Sponsorship and Partnership Guide
“We’re sick of losing
to Carolina.”
- Landon Donovan
U.S. National Team/MLS all-time leading scorer,
record six-time MLS Cup champion,
and former LA Galaxy captain
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NORTH CAROLINA’S TOP
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM
Based in Cary, North Carolina, the Carolina RailHawks are the state’s
top professional soccer team, playing in the North American Soccer
League (NASL). Founded in 2006, the RailHawks were crowned
regular season champions in 2011 and 2013. From 2012 to 2014, the
RailHawks achieved a record 24-home-game undefeated streak.
During that span, they also beat the defending MLS champions, LA
Galaxy, three consecutive years in a row in the U.S. Open Cup.
Professional soccer has been part of the cultural fabric of the Triangle
for more than 20 years. In particular, the RailHawks uniquely reach
three extremely attractive and rapidly growing demographic groups:
suburban soccer families, Millennials and Hispanics.
As a result of both a family-friendly gameday experience and
partnerships with local youth soccer organizations, the RailHawks
touch every soccer family in the Triangle. In addition, the national
adoption of soccer by the millennial generation combined with the
area’s flourishing high-tech job market drives a fervent and passionate
fanbase of 20s and 30s. Lastly, the extreme passion for soccer within
the Triangle Hispanic community is visceral on gamedays, especially
during annual exhibition matches against top Mexican teams and the
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annual pre-game Latin Cinco de Mayo Festival.
SOCCER’S EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
Soccer, long regarded as the country’s sport of the future, has undeniably arrived in America’s
mainstream over the last decade. The cultural impact of soccer will continue to grow as youth
participation increases. In 1974, the US Youth Soccer Association only registered about
100,000 players. Today that number is more than three million.
With younger fans come changes in sport viewing habits, especially with a “wired” generation
following the action online or via smartphones at a greater rate than most other North
American sports. A surging Hispanic-American population is also driving soccer loyalties.
North Carolina has the fastest growing population of Hispanics in the United States, and their
passion for soccer is five times greater than non-Hispanics.
Soccer represents a powerful platform to link brands to desirable customer segments.
Soccer’s fanbase is one of the more diverse amongst American sports, with high interest
among three of the most valuable market segments - suburban soccer families, Millennials
and Hispanics.
The sport’s growing popularity in the United States is also evidenced by the steep increase in
the amount paid by broadcasters for the rights to air the FIFA World Cup. The amount paid for
these rights has increased from $165 million for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups combined to
more than $1 billion for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The explosive growth of soccer in the
U.S. is a phenomenon with no end in sight.
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RALEIGH
CHAPEL
Cary’s ranking for best area
to raise a family in the country
The Triangle’s ranking for fastest-growing
metropolitan area in the country
THE TRIANGLE
The Triangle is considered the central hub of North Carolina. It is situated two hours from both the beach and mountains,
making it a popular destination for tourists, as well as young professionals and families looking to relocate. Three vibrant cities
make up the points of the Triangle: Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Each has its own distinct cultural elements, including
world-class museums, award-winning breweries, unique dining,
successful start-ups and top-ranked
universities - NC State University
Durham
in Raleigh; Duke University in
Durham; and University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Cary, the home of the
Cary
RailHawks, is in the center of it all.
Chapel Hill
Raleigh
THE TRIANGLE DEMOGRAPHICS
POPULATION
887,944
61% WHITE
245,475
59,635
431,746
151,088
RALEIGH
CARY
22% BLACK
DURHAM CHAPEL HILL
9%
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HISPANIC
8% ASIAN
TOTAL TRIANGLE POPULATION
2,037,430
HILL
DURHAM
The Triangle’s national ranking for
top business opportunity metros
Raleigh’s ranking for best places
to live in America
The Research Triangle Park (RTP) has a vibrant history. At the dawn of the postwar era, North
Carolina was one of the poorest states. RTP founders had a vision for collaboration among
businesses to boost the economy and build a thriving community.
