Phoenix Suns, Mercury rename arena Footprint Center

The home of the Phoenix Suns, which had been going by the unbranded title Phoenix Suns Arena, has been renamed Footprint Center, team owner Robert Sarver announced in a press briefing on Friday.

Sarver picked the local material science company as a partner that will benefit both the team, Footprint and the environment.

“It was important to us to find a partner that could truly make a positive impact in our community and on the planet, and Footprint is a global leader that is also Arizona-based and therefore shares our commitment to the Valley,” Sarver said in a release.

“Integrating Footprint’s plant-based fiber technology into our core business functions will mobilize partners and fans to drive collective and systemic change, in our arena and beyond.”

The Suns owner said the partnership with Footprint includes the Suns, Mercury and soccer club Real Mallorca, which he has ownership shares of. He called it one of the “most unique corporate sponsorships in all of sports” and said he hopes it transforms the Suns’ and Mercury’s home into “the most environment friendly” in the world.

Signage will go up immediately starting before Phoenix hosts the Milwaukee Bucks for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, Sarver added.

Talking Stick Resort announced on Nov. 6 that its five-year agreement with the Suns over the naming rights to its arena had concluded, and the teams’ home had not had a partner since.

For Footprint, which was founded by Troy Swope and Yoke Chung, the 18,000-capacity arena will be essentially a testing ground to determine how a large sports stadium can be environmentally friendly.

A pledge to champion a healthy planet and healthy people.

The Phoenix Suns, Mercury and Real Mallorca form a global partnership for newly named Footprint Center to become a transformative venue to accelerate a plastic-free future.@planetfootprint pic.twitter.com/A9h1F8g1Lf

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 16, 2021

Swope hopes the partnership can “educate everybody on the human health impacts of plastic.”

“We have a unique opportunity with the Suns, Mercury and Real Mallorca to transform sports and entertainment experiences where fans can enjoy their food and drinks in sustainable packaging and learn more about how they can make changes in their daily lives to get rid of single-use plastics,” Swope added in a release.

“Together we’ll create a living innovation lab of new ideas for consumer feedback, new opportunities for our customers, and we can educate fans in a way that will create a ripple effect outside the arena. Today is just the beginning.”

Follow @AZSports