SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024) – Utah soccer’s two most prominent properties – Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Utah Royals FC – today announced a new long-term partnership with Intermountain Health and its insurance arm Select Health in an exciting collaboration that will give players access to the top sports medicine and orthopedic experts in the region, and create a unique opportunity for the organizations to work together to elevate and expand community health and wellness initiatives to benefit the physical and mental wellbeing of the athletes and all Utahns.
“This is so much more than a typical partnership for us. As we crafted this collaboration with Intermountain, the words that continually resonated for both organizations were community, mentorship, awareness, and wellness,” said Real Salt Lake president John Kimball, on the eve of RSL’s 20th Major League Soccer season.
“We aim to work together to inspire children’s health, family health, to bring awareness to mental health needs and services to heal our communities. Our players, coaches, staff, fans, and Intermountain caregivers will connect in both traditional and innovative ways to strengthen our region, promote growth, provoke and catalyze change, and create cohesion in our community,” added Kimball.
As part of the new partnership, Intermountain Health, one of the nation’s premier health systems, will serve as the official medical provider for both Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC and provide world-class medical care and expertise for players and coaches for both clubs, as well as those with Real Monarchs (MLS NEXT Pro), and the nearly 70 athletes under the RSL Academy umbrella, beginning immediately.
Serving the Community
Working together, RSL, the Utah Royals FC, and Intermountain Health will look to enhance the health and wellness of families and children throughout Utah through innovative community initiatives that will be developed to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of youth throughout the state.
"With this partnership, Intermountain Health is working to extend our mission to more people — expanding in ways that help people live the healthiest lives possible,” said Rob Allen, president and CEO of Intermountain Health. “We're thrilled to partner with the two most prominent soccer entities in Utah as we continue to focus on improving the health of our residents and communities.”
“We've continually been impressed with Real Salt Lake’s commitment to the community, as well as to health and wellness among players, staff, families, and fans. The arrival of Utah Royals FC further clarifies that we all share a clear and common purpose in supporting our communities, as we commit to working together to bring many positive, vibrant, and sustainable health initiatives to our communities,” Allen added.
As part of the new partnership, the logo of Select Health, Intermountain’s award-winning health plan, will be featured on the front of the RSL primary and secondary kits, beginning with the 2024 season. Intermountain Health will also be featured on the sleeve of both the RSL & Utah Royals jerseys.
“At every level, this collaboration underscores our shared commitment to elevate and improve the health and well-being of our community,” said Sean Dunroe, regional market president of Select Health. "The work to create healthier communities extends beyond the playing field. Alongside Intermountain Health and Real Salt Lake, we are working to support efforts that promote thriving communities.”
Both Intermountain Health and Select Health will also be featured prominently at both America First Field in Sandy and the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, effective immediately.
Intermountain caregivers – physicians and trainers – will travel with teams and provide all on-field support and medical care, along with training and therapy to enhance injury prevention and athletic performance.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Intermountain Health to ensure that our athletes have access to medical care, sports performance training, and physical therapy that is among the best in the world,” said Kimball. “Intermountain Health is one of the nation's top health systems, so we’re excited that this partnership will unite our premier organizations to benefit our players and the community as a whole.”
Kimball – along with Utah Royals FC president Michelle Hyncik, Intermountain Health regional president Sue Robel, and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital president Dustin Lipson – were joined for today’s announcement at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital by young hospital patients, mascots Leo and Cleo, Utah’s youth soccer community, RSL alumni Jason Kreis, Tony Beltran, Nick Rimando, Brian Dunseth, and numerous active members of Utah Royals FC, including Head Coach Amy Rodriguez.
Also present at the unveiling event at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital were members of the club’s passionate and loyal fan base; prominent local, regional, and national sports figures and business dignitaries; and many Intermountain Health caregivers.
Striving to provide high-quality care and superior service at an affordable cost, Intermountain – which is headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western United States – is a not-for-profit health system composed of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, Select Health insurance plans with more than one million members across the Mountain West, and nearly 64,000 caregivers. Intermountain is Utah’s largest private employer.
Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs.
“‘Empowering Women’ is more than just our slogan, it is the guiding tenet that drives each decision we make, and it is incredibly exciting to see how the Intermountain Health caregivers across our community are aligned with that belief,” said Hyncik, one month from the National Women’s Soccer League returning to Utah for the first time since 2020. “We are incredibly excited to join forces with Intermountain as we bring NWSL to Utah in a new and pronounced manner, demonstrating to the world what this Club and our region can bring to women’s soccer.”
Intermountain Health was named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems for 2023 for consistently delivering exceptional care by Fortune and PINC AI (formerly IBM Watson). Intermountain Health ranked 3rd overall in the category of large health systems.
The prestigious list recognizes and highlights health systems whose practices and procedures serve as a model to others for improving care and saving lives. The PINC AI program uniquely combines factors across four areas, such as a healthcare system’s quality of care, financial stewardship, safety performance, and patient experience.
Based on the data of the study it’s estimated if all health systems performed at the same level as those on this year’s list more than 200,000 additional lives could have been saved and more than 177,000 additional patients could have been complication free in 2023.
Compared to systems not featured on this year’s list, the highest performing health systems had 21 percent fewer deaths, five percent fewer patients with complications, 21 percent fewer healthcare associated infections, and half a day shorter average length of stay in a hospital.
Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals partnered with Elevate to secure this strategic marketing partnership.
Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC wish to express sincere gratitude to two outgoing partners in the space: LifeVantage, which served as the RSL jersey-front partner since 2010, and University of Utah Health, which had enjoyed multiple years alongside the Club in various capacities since 2021.
ABOUT INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTH:
Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western United States, Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs.
ABOUT SELECT HEALTH:
Select Health is a nonprofit health plan dedicated to simplifying access to healthcare for its more than one million members across the Mountain West. Through a shared mission with Intermountain Health of helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Select Health is committed to making this possible through simple, sincere, and seamless experiences and products. Centered around member needs, Select Health offers commercial and government medical plans, as well as dental, wellness products, and pharmacy benefit management.
ABOUT ELEVATE:
Elevate is a best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, providing proven, innovative solutions to organizations across the international sports and entertainment landscape. With over 175 global clients, Elevate provides thoughtful insights that empower sports teams, leagues, brands, venues, events and properties with comprehensive, revenue-driving solutions. Elevate’s unparalleled combination of agency and operating experience, along with proprietary products and solutions, maximizes efficiencies in Partnership Sales and Consulting; Hospitality Sales and Strategy; Brand Representation; Experiential Design; Feasibility and Revenue Consultation for New and Renovated Venues; Consumer Insights, Research, Strategy and Analytics; and more. For more information, follow Elevate on Twitter (@OneElevate_) and LinkedIn.
