REAL SALT LAKE PARTNERS WITH PURPLE
Official Comfort Technology of Zions Bank Real Academy Includes 120+ Mattresses, Sheets, Protectors
HERRIMAN, Utah (Thursday, July 12, 2018) – Real Salt Lake (RSL) today announced a partnership with Purple Innovation, LLC (NASDAQ: PRPL) (“Purple”), the Utah-based comfort technology company, to supply the new $78-million Zions Bank Real Academy with more than 120 Purple® mattresses, bamboo-based sheets and mattress protectors for the club’s U.S. Soccer Development Academy players, as well as guests of the club in the new, state-of-the-art campus.
German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt recently completed a week-long stay at the facility to kick off their Summer U.S. tour, which included a 1-1 draw Tuesday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“We are elated to integrate Purple’s incredible mattresses and ancillary products into our Academy,” said RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen, whose personal experience with improved sleep thanks to Purple helped expand the partnership. “The demands on these young athletes – both mentally and physically – require elite support from our infrastructure, from sleep, nutrition, and educational standpoints, on top of the world-class soccer instruction. Purple’s technology is a critical factor in helping these young players actualize their potential.”
An ideal partner for the rapidly-growing Real Salt Lake club pyramid, Purple is currently engaged with the RSL sports performance staff in a study that investigates the correlation between muscle recovery, athletic performance and sleep surfaces. Purple is working with the club across the men’s, women’s and academy levels to identify rest and recovery benefits of sleeping on the world’s first “no pressure” mattress.
“Purple is excited to partner with the Zions Bank Real Academy, both as the provider of official rest-and-recovery technology and in building sleep programs for elite athletes," said Terry Pearce, Purple's CEO. "Our scientifically-engineered mattresses bring No Pressure® technology and potentially a new level of deep sleep and recovery to the young athletes’ training and living at this world-class academy.”
Purple’s mattresses combine its proprietary Hyper-Elastic Polymer® layer with layers of supportive polyurethane foam, providing a perfect combination of softness and support in a consistently cool experience. Purple’s technology has been used for more than 20 years in medical applications like hospital beds and wheelchair pads to provide patients with pressure-relief benefits.
In Herriman, the Zions Bank Real Academy amenities include a total of eight fields, including the new 5,000-seatZions Bank Stadium, home of the current USL pacesetter, Real Monarchs SLC. Five “Toro Fields” at the campus are outdoor with natural grass, while the remaining three fields, including that of the 5,000-seat Zions Bank Stadium, utilize a state-of-the-art artificial surface from The Netherlands. Two full-size artificial surfaces are housed in the Zions Bank Training Center's iconic 208,000-sq.-ft. indoor structure, the largest pre-engineered freestanding building in North America. Atop this building is a solar panel array from Utah’s own Auric Solar, at roughly half the size of its Rio Tinto Stadium installation.
In addition to the aforementioned items, the Zions Bank Real Academy includes the campus for a 300-student STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) charter school developed in conjunction with Jordan School District, with 77,000 square feet of classrooms and a 90-acre campus. Intended to serve as what Dell Loy Hansen calls the “Harvard of Soccer,” the charter school hosts approximately 50 students from out of state, with these students boarded on-site in a satellite structure. The facility currently houses more than 40 U.S. Soccer Development Academy players on its campus, in an effort to create the pinnacle of American soccer facilities and to cultivate and develop the top talent in North American soccer.
About Purple
Purple is a leading comfort technology company, which designs and manufactures products to improve how people sleep and sit. It offers cushions, pillows, and other comfort products using its proprietary Hyper-Elastic Polymer® technology. Based in Alpine, Utah, all products are made in the USA of US and imported parts. Purple’s products are focused on founders Terry and Tony Pearce’s vision to improve comfort through technology. Purple continues to be a disruptor to the traditional mattress industry with its innovative products, packaging and shipping, direct-to-consumer sales, and generous trial and return policies.
About Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is currently participating in its 14th Major League Soccer season in 2018. The club’s MLS Cup 2009 victory marked the state of Utah’s only major professional championship in nearly 40 years, the title preceding an historic run to the 2010/11 CONCACAF Champions League Final. Buoyed by a passionate base now approaching 14,000+ season ticket members, RSL has enjoyed a prominent home-field advantage since building its permanent Rio Tinto Stadium home in Sandy, posting a 114-28-45 (W-L-T) mark across all competitions.
In 2015, the club expanded its development pyramid with the addition of Real Monarchs SLC, one of several MLS-operated clubs playing in the USL, the United States’ Division II setup. The Monarchs captured the 2017 USL regular-season championship, opening the 5,000-seat Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman in late March, 2018.
In late 2017, Club Owner Dell Loy Hansen opened the Zions Bank Real Academy – a world-class training facility that will host teams at all levels of the pyramid, from Major League Soccer to USL and U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-19 and U-17 sides.
Last December 1, RSL announced that the club’s NWSL entry for the league’s historic sixth season in 2018 would be known as Utah Royals FC, led by two-time NWSL Coach of the Year Laura Harvey. Royals FC – with more than 5,000 season ticket members – have earned points in 11 of its first 16 games, in the thick of the playoff chase during its inaugural season.
