Apollo has entered a multiyear partnership with Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes that combines a jersey sleeve sponsorship with the deployment of Apollo’s artificial intelligence-based go-to-market system across the club’s commercial operations.
Under the agreement, Apollo will become the Earthquakes’ Official Go-to-Market Partner and its logo will appear on the right sleeve of the team’s jersey.
The companies described the arrangement as the first partnership in which a go-to-market technology provider has combined a professional sports sponsorship with a full-scale revenue operations transformation.
The Earthquakes will use Apollo across several revenue-generating functions, including group ticket sales, sponsorship pipeline management, inbound lead routing and season ticket renewals.
A go-to-market system brings together the data, processes and technology an organization uses to identify prospective customers, communicate with them and convert their interest into revenue.
For a professional sports team, those customers can include individual fans, season ticket holders, corporate sponsors, group ticket buyers and businesses seeking hospitality or advertising opportunities.
Apollo combines customer and prospect data with AI-based intelligence, workflow automation and sales execution tools. The Earthquakes plan to use the system to connect commercial information that might otherwise be divided among ticketing, marketing, customer relationship management and sponsorship platforms.
The partnership is intended to give the club’s sales and marketing teams a unified view of prospective and existing customers. Apollo could help the Earthquakes route incoming inquiries to the appropriate employees, identify opportunities for follow-up and automate portions of ticket and sponsorship campaigns.
For group ticket sales, the system could help the club identify organizations, companies and community groups that may be interested in attending matches together.
Apollo will also support management of the Earthquakes’ sponsorship pipeline, helping the club track potential commercial partners and coordinate outreach throughout the sales process.
For season ticket renewals, Apollo’s technology can organize customer information, create follow-up tasks and help sales representatives prioritize accounts requiring attention.
The Earthquakes said the system will help create a more connected experience throughout a fan’s relationship with the club, from an initial inquiry through ticket purchases, event attendance and future renewals.
The partnership comes as the Earthquakes and other professional soccer organizations seek to turn growing interest in the sport into sustainable ticketing, sponsorship and recurring revenue.
According to the announcement, Major League Soccer viewership increased 62% year-over-year at the beginning of the 2026 season. Apollo and the Earthquakes believe this audience growth creates an opportunity for clubs to build deeper relationships with fans and commercial partners.
Apollo considers professional sports organizations similar to other growing businesses because they must find customers, manage sales opportunities, retain existing accounts and coordinate marketing and revenue teams.
The San Jose Earthquakes will become Apollo’s first official sports partner. Apollo plans to use the collaboration as a model for future partnerships with professional sports organizations facing comparable commercial and operational challenges.
Apollo is used by millions of people and more than 600,000 companies. Its platform combines a business-to-business contact database with prospecting intelligence, workflow tools and sales execution capabilities.
The partnership will officially debut before the Earthquakes’ California Clasico match against the LA Galaxy on July 25, 2026, at Stanford Stadium.
Apollo and the club plan to support the launch through customer events, social media programs and in-stadium experiences.
The Earthquakes are one of Major League Soccer’s original clubs and play home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose. The team has won two MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields.
Financial terms of the multiyear partnership were not disclosed.
KEY QUOTES:
“We see this partnership as a natural extension of Apollo’s mission to make world-class go-to-market accessible to everyone by bringing it to the world’s most popular game.”
“Soccer is entering an incredible growth phase in the U.S., creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity for clubs to deepen fan relationships and accelerate commercial growth.”
“By bringing together data, intelligence and execution into one system, we’re helping the Earthquakes build a modern commercial operation that will become a model for the future of sports.”
“Professional sports organizations have the same GTM challenges as fast-growing businesses. We’re excited to demonstrate what’s possible when data, intelligence, and execution come together in a single system to help teams build stronger relationships with fans, partners, and customers.”
Matt Curl, CEO of Apollo
“While excitement around soccer continues to grow across the country, we’re investing in the technology and systems that will help us better engage our supporters and continue growing our commercial business.”
“This will transform our approach to sales and marketing by giving us one system to connect data, automate workflows and create a more connected experience for Quakes fans throughout their journey with the club.”
Jared Shawlee, President of the San Jose Earthquakes
“We are excited to roll out the Apollo AI GTM system to revenue teams across our organization.”
“Apollo is at the forefront of AI-powered GTM and the Quakes are committed to being ahead of the technology curve for our industry.”
Ian Anderson, Chief Strategy Officer of the San Jose Earthquakes
