Arizona Cardinals rename training facility in Tempe

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals’ training center has a new title.

The team announced on Wednesday that it is partnering with Dignity Health on a 10-year naming rights commitment to re-brand the facility as the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center.

While the Cardinals play their home games in Glendale, they actually do all of their practicing during the week in Tempe. As a result, the training center is displayed pretty prominently whenever features or stories about the team air. That includes Amazon’s 2016 series All or Nothing, in which cameras followed the players and coaches around for an entire season to deliver an eight-episode behind-the-scenes special on the organization.

“Obviously the training center is featured in the media many times throughout the year and throughout the day,” Cardinals president Michael Bidwill explained. “Especially when we’re in season or have football activities going. So it gives us an ability to really talk about our partner, Dignity Health, and all of the different services and training they provide to healthcare providers.”

The Cardinals have already collaborated with Dignity Health in the past, but this is the first time there have ever been naming rights on the training center. Beyond just the title, this partnership will provide grant money to deliver additional athletic training for high school programs across Arizona.

Both organizations will also work together to continue developing Brainbook, which is a concussion education and awareness program for high school athletes in all sports.

“We have actually done a pilot out in the East Valley where we’ve been working with trainers out in the East Valley, and have consults around concussions and other injuries,” Dignity Health in Arizona President and CEO Linda Hunt said. “And what we realized is many of the trainers didn’t have a tremendous depth in understanding on early diagnosis, how do you get athletes to treatment as quickly as possible. And so that has really been an education for us. And I think the trainers, if you would talk to any of them, would say it’s well worth having this kind of relationship and growing their skills.”

The training center already underwent a $15 million renovation recently. Dignity Health branding assets will now be integrated throughout the facility and other team platforms in the coming weeks.

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