Long Beach Airport has agreed to be the Long Beach Coast baseball team’s first sponsor for its inaugural season.
The $100,000 deal includes an agreement that the Coast’s jerseys will have sleeve patches featuring the airport, Long Beach Airport advertisements online and at their home stadium of Blair Field, along with pop-up experiences and giveaways at the airport.
The Coast is part of the 12-team Pioneer Baseball League, an independent professional league founded in 1939. They’ve been gearing up for an inaugural season since the Long Beach City Council first OK’d the idea last July.
They announced Warren G as a part-owner a few months later and revealed Coast as its name in January. Team officials say they will also play games under its alter ego: The Regulators.
The sponsorship deal also ensures Long Beach Airport — which recently trademarked itself as “America’s Coolest Airport” — will serve as the official airport of the Long Beach Coast, according to a team spokesperson.
Under the agreement, which lasts through the end of the year, the airport will provide $30,000 in direct sponsorship support and $70,000 in in-kind contributions, airport spokesperson Lindsey Phillips said.
A spokesperson for the Coast said the deal reflects “a shared commitment to community pride, local engagement, and showcasing Long Beach on a broader stage.”
On Friday, the team hosted its first pop-up experience at the airport with a giveaway that included shirts, cups and baseballs featuring the team’s logo.
Long Beach Coast kicks off its first season May 19 with a series against the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. The Coast plays its first home game on June 2 against the RedPocket Mobiles.
The new franchise marks the first time professional baseball will be played in Long Beach since 2009, the last season of the Long Beach Armada.
Notable former Major League Baseball players Troy Percival, Troy Glaus and Jerome Williams are among the coaching staff. The team has also announced the signings of several players from across Los Angeles and Orange counties.