SAN DIEGO – San Diego Loyal Soccer Club (SD Loyal) unveiled the club’s home, away and goalkeeper uniforms Thursday night at its 2020 Inaugural Kit Reveal Party celebration at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station. The white and orange kits revealed the logo of Southern California’s largest independent craft brewery, Stone Brewing.
On Thursday, fans gathered around with Stone beers in hand as club owners Andrew Vassiliadis, Warren Smith and legendary soccer player Landon Donovan took to the stage to introduce the roster of players joining the Club for its inaugural USL Championship season. “Team 1” – the inaugural lineup of players – showed off the official kit, which showcases the club’s unique crest featuring its signature Torrey Green color. Logos of adidas, Stone Brewing, and Rady Children’s announced the kit partner organizations. The team’s goalkeepers modeled the powerful “Guardian Kit,” which prominently features Stone’s iconic gargoyle. For Stone, the Gargoyle wards off modern-day evil spirits of beer like cheap ingredients and chemical additives, and it now will serve as the guardian of the goal for San Diego’s new pro soccer team.
“We are thrilled to partner with one of San Diego and the nation’s most iconic craft beer brands,” said Warren Smith, President of SD Loyal. “Just as Stone was built one beer at a time here in San Diego, we’re building this club one fan at a time. In soccer, we wear our crests on our hearts, and we are proud to wear Stone Brewing across our chests.”
By becoming the first official jersey entitlement sponsor, Stone Brewing will be intrinsic to the culture of the club and its fans. Both organizations share a passion for bettering the local community and a belief that soccer – like beer – can bring San Diegans together in new and exciting ways. Fans can expect to find Stone’s year-round and special release beers at all SD Loyal games, alongside a selection of other carefully curated craft-only offerings. The 2020 season will serve as the first of the three-year partnership.
“This is really something special and out of the ordinary for Stone Brewing,” said Co-Founder of Stone Brewing, Steve Wagner. “SD Loyal has proven to us that they’re committed to embracing San Diego’s values as their own, and that includes a commitment to local craft beer. We’re putting our name on the chest of this team because we believe in their potential to positively impact the culture of our city, something craft brewers have been doing for the past 30 years. And the Stone Gargoyle, the ever-vigilant guardian of our beers, gets to protect the goal of the SD Loyal – that’s really exciting!”
Photos of SD Loyal’s new kits can be found at Brandfolder.com/StonePressKit/SDLoyal. Jerseys are officially on sale and can be purchased at soccerloco.com/sdloyal.
Season Ticket Memberships and the SD Loyal 3-Pack are on sale now. Seats can be purchased by calling (858) 465-GOAL or at sdloyal.com/tickets.
Fans are encouraged to sign up for updates and news via SDLoyal.com and #SDLoyal.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO LOYAL SOCCER CLUB
Launched on June 19, 2019, San Diego Loyal is the newest member of USL Championship, a USSF-sanctioned Division II league and one of the most competitive pro soccer leagues in the world. The Club will play at Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego. San Diego Loyal is built on four core pillars – independent, authentic, inclusive and optimistic. San Diego Loyal plays for America’s Finest City and is led by some of the best in sport. The Club is led by Chairman Andrew Vassiliadis, who is the youngest principal owner in USL Championship. It was founded and led on the business-side by experienced soccer executive Warren Smith, a co-founder and former president of Sacramento Republic FC. Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Landon Donovan, one of the most decorated soccer players in the U.S., leads the technical side as both EVP and First Team Manager. To learn more, visit sdloyal.com
ABOUT THE USL CHAMPIONSHIP
The USL Championship is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million and fueling the growth of the game across North America. Sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a Division II professional league, The Championship includes a membership of more than 30 clubs across the United States and Canada. Through the Championship’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the league’s clubs are provided with unparalleled support with a growing team of more than 50 professionals across 17 departments, ranging from operations to marketing, communications and sponsorship.
The Championship has a national media partnership with ESPN, wherein all league matches are broadcast on ESPN+, ESPN3 and across linear channels. The league also operates USL Productions, which includes a state-of-the-art facility that produced and distributed more than 500 league matches and more than 1,000 hours of original content to national partners, local affiliates and international markets throughout the 2018 season.
ABOUT STONE BREWING
Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, the groundbreaking San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Recognized as an award-winning industry leader, Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company operates brewing facilities in Escondido, CA and Richmond, VA, in addition to tap room locations throughout the US, Germany and China. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to independence, sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. For more information on Stone Brewing, visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.