The founders transitioned RTP from a for-profit real estate model to a not-for-profit venture to ensure
all profits went back into developing the community. In 1960, RTP attracted its first company,
Chemstrand (coincidentally, the inventor of AstroTurf). Now RTP is the leading and largest
high-technology research and science park in North America. It is home to more than 200 companies
and is roughly two miles wide and eight miles long.
Minutes from downtown Raleigh and downtown Cary, WakeMed Soccer Park, home of the Carolina
RailHawks, is centrally located to draw fans from across the Triangle.
Rankings from: U.S. Census Bureau, Entrepreneur Magazine, Expansion Management, Forbes.
5
NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE
The Carolina RailHawks are a founding member of the modern North American Soccer
League (NASL). The original top-level league, founded in 1968, was immensely popular
and truly introduced soccer to the North American sports scene. NASL boasted players
like Pelé, Johan Cruyff, and Franz Beckenbauer, and set record attendance numbers,
including the single highest attendance record between the NY Cosmos and Fort
Lauderdale Strikers with more than 77,000 fans.
The modern NASL was founded in 2009 and began play in 2011 with eight teams. The
league has grown to encompass 13 teams from the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. It's
split-season schedule runs from April to October with a two-week break in July,
culminating in a four-team, single-elimination playoff tournament in November called
The Championship.
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SOCCER IN THE TRIANGLE
The popularity of soccer has certainly affected the sports landscape of the Triangle area.
Currently, the Triangle is home to more than 30 youth soccer clubs and approximately 25,000
registered youth and adult soccer players. “The beautiful game” continues to experience the
fastest growth of any sport in the area, with local youth and adult soccer leagues and clubs in
all corners of the state.
The Carolina RailHawks are directly involved in youth player development through a landmark
collaboration called the Capital Area RailHawks. This high-level soccer academy has created a
direct pathway for the best young players in the NC community to achieve their goal of playing
professional soccer.
In addition, the RailHawks impact thousands of youth soccer players in the Triangle every year
through its summer soccer camps, soccer clinics, and its Elite Technique supplemental soccer
training programs, all coached by current professional RailHawks players and coaches.
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TARGET GROUPS
Carolina RailHawk’s fanbase is predominantly comprised of
affluent suburban soccer families, Millennials and Hispanics.
SUBURBAN SOCCER FAMILIES
70%
of RailHawks fans
are homeowners
$75k+
is the average
household income of
RailHawks fans
42%
of RailHawks fans reside
in the top 15 wealthiest
ZIP codes in the Triangle
MILLENNIALS
2nd
9th
ranked city with fastest
growing Millennial
population in U.S. is Raleigh
most popular sport is
professional soccer
2x
more likely to use
Instagram related to their
sport than NFL fans
HISPANICS
85%
5x
have roots in countries
where soccer
dominates the sporting
landscape
more passionate
about soccer
than non-Hispanics
33%
Of American population
by 2050
(projection)
FAVORITE SPORT AND AVERAGE AGE (AMERICANS)
soccer
37 years old
football
46 years old
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baseball
53 years old
PRE-GAME FESTIVALS
A smörgåsbord of festivals accompany various RailHawks games throughout the
season. Festivals begin two hours before each game and draw in fans from all over
the Triangle. Each festival, ranging from the annual Pig Pickin' to Soktoberfest to Taste
of the Triangle, focuses on local community partnerships with restaurants, companies
and breweries.
Pig Pickin' - Amateur chefs compete in all-out barbecue warfare, some spending an
entire night roasting and basting their pig for anticipatory fans. Then, pork-tasting
galore. Wash it down with RailHawks Kupono Captain’s Ale or bourbon.
Soktoberfest - Exactly as it sounds: Oktoberfest soccer style. Local brewers put
together their best brews and fans taste free of charge in the authentic, communal
style set-up. Cheers!
Taste of the Triangle - Tons of local restaurants provide unlimited samples of their most
popular cuisine. Eat as much as you can. Then go back for more.
