Louisville Announces Cardinal Stadium Naming Rights Deal With L&N Federal Credit Union

The home of the Louisville football program has been without a corporate naming rights sponsor since 2018.

Press Release from the University of Louisville:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - L&N Federal Credit Union, a cooperative, financial institution located in Louisville, has inked a naming rights deal with the University of Louisville that renames Cardinal Stadium to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced Monday.

A 20-year, $41-million commitment secures the naming rights with the university through 2042. Opened in 1998 and renovated in 2010 and 2019, Cardinal Stadium is a 60,800-seat facility located at the corner of Floyd Street and Central Avenue and is home to the UofL football program.

"We are thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to partner with the University of Louisville. We are proud to have the L&N name on the stadium as a visible sign of our commitment to the Louisville community and the University," said L&N's Chris Brown, CEO/President . "L&N has been a long-standing partner with the University and, ironically, the credit union had its start on the same site as the stadium in 1954. This long-term commitment strengthens our relationship into the future. We are aligned with Josh Heird's vision and it's our honor to be associated with a great program."

"We are extremely proud to announce this continued relationship with L&N Federal Credit Union, a very well respected company," Heird said. "From the beginning of this process, we have been very strategic with how we chose our naming rights gift. We wanted an entity that was aligned with our mission statement and invested in the community and the University. We've found that and more with the L&N Federal Credit Union and their leadership team. We are extremely grateful for their continued investment in our student-athletes and our athletic department and look forward to enhancing our partnership for years to come."

Now 69 years later, the credit union has nearly $2 billion in assets and serves over 109,000 people with their personal and business banking needs including; home mortgages, consumer loans, commercial loans, free online/mobile banking, free checking and more.

This is a homecoming of sorts. In 1954, the credit union was founded to serve the L&N Railroad workers in Louisville - on the exact spot where the football stadium now sits. For 90 years, the old L&N Railroad had its South Louisville Shops located there, and it was from those employees, and their families, that the L&N Federal Credit Union got its start. Appropriately, the original train horn from the site is still in use today, and is heard every time the Cardinals score a touchdown. Eventually the credit union changed its charter to serve everyone in the Louisville Metropolitan Area. 

(Photo of Cardinal Stadium via University of Louisville Athletics)

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