Italian football club Atalanta have deepened their ties to the US by agreeing a stadium naming rights deal with sportswear brand New Balance.
Boston-based New Balance became the Bergamo team’s kit supplier this season and has quickly doubled down by expanding the partnership.
Atalanta are owned by US private equity boss and former Chelsea bidder Stephen Pagliuca, who is also owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
The stadium naming rights agreement sees the 25,000-seater Stadio di Bergamo rebranded as the New Balance Arena.
In a further move, the club’s academy has been renamed the New Balance Academy – Dedicata a Mino Favini, a tribute to the team’s former youth guru.
“We are excited about our partnership with New Balance as we share the common values of hard work, integrity and a deep commitment to our community,” said Pagliuca. “We look forward to continued success on and off the pitch.”
Atalanta boast a handful of former Premier League players including Ademola Lookman, Gianluca Scamacca, Sead Kolasinac and Davide Zappacosta.
They have enjoyed a decade in the upper reaches of Serie A, finishing third four times since 2018 and winning the Europa League, their biggest title, in 2023-24.
They are currently fifth in the Italian top flight and will debut their new stadium name in next week’s Champions League visit from Club Brugge.
It marks the first time that New Balance, which also supplies kits for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, Porto in Portugal and Lille in France, has taken stadium naming rights.
“This stadium has always belonged to the Bergamo community,” said brand president and chief marketing officer of New Balance Chris Davis.
“Their passion, loyalty, and spirit are what make it sacred ground. As we enter this new chapter with the New Balance Arena, this moment is a reflection of our enduring commitment to the club, its legacy, and the generations of supporters who have filled these stands and carried its history forward.”