The U.S. division of Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX:SLF) has entered into a new multi-dimensional partnership with NFL football team the Miami Dolphins that will result in the team playing in Sun Life Stadium.

In addition to acquiring naming and sponsorship rights, which will be in effect for this year’s Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, Sun Life Financial will make Miami and South Florida a major part of a multi-city philanthropic endeavor through an annual partnership with the Miami Dolphins Foundation, Sun Life said Wednesday.

The two organizations will team up to bring the Sun Life Rising Star Awards program to South Florida through an annual donation to the Miami Dolphins Foundation. The program will provide four nonprofit organizations focused on engaging students in their educational path with a US$50,000 donation. Additionally, one senior student in each organization will receive a US$5,000 scholarship to use toward college tuition.

Sun Life will promote the stadium as the “Official Home of the Miami Dolphins” and the company as the “Official Insurance Partner of the Miami Dolphins” as well as the “Official Wealth Management Services Partner of the Miami Dolphins.”

The Sun Life Stadium logo will appear on printed promotional materials related to the stadium, all paper tickets, and stadium signage. Signage will be in place for both the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

Wes Thompson, president, Sun Life Financial U.S., said this agreement with the Dolphins, and investment in South Florida, is part of Sun Life’s commitment to establish its brand among key consumers and business partners and to continue to raise the company’s profile through a national marketing campaign.

Another NFL stadium in Florida is also named after a financial firm: Raymond James Ltd. holds naming rights to Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And Sun Life Financial is not the first Canadian financial firm to buy naming rights to a U.S.-based sports facility. The Royal Bank of Canada holds naming rights to the RBC Center arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, home of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The Toronto-Dominion Bank, for its part, holds naming rights to the TD Banknorth Center arena in Boston, home of the NHL’s Bruins and the NBA’s Celtics.

In Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia signed a 15-year deal in 2006 to rebrand the home of the Ottawa Senators NHL Hockey Club as Scotiabank Place.

IE