Jets to wear corporate patch on practice jerseys

Jun 23, 2009 - 8:21 PM By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- The New York Jets are taking advantage of a new NFL rule this summer that will allow them to place a corporate logo on their practice jerseys as a source of additional revenue.

The rule allows teams to sell sponsorships on their practice jerseys, and the patches can be no larger than 3 1/2-by-4 1/2 inches. The patch the Jets will wear starting in training camp features the logo of Atlantic Health, a New Jersey-based health care provider that owns naming rights on the team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"In this climate, teams have to find ways to deliver additional value to their corporate sponsors because everyone is facing their own unique challenges," said Matt Higgins, the team's executive vice president of business operations. "It's an example of trying to go the extra mile to deliver value."

Terms of the deal - first reported by the Daily News last week - weren't disclosed, but Higgins confirmed Tuesday the Jets will earn extra revenue. Houston and Green Bay are among other teams exploring similar options.

"When we first did the agreement, we looked for ways to maximize (Atlantic Health's) exposure through impressions at the facility and through the media," Higgins said. "The original agreement contemplated that if the NFL ever changed the rules, they would have the ability to put their patch on our jerseys."

Sponsor logos are common in U.S. auto racing and golf events, but the NFL allows only one logo to be worn on a practice jersey. The Phoenix Mercury recently announced it will become the first WNBA team to put a sponsor's name on its jerseys.

"The NFL wants to be certain that the brand you're associating with meets the high standards of the league, so there are controls," Higgins said. "There's no desire to NASCAR-ize the jerseys, so there's only one allowed at a time."

The Jets are also working with the state of New Jersey, as well as New York and Connecticut, on developing instant lottery games that could reap an additional $1 million in revenue. Higgins said he expects the team to make an announcement within the next few weeks on the games that will feature a combination of significant cash prizes as well as unique Jets experiences, such as accompanying the team for a road game.

Higgins also said "sales are going very well" with the Jets' personal seat licenses. The team announced its PSL plan last August and held on online auction in October for 620 choice seats for the new stadium, which opens in 2010. The non-auctioned seats will cost season-ticket holders between $4,000 and $25,000, but spares 27,000 upper-level seats from the new fee.

"We're still in the process of going through our season-ticket holders year by year," Higgins said. "We're only up to 1985, so we still have a ways to go. We feel very confident that we're going to sell out the building."