division, Rank + Rally, will be responsible for managing Austin FC merchandise operations.

Though the 2021 MLS schedule doesn’t yet have its home match dates determined, construction of the stadium is on schedule, and indications based on Monday’s press event have Q2 Stadium opening sometime in Q2 — the second quarter of 2021.

Source & imagery, courtesy: Austin FC