Herbalife gets a sleeve spot for 2021, but Galaxy fans will need to win an auction to dress like their favorites.
CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy’s left-sleeve sponsor will be the same as their main sponsor for the 2021 season, the club is expected to announce on Thursday. The Herbalife logo will be placed on both the home and away kits for the season, with the Herbalife 24 logo being put in place of the MLS patch on the left sleeve. The kits will also have the previously announced Honey logo on the right sleeve.
“We are excited to have our valued partner Herbalife Nutrition featured on our left jersey sleeve this season,” said Galaxy President Chris Klein. “As our partnership expands beyond the playing field and into serving the community around us, it is fitting that they will continue to be represented on jerseys worn by our team. We look forward to their representation on our jersey sleeve as we kick off our 26th season in MLS.”
The relationship with Herbalife and the Galaxy now spans more than 15 years. And In 2012, the two sides signed a 10-year extension to their previous partnership that was valued at $44-million and should expire in 2022.
For the 2020 MLS is Back tournament, the Herbalife 24 logo adorned the shoulders of the Galaxy’s kit as Major League Soccer tried to offer space to existing sponsors as a way to make-up for the covid-shortened season that included no fans at Dignity Health Sports Park outside of the season-opening game. And it stayed there through the “Return to Play” section of the season as well.
The retention position on the left sleeve is expected to be why the Galaxy and Herbalife agreed to this current deal within the last few weeks and the reason for some confusion on what exactly the Authentic version of the Galaxy’s kit would look like.
“Due to MLS guidelines, the Herbalife Nutrition patch on the left sleeve will not be available for retail and will be displayed only on kits used on-field by LA Galaxy players during official MLS play,” the club said in their press release. “LA Galaxy authentic jerseys available for retail from the MLSStore.com will feature the MLS patch on the left jersey sleeve.”
The MLS guidelines in question here relate to the retention sponsorship slots not being eligible for retail sales. And the MLS patch — something the Galaxy have committed to providing a fix for in a future announcement — should be found on all retail versions of the authentic kits. This leaves Galaxy fans with only auctions as a way to get their hands on the exact jersey that is on the field.
“Throughout the year, fans will have the opportunity to get their hands on player-worn jerseys featuring both sleeve partners as they will be auctioned off to benefit the LA Galaxy Foundation. More details will be announced at a later date,” the Galaxy said.
It is not expected that the Galaxy will gain any additional value with the signing of this agreement. The league is just allowing the Galaxy to make Herbalife complete for the lack of games played in 2020 and the limited attendance in 2021.
