BUFFALO, N.Y. and BOSTON (Feb. 9, 2017) – Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality and food service, this week announced a strategic partnership with the esports team Splyce. Terms of the deal were not released.
Splyce – which has nine total titles in esports – has teams and players from all over the world competing in League of Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Gears of War and Super Smash Brothers Melee. With Delaware North, Splyce has a partner with more than 100 years of diverse experience, including a longtime connection to the world of sports and entertainment.
Delaware North owns and operates TD Garden, which not only serves as home of the NHL’s Boston Bruins – owned by Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs – but also hosts many world-class entertainment acts and events each year. The company’s flagship subsidiary, Delaware North Sportservice, operates food, beverage and/or retail services in more than 50 professional sports venues, with clients in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and Major League Soccer.
“Delaware North prides itself on being a forward-thinking and innovative company. From our work with The Future of Sports to our exciting partnership with Splyce, we are committed to leading the way in ‘what’s next’ across our industry,” said Delaware North Co-CEO Jerry Jacobs Jr. “We look forward to working with Marty Strenczewilk and his team.”
“A major focus at Splyce is the application of traditional sports knowledge into our growing esports industry,” said Marty Strenczewilk, CEO and president of Splyce. “This partnership with Delaware North allows us unfettered access to championship-caliber training staff, expert guidance on key areas of monetization and rock-solid infrastructure that can allow us to skyrocket our growth and maturation as a global sports franchise. We are equally excited about the opportunity to rally one of the most passionate and loyal local fan-bases in professional sports into a legion of Splyce fans. With these powerful resources behind us, Splyce is equipped to become the premier esports team in the world.”
Esports is an industry on the rise, already boasting more than 300 million fans globally. Delaware North previously discussed the rise of esports in its two reports on The Future of Sports.
“There is great synergy between Delaware North and Splyce,” said Charlie Jacobs, CEO of Delaware North’s Boston Holdings. “With the experience and resources that Delaware North brings to an already-established esports team, we’re looking forward to exploring many different collaborative opportunities. That could include everything from sales and marketing to hosting events to broadcasting.”
Aside from TD Garden, Delaware North also owns or operates myriad lodging properties, including the recently-acquired Sea Crest Beach Hotel on Cape Cod.
About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately-held hospitality and food service companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 60,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than 500 million guests annually. Delaware North has annual revenue of about $3 billion in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurants and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries. Learn more about Delaware North at www.delawarenorth.com.