By David Hatcher
What Eastdil Secured is Leyton Orient’s new front-of-shirt partner
Why The two institutions “share a one-team, one-dream culture”
What next Eastdil will “invest social capital into the [local] community” as well as being “there in force in east London with clients, family and friends on match days”
Eastdil Secured has struck a major sponsorship deal with east London football club Leyton Orient.
The real estate investment bank is to be Orient’s front-of-shirt partner over the next three years, on the back of the club being promoted to League One for the 2023-24 football season.
The agreement has been led by James “Mac” McCaffrey, managing director and head of Europe at Eastdil, who is also a “passionate shareholder” at Orient. The club is owned by a consortium of investors led by Nigel Travis, the former executive chairman and chief executive of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins, which bought the club in 2017.
New York-headquartered Eastdil came to London in earnest in 2011 and the company’s management has since sought to embed it as a mainstay disruptor in the European market. McCaffrey drew parallels between the firm and Orient, in that both are imbued with “one-team, one-dream culture” and “a fighting underdog spirit”.
Earlier this year Eastdil expanded into its new 12,500 sq ft European headquarters, which is home to around 110 staff, at Crosstree’s One Berkeley Street.
The Leyton and Leytonstone area surrounding Orient’s Brisbane Road ground is also an emerging centre for development with around 1,000 flats currently under construction.
McCaffrey told React News: “Leyton is an incredibly vibrant and diverse area of London, steeped in history, with significant new investment coming into the area in the form of housing, leisure and transport infrastructure. It dovetails very closely with our business and we look forward to investing our social capital into the community as well.”
Orient’s League One campaign kicks off with an away fixture at Charlton Athletic on 5 August, followed by a home fixture against Portsmouth at Brisbane Road on 12 August. They were crowned League Two champions in May under manager Richie Wellens, finishing with 91 points.
McCaffrey said: “Eastdil Secured and Leyton Orient share a one-team, one-dream culture, a fighting underdog spirit, and we have seen the results over the past five years as ‘the Os’ have gone from National League to League One with two promotions.
“[Manager] Richie [Wellens] has the lads ready to have another go this year and, like us, are hungry and energised to take on any challenges ahead. We believe in the ownership and direction of the club and are proud to serve as a partner to such a storied club during a pivotal moment in its history.
“We are truly humbled and proud to be part of the fantastic Orient supporter group, and you can count on our firm to be there in force in east London with clients, family and friends on match day. There is a genuine connection between this club and our business, and we will make sure ‘the Os’ feel our unbridled commitment and global reach alongside this investment.”
