Protective Life Gets Naming Rights To New Stadium

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The new sports stadium at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex has an official name now, as an announcement came Thursday that Protective Life Corp. has secured naming rights to the new 55,000-seat stadium. Protective Stadium, as it will be called, will host home games for UAB football, in addition to other sporting events.

Protective Life will pay $1 million annually for the next 15 years for the naming rights to the stadium, which is part of a $300 million project that includes both the stadium and a significant renovation of the Legacy Arena at the BJCC.

We are excited to welcome Protective Life Corporation as our naming rights partner for the new multi-use stadium,” said Tad Snider, Executive Director, BJCC. “Protective is an organization with deep ties to the Birmingham community, so their participation is going to add huge value to the project. We look forward to the partnership as we continue the development of Protective Stadium.”

“This is an exciting day for Birmingham as we mark an important milestone in the stadium’s progress,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “With Protective joining as the naming rights sponsor, we are forging Birmingham’s future together. This allows us to be competitive with other cities in bringing in world-class sporting and entertainment events.”

Ground was broken for the stadium in December of 2018, and is supposed to open in time for the 2021 World Games. and the 2021 UAB football season.

Funding for the stadium has come from a variety of sources. The Birmingham City Council in March of last year voted to approve a resolution that would commit $90 million over 30 years toward the new stadium. The city's pledge added to the BJCC Authority's $10.7 million to the annual debt service on the project. The Jefferson County Commissison has committed $1 million a year for 30 years.

UAB and corporate partners have committed to a combined $4 million a year for 10 years through a lease agreement, sponsorship and naming rights. The state legislature also approved a bill that would use car rental tax funds to help pay for the stadium.

The stadium would host a variety of events, namely UAB football, which has played its home games at Legion Field since the program's inception in 1991. As well, events that were previously held at Legion Field, like the Magic City Classic and the Birmingham Bowl, would likely move to the new stadium. Supporters of the project say the new stadium also opens the door for events such as neutral site college football games, concerts and other events.