The Saskatchewan Rush will be playing on new turf this upcoming season.
The team announced Thursday morning it has entered into a partnership with Co-op that includes field naming rights for the next five years and new home turf.
The Rush’s home floor will be renamed Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre, as part of the deal.
"It's incredible. It's the largest corporate deal in the history of the team, and I think it shows extra strong confidence in both the sport of lacrosse and this organization," Bruce Urban, owner of Saskatchewan Rush, told reporters after the announcement.
"It's the new cool sport. Kids were bringing their skateboards to school however many years ago. Now kids are carrying their lacrosse sticks to school because that's the cool thing to do.”
Urban emphasized the team's interest in working with local businesses, as well as companies with a long history in Saskatchewan, such as Co-op.
"Our goal was for the greatest and most historic brands in Saskatchewan to be partners with the organization," Urban said.
The team’s other partners include Tim Hortons, Shoeless Joes, SaskTel, the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association, Original 16 and Western RV Country.
Grant Wicks, CEO of Saskatoon Co-op, was also on hand during the announcement.
"Imagine how excited we are at the Co-op to be a part of this energy and excitement," Wicks said, referring to the atmosphere at Rush home games.
He talked about the early relationship between the Rush and Co-op, and how excited he is at how far the partnership has come.
The team also announced they will start the pre-season early with an exhibition Champion’s Cup re-match against the Georgia Swarm on Nov. 18.
