Council hears plan to expand sponsorships for Ballpark at League City

At a Jan. 28, 2025 City Council work session, city staff and the Ballpark’s business development manager presented a sponsorship and naming-rights strategy intended to boost revenue for the Ballpark at League City and reduce ongoing reliance on taxpayer dollars.

The presentation, led by Lauren Seippel, business development manager at the Ballpark, outlined a plan to create tiered sponsorship packages, pursue local and national partners and sell naming rights for portions of the facility and, in some cases, the entire park. "Our vision is to enhance revenue while maintaining a long term self sustaining facility that minimizes taxpayer dollars," Seippel said.

Why it matters: City leaders said additional sponsorship revenue would let the facility cover operating costs, reinvest in amenities and retire debt without increasing the city’s general fund support. Seippel showed examples from comparable facilities — including the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen and a complex in Youngsville — to illustrate naming-rights packages, 1- to 5-year terms and in-kind sponsorship options.

Details from the presentation and council discussion: - Types of sponsorships discussed included full facility naming rights, naming for specific fields or courts, presenting sponsorships for leagues and events, digital scoreboard advertising, in-kind sponsorships (merchandise or services) and small, individual “Fans in the Stands” sponsorships for community members. - Seippel said the proposal includes annual and multi-year tiers (1, 3 and 5 years were cited as typical terms) and that some discounts would be applied to longer commitments. She noted the ballpark’s two restaurants, indoor viewing areas and recently replaced digital scoreboards as selling points. - On scoreboard advertising, staff described an existing revenue-sharing arrangement tied to the recent digital replacements and said the city receives a portion of advertising sales until the boards are paid off (staff put the share in the roughly 20–30% range while discussing the contract). Exact percentages and contract details were not presented in full at the meeting. - Staff flagged regulatory limits for certain sponsorships: alcohol-related promotions are subject to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission rules, and the city would limit or decline political advertising.

Council members and staff said major naming-right proposals would come back to the council for approval, while smaller sponsorships could be handled administratively. Councilmember Andy Mann praised the plan: "Just go do it," he said, expressing support for staff to begin outreach.

What was not decided: The council did not vote on any sponsorship or naming-right agreement at the session. No formal motion or approval was recorded; staff characterized the presentation as a step toward launching outreach and said they would return to council for approval of any major naming-right deals.

Background and next steps: Staff said UTMB previously had a presence as a sponsor, and the city has replaced the park’s scoreboards to create new advertising inventory. Seippel said she has begun informal outreach and plans to tour the facility with potential sponsors after council feedback. City staff indicated they will return specific naming-right proposals to the council for approval before finalizing any large, long-term agreements.

The council thanked staff for the presentation and did not take further action during the Jan. 28 work session.