**North Carolina Football Club Unveils Jersey Sponsorships for North Carolina FC and North Carolina Courage** *Circle K and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to feature on front of men’s and women’s jerseys respectively; Continental Tire to be on back of both jerseys while Advance Auto Parts features on the men’s sleeve* **Cary, NC (March 20, 2017) –** North Carolina Football Club is pleased to announce new jersey sponsorship deals for North Carolina FC and the inaugural North Carolina Courage seasons. Long-standing partner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross) will be featured prominently on the North Carolina Courage’s front-of-jersey, while new partner Circle K will be on the front of North Carolina FC’s kits. Additionally, Continental Tire will have their logo on the back of both men’s and women’s jerseys and Advance Auto Parts will be featured on the sleeve of the men’s jerseys. “We are proud to be partnering with such nationally recognizable brands,” said North Carolina Football Club President and GM Curt Johnson. “As we continue to grow as a brand and an organization, working towards our goal of providing the highest level of men’s and women’s professional soccer in North Carolina, we feel that our core values align with these great organizations and we look forward to long and fruitful partnerships.” As a longtime supporter of local soccer and partner of the organization, Blue Cross will be the official front-of-jersey sponsor of the Courage for their inaugural season at WakeMed Soccer Park. As part of the company’s continued dedication to growing the game in the Triangle and beyond, Blue Cross will continue to partner with North Carolina Football Club to support both teams throughout the season. “By extending our partnership with the North Carolina Football Club and reuniting with the North Carolina Courage, we want to help inspire families – and especially young girls – to lead healthy lives,” said Blue Cross Director of Brand Strategy and Integrated Marketing Reagan Greene Pruitt. “In the coming months, we’ll be announcing opportunities for girls to come out and meet some US Women’s National Team superstars and players from the North Carolina Courage, the Triangle’s only professional women’s team in any sport. In the meantime, we look forward to working with the Triangle’s pro soccer athletes to serve as ambassadors for teamwork, community leadership and more active lifestyles.” In addition, Circle K is joining the New State of Soccer movement and has become a first-time sponsor of the organization as North Carolina FC’s front jersey sponsor this season. Circle K is an internationally renowned chain of convenience stores that has a large string of locations in the immediate area, as well as across the country and abroad. The company’s history dates back to 1951 in Texas, and has since spread to have a worldwide reach. “We at Circle K are thrilled with our new NCFC partnership,” said Melanie Svinis, brand and advertising manager for Circle K. “As a company, we strive to be supportive of our local communities and seek partnerships that further that cause. We believe NCFC is a perfect fit as their vision to grow the sport of soccer through development of youth programs will certainly have a positive impact on North Carolina families and fans.” Continental Tire, official partner and official tire of Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer, will have placement on the back of both the Courage and NCFC’s jerseys. Continental Tire has been a strong affiliate of the organization in the past, but is taking an increased role this year. Continental Tire’s dealer network includes locations in the Triangle area as well as across the U.S. A complete list of dealers can be found at continentaltire.com. “We’re proud to add the North Carolina FC men’s and women’s teams to our robust soccer platform,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire. “ The growth of soccer in the U.S. has been phenomenal and we’re pleased to continue growing our program with the addition of a professional club right in our own backyard.” Advanced Auto Parts will have a patch on the sleeve of the men’s kits. With a central office in Raleigh, Advanced Auto Parts is a local partner that operates over 5,200 stores across the country, providing customers with the largest selection of automotive aftermarket parts. In addition to the logos on the team’s kits this year, the four brands will also be on notable display at WakeMed Soccer Park. Fans will have a chance to see North Carolina FC’s new jerseys this week at the Hyatt Place Southpoint Community Shield Match against Atlas FC of the Mexican First Division on Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. and at the NASL home opener against Miami FC on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. The North Carolina Courage will debut their new kits on Saturday, April 15 as they visit the Washington Spirit. They will make their home debut at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, April 22 as they host US International standout Tobin Heath and the Portland Thorns. **About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina** Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina improves the health and well-being of our customers and communities by providing innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.74 million members, including approximately 1.1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Since 1933, Blue Cross has worked to make North Carolina a better place to live through our support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross has been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute every year since 2012. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. **About Circle K** Known as “Couche-Tard,” Alimentation Couche-Tard is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of number of company-operated stores in the United States. With stores in 41 states, Couche-Tard employs about 80,000 people in North America, with over 8,000 convenience stores and gas stations operating under the Circle K banner. **About Continental Tire the Americas** Based in Fort Mill, S.C., Continental Tire the Americas, LLC manufactures and distributes a complete premium line of passenger, light truck and commercial tires for original equipment and replacement markets. Our ultra-high, performance tires include award-winning technologies that focus on safety, help save money, and are *#ForWhatYouDo*. Continental’s premium products are available at leading independent tire dealers, car dealers, and mass retail companies across North America. Continental Tire is a proud supporter of International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Major League Soccer (MLS), College Basketball, West Coast Customs, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, Petty’s Garage, and Roush Performance. **About Advance Auto Parts** Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of December 31, 2016, Advance operated 5,062 stores and 127 WORLDPAC branches and employed 74,000 Team Members in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company also serves approximately 1,250 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico and the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands and Pacific Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found on the Company’s website at [www.AdvanceAutoParts.com](http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.AdvanceAutoParts.com&esheet=51525080&newsitemid=20170314005292&lan=en-US&anchor=www.AdvanceAutoParts.com&index=11&md5=ef868ba37c7fd3d6751e0286c1b5c42d). **About North Carolina Football Club** North Carolina Football Club is the state’s largest professional soccer organization and is the parent organization of North Carolina FC (NASL, Men’s Second Division) and North Carolina Courage (NWSL, Women’s First Division). The organization is owned by local entrepreneur, Steve Malik, and managed by North Carolina native and longtime soccer executive Curt Johnson. North Carolina Football Club was established in 2016 to bring the highest levels of men’s and women’s professional soccer to the state. For more information, please visit [www.NorthCarolinaFC.com](http://www.northcarolinafc.com/).