State Association Recap

by Rachel Allenick, Group Director State Associations

It’s crazy to think that the fall and winter championships have come and gone and the spring championships are right around the corner. I was lucky enough to attend a number of different state association events and this past fall I added one more to the list, the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games, presented by Farmers Insurance. The Championship Bowl Games were held on December 14^th and 15^th at the Home Depot Center (HDC) in Carson, California.

It’s always fun to attend events in various states to see how differently things can be done. Some of you may not know that the HDC is actually home to the LA Galaxy (a professional soccer team). With that being the case, temporary turf was brought in to replace the natural grass field used for soccer games. The turf was laid down and all necessary lines were spray painted on, along with the CIF logo on the field and the Farmers Insurance Group logo in the end zones. Not only was turf brought in for the weekend, but so were LED boards to display sponsor graphics during the championship games. Sponsorships at the high school level have continued to grow and it’s important to showcase these brands throughout the events. The CIF did just that as there were four different boards each stretching from the end zone to the 30 yard line in all four corners of the field. The boards rotated sponsor logos throughout the entire weekend. This made for some great photo opportunities and really got the individual sponsor names out there to the fans in attendance and those watching on TV.

I was also fortunate enough to attend the state championships in Ohio, where the OHSAA always puts on great events. The OHSAA hosted the six championships at two different stadiums in two days at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon and Fawcett Stadium in Canton (home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame). Fall 2014 the association will be adding a seventh division and spreading the championships out to three days. Some people might think it makes things easier having two different stadiums, but you actually have to have twice as many workers and volunteers to cover the concession stands, ticket gates, press boxes, etc.  There are members of the host committee that go from stadium to stadium for each game; while one stadium is finishing up a game for one division the other stadium is starting another game for a different division.

No matter how different each state might be when it comes to putting on its football championships or any championship event for that matter, each association has one goal in common: to give the participating schools and fans the best experience possible. I hope my luck continues and I get the chance to attend many more events in other states to see how their tournaments are run.

          

Sponsor Profile - Sports Authority

by Ken Laschinger, Vice President – Accounts

One of the main reasons HTM was started was to provide financial support for high schools across the country. We are thrilled when we find corporate partners who share our vision of helping out high school student-athletes. Sports Authority is one of those corporations. Sports Authority now has partnerships with 11 state high school associations. In addition, Sports Authority is working with HTM this school year to provide thousands of high schools nationwide with a free supply of tickets for their athletic events. Participating schools were selected to participate in the Sports Authority ticket initiative based on their proximity to a Sports Authority store location. 

The high quality tickets include a coupon on the ticket-back for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more at Sports Authority. In addition, many of the tickets include the respective state association’s logo.

HTM has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating schools. One athletic director wrote us an email that said, “Thank you so much for assisting us with our ticket needs. Our school will use them at all athletic contests, and we will instruct spectators to visit their nearest Sports Authority to utilize the ticket stub discount…they look great.” And another wrote, “The tickets are AWESOME!!! Thanks so much.”

HTM is dedicated to its mission of supporting high schools nationwide. We have ticket programs available for all schools; please contact Bill Spear at (216) 566-8326 if you are interested. 

Lakewood Stadium Naming Rights go to First Federal of Lakewood

First Federal Lakewood secures naming rights to Lakewood Stadium

Here’s a great sponsorship that we came across. First Federal of Lakewood (OH) has agreed to a partnership with the Lakewood City Schools, with the school receiving a $320,000 cash infusion in exchange for naming rights for the Lakewood Stadium. The deal is for 10 years. 

First Federal Lakewood Stadium, as it is now called, seats approximately 7,500 people. It is known as one of the prime stadiums in the area and is used for football, soccer and track meets. In addition to being used by Lakewood High School, the facility is also used by St. Edward High School. 

The naming rights agreement includes First Federal’s name and logo on signage, end zones, scoreboard, concession stands and the press box.

The school system said in a news release that the partnership is in direct response to the district receiving less state money and property tax collections due to a still-recovering economy. The bank will pay the district $32,000 per year.

