Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced on Tuesday that they have entered a multi-faceted marketing partnership with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
The partnership is designed to help grow the sport of football in Canada by building connections with fans via MLSE’s sports teams. This includes youth camps with the Toronto Argonauts, apparel collaborations, and watch parties at select games involving MLSE’s sports entities.
On May 22, the Bills entered the NFL’s Global Markets program and granted rights in Canada. The program awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the United States through fan engagement, events, commercial opportunities and NFL Flag development. It is as a result of this involvement in the Global Markets program that has allowed the Bills to enter a unique partnership with MLSE.
A flag football camp involving over 200 youth was held at BMO Field, providing the opportunity to enrich their skills through training sessions with Argonauts and Bills development coaches, with more planned throughout the year.
“There are no borders when it comes to passion for the game of football, and the rich history of both teams has contributed to Southern Ontario and Western New York being a hotbed for the game,” MLSE CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement. “We will always be stronger as partners, and by working together as teammates to grow the game, we will not only strengthen the profile for both the Argonauts and Bills, but create opportunities for thousands of young fans to learn and love the game of football.”
The statement mentioned that there will be marketing opportunities alongside the Argonauts, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto FC. Bills minority owners and Toronto sports legends Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Jozy Altidore were in attendance for the announcement held at BMO Field before the aforementioned flag football camp.
One notable team left out of the statement was the Leafs themselves. It likely has to do with the fact that the Bills share ownership with the Buffalo Sabres under Terry Pegula, and any collaborations with the Leafs could be seen as a conflict of interest. That means don’t expect any collaborations between Josh Allen and Auston Matthews anytime soon.
What Toronto sports fans can enjoy is getting access to official team merchandise at Real Sports Apparel in-store and online beginning on Tuesday, as well as gathering for official watch parties at Real Sports Bar & Grill located across the street from Scotiabank Arena. The Argonauts will also host a themed game when they take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on October 4 at BMO Field, where fans in attendance will receive a commemorative Bills x Argos t-shirt.
The partnership is the Bills’ latest attempt to grow their presence in southern Ontario. They played five regular-season and two pre-season games at Rogers Centre between 2008 to 2013 as part of the Bills Toronto Series.
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