New year, new name

When the new year rings in, so will the official debut of the Dignity Health Sports Park, to be renamed from its current trademark as the StubHub Center in favor of the local healthcare system’s brand name.
In an announcement Dec. 13, officials with Dignity Health, 1050 Linden Ave., wrote that the California-based corporation entered a multi-year agreement with marketing network AEG. The agreed details of the merger is to rename the 125-acre stadium, 18400 S. Avalon Blvd., which is home of the five-time Major League Soccer (MLS) champions Los Angeles Galaxy.
According to its press release Dec. 13, Dignity Health officials wrote that the partnership will be effective Jan. 1. In an email to the Signal Tribune this week, Kala Polman-Tuin, senior manager of AEG Global Partnerships, wrote that the deal has been a few years in the making.

“AEG and Dignity Health have established various smaller partnerships over the years,” she said. “This is the first time we have entered into a large-scale partnership together. We had a very detailed yet efficient process when putting this agreement together […].”
In addition to having the exclusive naming rights to the current StubHub Center, Dignity Health will also be the official healthcare partner of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Officials stated that the health corporation will have in-stadium first-aid services and a mobile wellness clinic on-site throughout the MLS season, which is scheduled to begin March 2019.
“It is with great excitement that Dignity Health joins the LA Galaxy and AEG as their exclusive healthcare partner,” said Lloyd Dean, president and CEO of Dignity Health, in the press release. “It is our hope that we will deepen our ties with the communities we serve in the greater Los Angeles area through the Dignity Health Sports Park. Whether supporting the youth sports league, offering health clinics or providing funds to charitable organizations, together we will promote greater health and wellness for all.”
As Dean mentioned in his remarks, officials also said that the partnership will allow Dignity Health to support Los Angeles Galaxy youth initiatives, such as the club’s local youth-team affiliates and youth soccer tournaments, including the LA Galaxy Cup and Copa LA.
Additionally, the press release states that Los Angeles Galaxy players will make consistent visits to Dignity Health hospitals each year to meet with patients and support staff and host viewing parties of games.

Dignity Health will also work with the LA Galaxy Foundation, a nonprofit associated with the team that seeks to “assist the community in which the team lives, works and plays,” according to its website at lagalaxy.com.
The merger will lead to the hosting of multiple community events at the Dignity Health Sports Park and in areas in Los Angeles County, including portions of Long Beach and Signal Hill– although Polman-Tuin told the Signal Tribune the specific details of what the community events will feature and when they would take place is not confirmed.
Julie Sprengel, senior vice president of Dignity Health Southern California, said in the press release that the planned events serves as an “exciting opportunity to give back to the community.”
“LA Galaxy fans live and work in the communities we serve, including downtown Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, Northridge and the Inland Empire,” Sprengel said. “With this partnership, we’ll now have an even greater opportunity to give back to the families who entrust their health care to us.”
The Dignity Health Sports Park is also home to National Football League (NFL) team the Los Angeles Chargers, the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and EXOS– an international training center for professional athletes.

The facility features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,167-seat stadium for soccer, football and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 2,000-seat facility for track-and-field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome– the VELO Sports Center– for track cycling.
“Dignity Health is dedicated to providing excellent care for those in need,” said Dan Beckerman, AEG CEO. “And as the new naming rights partner for one of AEG’s marquee facilities, we look forward to working with them to amplify our efforts to make a positive and lasting difference for all our fans. Sports has the power to bring people together, and Dignity Health is the perfect partner to help us highlight and support the LA community that surrounds the LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park.”