Northwest FCU Puts Its Name on NFL Stadium in D.C.
Commanders Field becomes Northwest Stadium under eight-year deal.
Northwest Federal Credit Union on Tuesday agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to put its name on the NFL Commanders’ stadium just east of Washington, D.C.
The Washington, D.C.-area credit union ($4.6 billion in assets, 286,867 members) said it agreed to have the 65,000-seat facility called Northwest Stadium for eight years. A spokesman said the credit union was not at liberty to say how much it will pay.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported Tuesday that the deal was worth significantly more than the $7.5 million a year paid by FedEx. It reported the Commanders are developing a plan for a new stadium that could open as early as 2030.
The team and credit union’s news release said it is the first naming-rights partnership for a credit union in NFL history.
Today’s news strengthens an existing multi-year partnership between the two organizations. In 2023, Northwest became the Commanders’ Official Credit Union Partner, which established Northwest as a vital partner of several Commanders’ charitable events, including the “Commanders Read” community program, the Northern Virginia Science Center STEM event, and the annual Commanders “Harvest Feast.”
The Commanders came to Washington, D.C. in 1937 and Northwest FCU was founded in nearby Herndon, Va., in 1947.
“Northwest is thrilled to continue building on the great work we have achieved alongside the Commanders,” Northwest President/CEO Jeff Bentley said. “With a combined history of nearly 170 years in the D.C. metro area, this expanded partnership was an amazing alignment of our values to enrich the local community.”
“It is an honor to be able to welcome everyone to ‘Northwest Stadium’ and introduce the inspiring initiatives that this collaboration represents,” Bentley said. “Together, we look forward to ensuring that Northwest Stadium is an impactful place where we rally together over our common love of football, giving back to the community, and creating memorable experiences that last a lifetime.”
The team and credit union said the naming rights deal announced Tuesday expands their partnership to include exclusive Northwest branding across the stadium, including a new stadium logo featured on exterior and interior signage, as well as Northwest serving as the team’s jersey patch partner for off-season and in-season practices. Additionally, the partnership will extend several new experiences and benefits to Commanders fans who are Northwest members, such as discounts on tickets and merchandise.
Washington Commanders Managing Partner Josh Harris said he was proud to form a partnership with a credit union as committed to the Washington, D.C., area as the Washington Commanders.
“Northwest Federal Credit Union has been an integral part of this community for generations,” Harris said. “As we continue to work toward our goal of building the Commanders into an elite franchise that consistently competes for championships, we are excited to welcome our team and fans to Northwest Stadium and look forward to creating incredible memories together on the field and in the communities we serve.”
The stadium opened in 1997 at a cost of $251 million in Landover, Md., five miles east of Washington, D.C., according to Wikipedia. Its previous names were Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (1997–1999); Redskins Stadium (1999); FedExField (1999–2023) and Commanders Field (2024).
Concerts held there have included the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2, George Strait, Lil Wayne, Jay Z and Taylor Swift. Last year it hosted concerts by Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran.
Northwest spent $10.0 million on educational and promotional expenses last year, or 0.21% of average assets, according to NCUA data pulled from Callahan’s Peer Suite.
A recent CU Times analysis of 12 naming rights deals announced since January 2019, along with the total fees to be paid and years to pay them, showed that the credit unions committed to paying $265.8 million over five to 25 years.
Their yearly cost was $18.6 million, or 0.02% of average assets out of total marketing expenses of 0.15% of average assets in 2023, based on comparing the fees to NCUA data for assets and educational and promotional expenses.
Those 2 basis points were also about the same amount of difference from other credit unions that did not readily show up as having naming rights deals in searches on Google or in the CU Times library.