UT Southwestern Medical Center’s logo will be displayed on the jerseys for North Texas SC, the FC Dallas MLS NEXT Academy, youth program.
The days of multilevel marketing companies being showcased on the front of a FC Dallas jersey are over. On Wednesday, FC Dallas, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center announced a multi-year partnership that will see the North Texas-based health care systems become the exclusive health care and hospital partners of FC Dallas, North Texas SC, the FC Dallas Academy and FC Dallas youth.
Children’s Health will be featured on FC Dallas’ primary jersey. At the same time, UT Southwestern Medical Center will be showcased on FC Dallas’ secondary jersey that will be unveiled on Thursday, February 16, at the club’s annual kickoff event, Cocktails and Cleats.
“This is an important moment in our club’s history as we partner with two of the leading health care providers in the country,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “We look forward to a true partnership between three organizations committed to the wellbeing and health of our North Texas community. This is something we believe will propel our entire organization both on and off the field for years to come.”
As part of their work with FC Dallas, Children’s Health, through its Children’s Health Andrews Institute and UT Southwestern, will provide FC Dallas teams, both professional and youth, access to medical care, including athletic trainers, physicians, orthopedic and urgent care services.
The two health systems will also partner with FC Dallas on community engagement efforts that promote physical activity and health education. FC Dallas will honor and celebrate patients, doctors, nurses and employees from both Children’s Health and UT Southwestern at home matches throughout the season. Additionally, FC Dallas and North Texas SC player ambassadors will visit Children’s Health and UT Southwestern patients at hospital locations across DFW.
Other highlights of this partnership include the following:
- Children’s Health and UT Southwestern will also present two $5,000 college scholarships annually to deserving FC Dallas youth senior student-athletes who demonstrate championship character.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center’s logo will be displayed on the jerseys for North Texas SC, the FC Dallas MLS NEXT Academy, youth program and eMLS player Alan Avila.
Quick Thoughts
For years, FC Dallas fans have been a bit unhappy with who the club has gotten to sponsor the kits for the team. Advocare wasn’t always the best look for the team when their logo headlined the kits for a few years, and MTX also turned out to be a big bust. So, linking up with a local healthcare system like this is a big step forward. We all wanted to see a local name as a key sponsor for the team, and this feels like a good move.
What do you all make of this new sponsor? Are you happy to see this direction by the team?