For years to come, it will be the RayJay.
Raymond James Financial and the Tampa Bay Bucs have announcd that the naming agreement between the two has been extended through the 2027 season. What does that mean to football fans around here? Not much, except that the stadium may be spared the Joe Robbie-Pro Player-Landshark-Sun Life naming battles that some stadiums endure.
The legendary stadiums, of course, have a single name. Wrigley Field. Yankee Stadium. Soldier Field. Lambeau Stadium. But when a team puts the name of its facility up for sale, it can mean confusion.
Not so locally.
“It is rare in today’s business climate to form the type of long-lasting partnerships that can endure the test of time.” said Bucs co-chairman Brian Glazer. “By the end of this extension, our partnership with Raymond James Financial will have reached 30 years. That type of long-term approach has defined our relationship to this point and will serve as the foundation for the years to come.”
Raymond James Stadium is currently undergoing a comprehensive, $100 million renovation which will be completed in multiple stages over the coming years. The first stage of construction will be completed in time for the start of the 2016 NFL season and includes an all new integrated sound system as well as new, larger state-of-the-art HD video boards and four HD tower video displays in each corner of the lower bowl. The new boards will provide more than 28,400 square feet of video display area—the third-largest in the NFL. Other improvements include HD ribbon boards in the center ring of the suite level fascia and the renovation of luxury suites.
Since its opening in 1998, Raymond James Stadium has played host to a number of world-class events, including Super Bowls XXXV (1/28/2001) and XLIII (2/1/2009), and on January 9, 2017, will be the site for the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.
“Raymond James has enjoyed a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the time the stadium opened in 1998,” said Executive Chairman Tom James. “Two Super Bowls and a Buccaneer NFL championship 18 years later, we are proud to extend our partnership for another 12 years. Just as importantly, we are also excited to continue giving back to the Tampa Bay community through our combined efforts, including our legacy Kicking for Kids and Sack Hunger programs.”
