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Greenville Business Magazine

Greenville Triumph Names ScanSource As Jersey Sponsor, Unveils New Kits

Mar 06, 2019 02:10PM ● By Chris Haire
Ask any fan of Premier League football what words dominate the jerseys of the Arsenal F.C. and they'll likely spit out the two words before you even finish the sentence: Fly Emirates.

And those two words are worth a pretty penny, er, pound. Last year,  the Dubai-based airline and the London soccer team signed a deal worth £200M, extending the kit naming rights through the 2023-2024 season.

Across the pond -- and earlier this afternoon -- the Greenville Triumph F.C. announced that the Upstate's own ScanSource had secured naming rights to the club’s inaugural match day kit. 

Triumph Chairman Joe Erwin and ScanSource Chairman and CEO Mike Baur announced the partnership, followed by the official kit unveiling led by Triumph Vice Chairman and Chief Brand Officer Doug Erwin and words by Triumph Coach John Harkes. 

Harkes, a National Soccer Hall of Famer who competed in two World Cups as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team, presented Baur with his very own personalized Triumph jersey at the event.

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For ScanSource and The Triumph, it's just a match made in heaven," Baur said. "We also believe that when we do something that is good for Greenville, and I know Joe and The Triumph think the same, if it's good for Greenville then it's good for our organization as well. We benefit.

"We're constantly trying to recruit talent and bring people to our organization here in Greenville, and it helps us if we have a vibrant, exciting community that includes this soccer program," added Baur.

During the presser, Erwin spoke of the reason he and the leadership team chose to name the squad The Triumph.

"The name of the club, The Triumph, was born out of the sprit of greater Greenville and the Upstate. As you can tell, the name is aspirational in quality, and it speaks to what Greenville has been for as long as l've been here, what the entire Upstate is about," Erwin said. "We are a people who live triumphantly, who came through the crisis of economic despair after the death of the textile industry only to rise and be one of the most global economies in the nation."

Erwin also noted, "We think of The Triumph as more of a mission than a business. We got into this because we see the diversity of soccer, its global nature, as something that can bring people together."

Although The Triumph's first professional game is not until March 29 against the South Georgia Tournament, Upstate soccer fans will be able to catch a preseason exhibition match between the United Soccer League Division III team and Appalachian State at Legacy Early College on Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. 

Earlier this week, The Triumph added William M. Webster to the leadership team. Last month Bon Secours St. Francis Health System and the football club announced the health system would be the team’s official medical provider.

The Triumph are currently building a stadium in the City View area of Greenville.