The Defenders fan base was predominantly 25-34 yr. old males, and we wanted to engage families and bring a younger demographic in. The Fan Fest began two hours prior to kickoff and provided an opportunity to entertain before the game with live music, hot chocolate station, interactive games and kids’ activities including an inflatable football toss and “Design a Shield” station.

There’s no tailgating permitted at Audi Field, and when we started perusing fan social posts, we saw that diehard fans were going to create their own tailgates regardless. To circumvent any trouble with MPD, we created a partnership with Sandlot Southwest, where they opened at 11am each game day, with drink specials and merch to give fans a designated place to go.

Sponsored Washington City Paper’s “Best of DC” Event which was three days before the Defenders’ Home Opener at Pearl Street Warehouse, about five minutes from Audi Field. Head Coach Pep Hamilton appeared on-stage for a rally cry and to introduce himself to locals. We also introduced our Paper Football game (created by DC Fray).

Sponsorship included City Paper Wrap, eblasts and digital banner ads promoting ticket sales.