ST. LOUIS  — St. Louis CITY SC has teamed up with a local Fortune 25 company to announce its MLS stadium will be called Centene Stadium. 

"St. Louis is our home and we are so proud for Centene Stadium to be the home of St. Louis City SC," said Marcela Manjarrez, President and Chief Communications Officer of Centene.

Carolyn Kindle Betz, CEO of St. Louis CITY SC, helped make the announcement via a video released on YouTube this morning. She and Manjarrez both stressed they share the goal of revitalizing St. Louis.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Louis CITY SC's stadium will be called Centene Stadium

  • The team's inaugural season will be 2023

  • St. Louis CITY SC and Centene say they are committed to giving back to community

  • Centene joins Purina and Together Credit Union as founding partners

"St. Louis CITY SC is so proud to align with a St. Louis company that has a long history of investing in St. Louis organizations committed to creating a lasting impact in our community," said Betz. 

Manjarrez says she is thrilled to have the Centene name on the amazing new soccer stadium that will be the heartbeat of the new district in Downtown West.

"As one of the largest and fastest-growing companies, our partnership allows us to support our charitable efforts in the community, national brand awareness, drive recruitment, and reward our employees," said Manjarrez.

She also said the stadium is another example of Centene's ongoing investment to the community.

Betz said one of the club's key pillars is health and wellness. She explained the partnership with Centene will help give the soccer team more opportunity to use the power of sports to implement community-based health and wellness programs across the region. 

Centene is a global health care leader with 26 million members in all 50 states and has called Clayton its headquarters since 1996. There are about 6,000 local employees. Betz says Centene has a female majority-led workforce which really makes them an ideal partner for the club. St. Louis CITY SC is the first majority female-owned club in MLS history.

"We are building momentum for the region, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose for our community and sending a message for the rest of the world that something special is happening right here in St. Louis," said Betz.

Betz also said in the video that one of the club's top priorities was to establish a long-term stadium naming right partnership with a St. Louis based company that shares their commitment of giving back to the community. 

Manjarrez agreed, saying the club's focus of giving back to St. Louis appealed to them as well. 

Centene joins Purina and Together Credit Union as St. Louis CITY's other founding partners. Betz says all the founding partners share that goal of helping further St. Louis's continued growth and revitalization. 

The inaugural season is 2023. Betz said progress is being made on the construction of the stadium. She says the seats should be going in soon and it should be done by this summer.