The Carolina RailHawks and local brewery,
Lonerider, collaborated to make a RailHawksthemed summer brew called Kupono Captain's
Ale, named after longtime RailHawks player and
captain Kupono Low.
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9
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK
WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC is one of the premier soccer complexes in the United States. The park
was opened in 2002 and consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium, two lighted practice
fields (built to the same specifications as the stadium field) and four additional fields. The main stadium
seats 10,000. The complex also sports a full-length, nationally-recognized cross-country running course.
The RailHawks have attracted world-renowned teams to the Triangle from Mexico, Italy, England, and
South Korea. Additionally, top MLS teams, as well as the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, have
played at the stadium.
In addition to serving as the home of the Carolina RailHawks, WakeMed Soccer Park has also been the
host of men's and women's ACC soccer tournaments, men's and women's NCAA College Cups and has
served as the training camp site for the U.S. Men's and Women’s National Team in preparation for several
World Cups.
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CORPORATE/GROUP ENTERTAINMENT
SKYBOX SUITE (30-120 guests)
Skybox Suites offer luxury seating and an indoor,
air-conditioned area. Suites include drinks and
food from a catered menu.
PARTY DECK (50-200 guests)
Party Decks provide the best field views while in
a covered, tailgating atmosphere. Drinks and food
from a catered menu are included.
HOSPITALITY TENT(100-500+ guests)
The Hospitality Tent offers large companies or groups
the opportunity to host pre-game parties, tailgates,
and other events at WakeMed Soccer Park.
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SELECTED SPONSORSHIP
VIDEO BOARD
High resolution video grabs the attention of
the entire outdoor stadium. Play a
commercial or slide with your
brand message.
SIGNAGE
A foundational way to build awareness
– high-visibility signs on the televised
field-level sidelines or concourse.
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KIT SPONSORSHIP
Showcase your brand on the front, back
or sleeves of the jersey, shorts
or training gear.
OPPORTUNITIES
IN-GAME PROMOTIONS
DISPLAY
Interact with fans with a display and
tent outside the main box office
leading up to a home game.
Create direct fan interaction and drive foot
traffic through giveaways, lucky row
promotions, half-time competitions
and social media.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Develop a creative social media campaign to
grow your online reach and brand equity.
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SUPPORTERS GROUPS
Supporters groups, such as
Triangle Soccer Fanatics and Oak
City Supporters, serve as catalysts for fan interaction during matches.
Their loud support and banner-waving add to a unique, fun, and
enjoyable soccer experience at WakeMed Soccer Park that mirrors
the passion for soccer seen around the world.
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BY THE NUMBERS
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Annually, the Carolina RailHawks
The Carolina RailHawks make it a priority to impact lives in a
reach more than
100,000
positive way. That's why community outreach is a fundamental part
of the club.
PEOPLE
through more than
200
COMMUNITY EVENTS
COMMUNITY EVENTS
INCLUDE:
Youth Soccer Appearances
Through its non-profit arm, Spread Your Wings Charity, the club
extends its roots into the community and across the Triangle to help
provide opportunities to underprivileged youth.
Annually, the Carolina RailHawks participate in more than 200
community events that reach more than 100,000 people.
Programming includes instructional week-long soccer camps, free
Free Youth Soccer Clinics
Community/Music Festivals
Hispanic Events
Marathons / 5K / 8K
Elementary and Middle School Visits
local soccer clinics, hospital visits, educational visits to elementary
and middle schools, and other events centered around youth and
Hispanic outreach (e.g., the annual Kicks for Kids Night, which
provides underprivileged children with an opportunity to attend a
Hospital Visits
Kicks for Kids
RailHawks home game).
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MEDIA
www.CarolinaRailHawks.com
featured on:
10K+
followers
16
14K+
likes
2K+
followers
25K+
newsletter subscribers
CONTACT
[email protected] | (919) 439-3423 | 101 Soccer Park Drive, Cary, NC 27511
www.CarolinaRailHawks.com
The information contained herein has been obtained through sources deemed reliable but cannot be guaranteed as to its accuracy. Any information of
special interest should be obtained through independent verification.