Athletic Director Profile - Bo Kuntz

Over the years, HTM has developed relationships with thousands of High School Athletic Directors from across the country. Occasionally we like to showcase some of those ADs. Today's blog will feature North Royalton City Schools (Ohio) Athletic Director Bo Kuntz:

The 2012 High School Charity Game was held at Cleveland Browns Stadium in August 25^th and the game featured a local rivalry between the North Royalton Bears and the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees in a showdown for the Golden Shoe trophy. This was a huge game for both schools and prior to the game we had a chance to talk to North Royalton Athletic Director Bo Kuntz. (The Bears defeated the Bees in a back and forth battle with a final score of 54-42.)

 

Kuntz began his career as an intern for the now defunct Cleveland Stadium Corporation (CSC) back when the old Municipal Stadium was around. He interned for CSC through undergrad and grad school. Kuntz is a graduate of Ohio University where he earned his BS in Health and Physical Education and MSA in Sports Administration. After working for six years in the Medina Highland School district, he joined the staff at North Royalton where he is in his third year.

Kuntz’s role includes overseeing the entire district for grades 7 through 12. He handles team schedules, officials, transportation, budgets, public relations, marketing, fundraising, facility scheduling and event management.

Kuntz’s students may be surprised to learn that he coached women’s college basketball for 25 years and women’s college softball for 10 years. 

Kuntz says the best piece of advice anyone has ever given him is to work to your full potential every day and don’t worry about what people think about you. 

If you ask him what the biggest advantage high school student-athletes have over their peers who don’t participate in high school sports, he will tell you that they are better prepared for college and leadership roles post high school. Kuntz’s comment supports the research that shows that students that participate in high school sports experience better outcomes than non-athletes including higher education attainment, employment rates and wages. Kuntz also encourages his graduating seniors to get involved in all aspects of their college career to make the most of the experience, whether if be sports, drama or marching in the band.

In his spare time, Kuntz enjoys spending time with his family and golfing. His favorite sports teams are any Cleveland pro team and Iowa Men’s Basketball. Kuntz’s stepson Aaron White is a sophomore for the Hawkeyes, he was a freshman All-American. His other stepson Brian White owns Empire Recordings in Downtown Cleveland.

News from the world of high school sponsorships

      Good news for high schools interested in corporate logos on its fields. The NFHS has removed restrictions for corporate advertising and markings on the field of play. State Associations and their member schools are now permitted to place corporate advertising and/or commercial marketing on the field of play. Advertising is not permitted to obstruct the yard lines, hash marks or nine-yard marks. Previously advertising was only allowed in the end zones and outside the field. 

·       In other news, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) voted to begin offering title sponsorships for all state and regional championships staged by the Federation, beginning Fall 2012. 

·      Did you know that 24 states use at least some title sponsorships? Some state associations have had title sponsorship deals on a sport-by-sport basis for many years. But only six have had one firm sponsoring all events. One of those states is Oregon, which has had a deal with U.S. Bank since 1984. U.S. Bank is the title sponsor of the OSAA State Championships.  

 ·     The Kentucky High School Athletic Associations (KHSAA) has sponsors for various sports, ranging from Russell Athletic for football to PNC Bank for basketball, according to a story in USA Today. The closest it has to an integrated sponsorship is Rawlings paying to be "official ball sponsor" across multiple sports. KHSAA pulls in six figures on the biggest deals. At the low end, it gets about $5,000 from a company that sponsors bowling championships.

·       An article in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Sentinel Journal written by Mark Stewart debated whether or not public high schools should allow corporate sponsorship of its facilities. Stewart refers to Fort Atkinson in Wisconsin, the school plays its football games in Jones Dairy Farm Stadium and the basketball team’s home court is PremierBank gym. The school district finalized a 12-year, $95,000 agreement with Jones Dairy Farm for the naming rights to the stadium in June. In August, a 10-year, $50,000 agreement was finalized to put PremierBank’s name on the gymnasium. Part of the revenue from the sponsorship with Jones Dairy Farm was earmarked to the technology department in the district.  

That's it for now. Please feel to share your sponsorship news! Email jkeim@hometeammarketing.com with your story.