Ally will also continue its sponsorship with Heather O’Reilly and her US Women’s Team
By: TST Staff
BOSTON (March 28, 2024) – The Soccer Tournament (TST), which features $1 million, winner-take-all tournaments for men and women on the ESPN networks, today announced Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY), a financial services company with the nation’s largest all-digital bank and a leading brand in women’s sports, as the official retail banking partner of TST.
As part of its sponsorship with TST, Ally will once again sponsor three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former NWSL star, Heather O’Reilly and her TST team US Women – comprised of former US Women’s National Team (USWNT) members, as they look to become the first champions of TST’s $1 million women’s bracket. Ally’s logo will appear on the front of the US Women’s team’s TST kits for the duration of this year’s TST.
A new addition to the teams competing in TST this year will be the Wrexham AFC Women’s team. Earlier this month, Ally announced a historic sponsorship of Wrexham AFC Women and the 2024 Wrex Coast Tour to help bring the club to the US. for the first time, and TST will be their first stop.
Ally joined TST during its inaugural tournament last summer as a Proud Ally of TST. Now in year two, TST, Ally and the US Women’s TST team continue to strengthen their relationship as all three parties fight for equity in women’s sports.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ally again this year,” said Heather O’Reilly, US Women’s TST team general manager and midfielder. “They have repeatedly shown through their support of the NWSL and other women’s sports initiatives that they are committed to backing women’s soccer, and we’re proud to align with a brand like Ally that is advancing women and the women’s game.”
“As we continue to see the rise of soccer, and women’s sports, across the country, recommitting to TST and backing Heather and her team continues to advance our efforts in media equity, while helping to bring elite soccer talent to North Carolina,” said Stephanie Marciano, head of sports and entertainment marketing at Ally. “This tournament was a huge success last year. With the Wrexham AFC Women joining the field this year through our sponsorship, this is an event everyone should circle on their calendars.”
“Ally contributed massively to the success of our inaugural event and we are ecstatic to partner with them once again for TST 2024,” said TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar. “Ally leadership has been out front in their support of women’s sports and, as expected, have been extremely supportive of our efforts to run unprecedented, high stakes events for both men and women.”
Along with appearing on the US Women’s TST team’s kits this summer, Ally will also host a meet and greet with the team at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The event will be free, and open to all TST attendees. The date and time for the meet and greet will be announced on social media at a later date. In addition to their on-site fan activation, Ally will also be giving one lucky fan a chance to win a trip to TST, which includes travel and lodging for TST, as well as tickets to the quarter-final and semi-final matches.
TST’s entire event will take place June 5-10, with the women’s bracket running June 7-10. The eight competing women’s teams will be split into two groups of four, with group play commencing June 7-8. Two teams will advance from each group to the semifinals on June 9. The inaugural women’s bracket will conclude with a $1 million winner-take-all championship game on June 10.
Earlier this month, TST announced that ESPN had acquired the media rights for the tournament, including select women’s group stage games, the semifinals and championship. Ally’s partnership with TST will also contribute to its industry-first 50/50 Pledge, which is an initiative Ally launched to reach parity across its paid media in men’s and women’s sports.
The inaugural TST included globally renowned clubs such as Wrexham AFC, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham, Wolverhampton, and sports stars like Clint Dempsey, Steve Nash, Cesc Fabregas, and Chad Johnson, among others. More than 25 players with U.S. National Team experience and a combined 1,444 caps on both the men’s and women’s side competed in the event, including Heather O’Reilly, Kirstine Lilly, Jermaine Jones, Eddie Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Jimmy Conrad, Chris Wondolowski, Brek Shea, and more.
TST, which is an open-entry event, received nearly 400 applicants for its 2023 tournament. Fans can now purchase all-sessions passes for TST 2024, or sign up for the single-session waitlist at https://thetournament.com/tst/tickets.
