Toronto has renewed its shirt sponsorship agreement with BMO for a further season, www.sportspromedia.com/. The financial group had previously indicated that it would not continue as shirt sponsor, with its deal concluding at the end of last season.
However, the club has not been able to find a replacement, despite speculation linking another Toronto partner, Pizza Pizza, with the position, and BMO's logos will now appear on its newly-launched kit for the 2015 Major League Soccer season.
"It's got to be a partnership and it's got to be the right brand," Joanna Hopkinson, the chief commercial officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which owns Toronto FC, told the Toronto Star newspaper.
"It's emblazoned on the chests of our athletes. It's on every season ticket. It's the leadoff on every broadcast. It's a totally unique relationship. This is bigger than just a cheque."
No financial details of the one-season extension were made available, although BMO's previous shirt sponsorship deal, signed in July 2010, was valued at US$4 million per year.
Separately, BMO is the naming rights partner of Toronto FC's home stadium. Last September, the club announced a CAN$120 million programme of renovations which will raise the venue's capacity by 8,400 to 30,000.
