Fiserv Aims for a Marketing Home Run by Putting Clover’s Name on a Stadium

Fiserv Inc. is breaking new ground, at least in the payments industry, by putting not its company name but the brand of one of its leading products on a stadium.

The processor announced Monday that First Data Field, a 7,000-seat stadium in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where the New York Mets hold spring training and home to a Mets minor-league affiliate, will be renamed Clover Park beginning in February. No, this isn’t a reference to plants of the genus Trifolium. The name comes from Fiserv’s line of Clover point-of-sale hardware and payment and business-management software for small and mid-size businesses. 

Fiserv inherited Clover when it acquired leading payment card processor First Data Corp. last July for $22 billion in stock. First Data bought the naming rights to the stadium in 2017 as part of a 10-year marketing agreement. The agreement, which continues under Fiserv’s ownership, came shortly after First Data embarked on an initiative to get Clover devices distributed in sports and entertainment venues for fans to pay for food and other purchases at games, concerts and other events.

“The stadium, formerly known as First Data Field, is being renamed Clover Park as part of the integration of First Data and Fiserv, following the combination of the two companies in 2019,” Jack Rooney, senior vice president of marketing strategy and client engagement at Fiserv, tells Digital Transactions News by email. “The new name highlights the Clover platform from Fiserv and was selected because of the brand’s direct connection to the fan and customer experience. Clover enables payments at thousands of businesses, including more than 25 major stadiums and arenas across the U.S., including Citi Field in New York and Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.”

A Mets spokesperson in New York tells Digital Transactions News by email that “Clover will have signage at several prominent locations at the stadium. And yes, we will be using the Clover equipment.” Rooney adds that “there will be other focused promotion within the stadium, with the details to be finalized.”

Owned by St. Lucie County, the stadium is the home of the St. Lucie Mets, the New York Mets’ Advanced-A minor-league affiliate. The new name will be the stadium’s fourth since it was built in 1988. It was first known as Thomas J. White Stadium until 2004, when it was renamed Tradition Stadium. 

The stadium is undergoing a $57 million renovation, according to local press reports. The value of the Fiserv/First Data naming rights deal hasn’t been disclosed publicly, according to a Fiserv spokesperson.

Fiserv is based in Brookfield, Wis., just west of Milwaukee. Fiserv Forum is home to the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks as well as Marquette University’s Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team.