It's Official: Philadelphia Union's New Stadium to be Named PPL Park

The MLS (Major League Soccer) Expansion Philadelphia Union has placed yet another set piece into the upper right hand corner.

Today, Keystone Sports and Entertainment (KSE) and the Philadelphia Union officially announced their partnership with PPL (Pennsylvania Power and Light) Energy plus. The partnership gives the Allentown, Pa. based power company the 11 year naming rights to the team’s soccer specific stadium currently under construction in Chester, Pa.

From this point forward we can now call the future home of the Philadelphia Union, PPL Park.

This partnership, however, is more than just a name on the side of a building.

For starters, PPL EnergyPlus also will become Philadelphia Union’s exclusive energy provider. Philadelphia Union will utilize energy at PPL Park supplied by PPL EnergyPlus, which will purchase and retire renewable energy credits equal to 100 percent of the park’s electricity use from renewable energy projects in Pennsylvania owned or contracted by PPL EnergyPlus.

“Simply put, we have found the perfect partner,” said Nick Sakiewicz, CEO & Operating Partner of KSE and Philadelphia Union. “This is a very important moment in our club’s and stadium’s history.

"To have a venerable, well-respected Pennsylvania company team up with a brand new world class facility is a profound statement. We are so energized over this partnership and can’t wait to start working together to make our mark in the community and the region.”

With electricity rate caps expiring in the greater Philadelphia region on December 31, 2010, businesses now have the opportunity to choose their electricity and natural gas suppliers.

For the first time in 10 years, PPL EnergyPlus is able to aggressively compete for business in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  PPL EnergyPlus also can bring to these same customers renewable energy options, energy efficiency improvements, and demand response programs.

“With our partners at PPL EnergyPlus providing us cost effective and environmentally friendly energy, they are enabling us to create a stadium that is efficient and supports ‘green and clean’ power sources,” added Sakiewicz.

“That’s a good formula for us and other businesses that want to work with PPL EnergyPlus to save money and be good to the environment at the same time.”

So the naming rights are in place; now all we need is the stadium, which at the moment is a bit behind schedule. The Union is hoping to host its first MLS game June 27, against the Seattle Sounders.

Until then, Philadelphia will play its first two home games at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s (National Football League's) Philadelphia Eagles.

By the way, it looks like when the Union finally does open the gates to PPL Park, filling its 18,500 seats won’t be a problem. Sakiewizc noted today that as the team moves closer to a season ticket base of 10 thousand, the sale of future season ticket sales would stop.