Rio Tinto kicks in to name new stadium
In a major sponsorship deal, Rio Tinto has put its name on Utah's premier sports and entertainment facility, a new 20,000 seat stadium that is home ground to Real Salt Lake, a US Major League Soccer team.
Rio Tinto Stadium was inaugurated in October when Real Salt Lake hosted the New York Red Bulls in a game carried live on a national sports channel.
Rio Tinto signed a multi-year naming rights agreement for the state of the art sports and entertainment venue located just 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and 25 minutes from the international airport.
The stadium provides a new home for world class events. "With Rio Tinto, we have found a very special sponsor - as well as one with deep local ties. We have been seeking one who shares the unique vision for what this stadium provides," said Dave Checketts, chairman of SCP Worldwide, Real Salt Lake's owners.
"Rio Tinto and the Kennecott Utah companies exemplify that vision with their collective commitment to our Utah community, the perfect match for what the stadium represents." Said Bret Clayton, chief executive, Copper: "This opportunity helps us tell our story and lets people know who we are on a local and global level. Soccer transcends cultural and economic boundaries, as it did when Rio Tinto introduced football to Spain in the late 1800s. This was done to create recreational opportunities for those living in the village and bring people together. Not much has changed since then." Rio Tinto Stadium is a new class of venue in the InterMountain West, attracting events that would not otherwise visit Utah, bolstering the state's reputation as an international sporting destination. The diversity of events attracted to the stadium brings significant media attention, promotes tourism efforts and creates numerous permanent and seasonal job opportunities.
Also at the opening was Greg Curtis, speaker of the Utah House of Representatives.
Opportunity
"This is a tremendous opportunity to work with Real Salt Lake and have Rio Tinto's name on a world class facility," said Andrew Harding, president of Kennecott Utah Copper. "At Kennecott we are part of something bigger. We are part of Rio Tinto, and we are part of this community.
Through this opportunity, Rio Tinto and Kennecott can continue to educate the public about the importance mining plays in modern life, reach out to local youth through soccer clinics and other community events, and continue our long standing commitment to Utah." As the stadium's sponsor, Rio Tinto and Kennecott will collaborate on events to tell the company story. The southwest corner of the stadium will be known as Kennecott Plaza, and will feature several telescopes lined up to focus on the Bingham Canyon mine.
Inside the stadium, exhibits, signage and activities will educate people about Kennecott's place in Utah's rich mining and natural history.
"The support Rio Tinto and Kennecott have provided to the state over the years is legendary," said Real Salt Lake president Bill Manning. "The scope of Rio Tinto's commitment to this community and the vision we share, greatly enforces the stadium's ability to serve as a unifying place through the wide array of events the stadium will host."