Sharks and SAP Announce Partnership Extension and Naming Rights Agreement

SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 10, 2023) – Sharks Sports & Entertainment (SSE), the parent company of the San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) of the National Hockey League and SAP Center at San Jose (@SAPCenter), and global technology leader SAP (@SAP) announced today an extension of their partnership which includes the extension of the naming rights to SAP Center at San Jose. The deal extends for five years through 2028.

SSE partners with organizations that, like SSE, are innovators and leaders within their respective fields. In SAP, SSE has a long-term partner that has both a strong global identity and an inherent pioneering spirit.

When SSE first announced the naming rights partnership with SAP, the organizations committed to giving $375,000 each year to local non-profit organizations through the Sharks Foundation (@sjscommunity).

To date, through this partnership alone, more than $3.75 Million has been given to non-profit programs and projects dedicated to enhancing the lives of under-represented youth and families in the Bay Area. With the announcement of the partnership extension, the Sharks Foundation and SAP will increase the donation amount to close to $500,000 per year for the next five years, bringing the total estimated contribution to more than $6 Million by 2028. 

To learn more about the impact made in the local community by the Sharks Foundation and SAP, click HERE.

As part of an expanded partnership, SSE and SAP will create the Sharks Innovation Challenge Series, featuring third parties competing to develop solutions for business or community problems. Winning teams will receive an award and the opportunity to pitch for funding for their ideas. SAP will also become presenting sponsor of the Sharks DI&B Partnership Program, in which local Bay Area businesses can become a Sharks partner at reduced or no costs. Additionally, SAP will continue to serve as the Sharks away games helmet decal partner, a deal first announced in 2021.

“SAP exemplifies a true partner who shares a common vision, values, and focus on innovation,” said Jonathan Becher (@JBecher), President of Sharks Sports & Entertainment. “With the extension of our partnership, we look forward to even more collaboration, focused on pioneering the future of sports and entertainment and improving the lives of those in our community.”

Over the past ten years, SAP has collaborated with SSE to make SAP Center a technology incubator for a wide variety of use cases. The Sharks are in production with multiple cloud solutions including SAP Business Technology Platform for data and analytics, SAP S/4HANA Cloud for finance, SAP SuccessFactors for HR, SAP Concur for travel expense management, and SAP Customer Experience solutions, which have helped the organization optimize business operations and enhance the fan experience. 

SAP also continues to innovate with the NHL, having developed multiple applications including the SAP-NHL Coaching Insights App for iPad which integrates data from NHL Edge, the League’s puck and player tracking system, and uses analytics to enhance how the game is coached, played, and watched by fans. From a sustainability standpoint, SAP and the NHL recently developed a cloud-based solution called NHL Venue Metrics that enables the League to measure and analyze the carbon footprint generated by its clubs and arenas across various areas, including energy, water, waste, and recycling.

“Over the years, our involvement with Sharks Sports & Entertainment has remained focused on using leading technology to deliver enhanced insights that help the organization achieve its business goals, grow its global fan base, and give back to the local community," said Yaad Oren, Managing Director of SAP Labs US and Head of SAP Innovation Center Network. "With our longstanding partnership, we are excited to continue evolving our commitment to cultivating innovation in the Bay Area at the SAP Center."

Through the extension of the partnership, SAP continues as a member of the Teal Inner Circle, an exclusive group within the SSE roster of global partners that share the organization’s vision to pioneer and co-innovate the future of sports, along with Kaiser Permanente (@KPThrive),

Western Digital (@westerndigital),

Zoom (@zoom_us),

and Tech CU (@TechCU).

Teal Inner Circle members receive unique benefits focused on access, recognition, and one-of-a-kind assets by leveraging the Sharks’ unique and best-in-class story-telling capabilities. Sample benefits include road trips with the team, intimate events with Sharks team members and management, special opportunities for employee engagement, and much more.