The Tampa Bay Rays announced Friday that Legends Global, a sports and entertainment services company, will serve as owner's representative while leading sales of sponsorships, premium seating and suites at the team’s new Tampa stadium.
As an independent third party, Legends Global will protect the Rays’ interests in budgeting, construction schedules, quality and risk control, while also serving as a liaison to contractors and architects, according to a press release.
Legends Global will also provide go-to-market analysis, product design and development, data and analytics strategy, and sales execution to support stadium naming rights, founding partners, premium seating, and suite sales, the Rays said in a news release.
“It is a project that requires the expertise, leadership and reputation for quality that only Legends Global can provide,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said.
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The Rays are planning to build a $2.36 billion enclosed ballpark on about 120 acres currently used by Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa approved a contract in late August to provide no more than $876 million combined in public financing for the stadium.
Legends Global will work with AECOM Hunt Turner, recently named the project’s construction manager at risk, and the Gensler and Populous architectural firms.
Legends Global said it will base a team in Tampa, with longtime sports executive Todd Fleming serving as senior vice president and project lead. The firm’s ownership includes affiliates of the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, and investment firm Sixth Street.
The Rays’ announcement comes two days after county commissioners approved an interlocal agreement naming the Tampa Sports Authority as the local governments’ owner’s representative for the project.
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The stadium contract with the Rays calls for the city and county to jointly retain a representative to review design and construction documents.
The sports authority hired Skanska USA Building to review construction documents. The first phase will be a review of the schematic design at a cost of $303,370, which will be paid out of the county’s contribution to the project.
County attorney Julia Mandell told commissioners the agreement allows the sports authority, “as the expert in this area,” to manage the process and serve as the county’s designee.
“The risk of not allowing us to do this is that we don't have an owner's rep as part of the design process,” Mandell said before the 5-2 vote.
The sports authority will review Skanska’s work and be available to city and county officials for questions.
