Gotham FC and Bank of America formalized a strategic partnership on April 6, 2026, that puts youth soccer access at the center of a corporate sponsorship package reaching schools, clinics and matchdays across New York and New Jersey.
Bank of America will serve as Gotham FC’s Official Retail Bank and the presenting sponsor of Elevate Play, the community initiative the club launched in October 2025. The deal includes 20 school-based trainings using curriculum from Playworks NY/NJ, 10,000 complimentary tickets for young people, educators and caregivers to 2026 home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, and free Bank of America Soccer With Us clinics.
The partnership lands at a time when the need is plain. Only 1 in 5 children in New York and New Jersey meet daily physical activity recommendations, and youth in the region average more than five hours of screen time per day. By tying access, coaching and classroom programming to a pro team with a growing trophy case, Gotham FC and Bank of America are betting that sports can pull more families into the game.
Laurie M. Tisch, the founding philanthropic partner of Elevate Play, said the effort needs sustained, collective investment in young people and said the new sponsorship will expand the initiative’s reach across New York and Northern New Jersey. Alex Chang said Bank of America’s support will help Gotham reach more young people and families, while José Tavarez said the company is excited to expand participation and access through clinics and educational programming.
The arrangement also reflects how modern sports partnerships are being built: with measurable community deliverables attached. Playworks NY/NJ, whose curriculum will guide the school trainings, launched in 2009 and draws on more than 30 years of organizational experience across 15 regional offices nationally. Bank of America, which serves nearly 70 million U.S. clients through approximately 3,600 retail financial centers, is bringing that scale to a club that has won NWSL championships in 2023 and 2025 and captured the inaugural 2024-25 Concacaf W Champions Cup. For Gotham, the question is no longer whether it can win titles. It is how far that success can reach beyond the pitch.
