SeatGeek expands with Man City, SeatGeek Stadium deals

SeatGeek’s primary ticketing ambitions have taken a major step forward with a new multi-year deal with Manchester City FC, one of the world’s most famous association football clubs.

The partnership, the terms of which were not disclosed, sees New York-based SeatGeek become Manchester City’s official ticketing partner as of the 2018–19 season, with the club using its SeatGeek Enterprise primary ticketing platform to provide its supporters with a “best-in-class buying experience”.

SeatGeek – until mid-2016 a strictly secondary ticketing platform – entered the primary market that summer via a strategic partnership with software company TopTix. Its first primary client was Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest-level football league in the US.

It later acquired TopTix and its SRO⁴ solution outright, and now counts venues including the Concergebouw (1,974-cap.) in Amsterdam, the Theatre Royal (847-cap.) in York and the English National Opera at London Coliseum (2,359-cap.) and sporting organisations the Dallas Cowboys, Royal Dutch Football Association, Sporting Kansas City, Leicester City FC and Los Angeles FC among its SeatGeek Enterprise clients.

“Chicago is an incredible city for live events, and we look forward to welcoming locals and visitors to SeatGeek Stadium”

Manchester City has the fifth-highest revenue in international football, at €527.7 million (US$644.5m) in 2016–17, and won the English premiership in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

A day before the Manchester City deal, the company additionally announced it is to take over naming rights on the 28,000-capacity Toyota Park football stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, which is to be renamed SeatGeek Stadium.

SeatGeek says it will work to bring the stadium – home to football (soccer) teams Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Chicago Red Stars – more live events, including “premier concerts, music festivals and international sporting events”, alongside Bridgeview and venue manager Spectra.

The new name will kick in follow Chicago Fire’s final home match in the 2018 season.

“Chicago is an incredible city for live events, and we look forward to welcoming locals and visitors to SeatGeek Stadium,” says SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza.

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