Sun Devils home now Mountain America Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, August 9^th, 2023

Image: ASU Athletics

The Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, US, and the Sun Devil Athletics have announced a multiyear naming rights partnership with the Mountain America Credit Union to form one of the most dynamic naming rights deals in college athletics.

‘thesundevils.com’ stated that the 15-year partnership with the Sun Devil Athletics – the most important deal in the Athletics Department history – includes the ASU’s football stadium, which will now be called the Mountain America Stadium, home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils.

The Arizona State University is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13^th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.

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The Arizona State Sun Devils football team represents the Arizona State University in the sport of American football. The Sun Devils team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

For more than a century, the Sun Devil Athletics has achieved legendary success on and off the field. With 26 intercollegiate varsity sports and more than 650 student-athletes representing the Arizona State University, the Sun Devil Athletics today brings even greater attention to the United States most innovative university, while also engaging the regional community through thousands of volunteer service hours.

The 53,599-capacity Mountain America Stadium, home of the Sun Devils, is an outdoor college football stadium in the Southwestern United States, on the campus of the Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. It is home to the Arizona State University Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference.

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as the Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. As of the 2023 season, there are 10 Conferences and 133 schools in FBS.

Indianapolis (US)-based the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student-athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico (unincorporated US territory). It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student-athletes who compete annually in college sports.

San Francisco (US)-based the Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football in the nation.

The Mountain America Credit Union is a federally chartered credit union headquartered in Sandy, Utah (US), regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration. The Mountain America Credit Union is the second largest credit union in Utah. It is also the 10^th largest credit union nationally by total assets.

With more than one million members and $17 billion in assets, the Mountain America Credit Union assists members on the right path to help them identify and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across six States and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs.

Said Ray Anderson, Sun Devil Vice-President for University Athletics, “The ability to compete at a high level during a transformational time in college athletics requires finding incredible partners who want to invest in our 26 sports, our 650 student-athletes and our 300-plus staff and coaches. An Athletic Department of nearly 1,000 team members requires incredible amounts of technology, nutrition, mental health resources, travel, and other vital parts to win championships. We enthusiastically thank and welcome the Mountain America Credit Union and look forward to integrating them into so many wonderful memories that will be created at the Mountain America Stadium for years to come.”

‘thesundevils.com’ further stated that the partnership happens as a fever pitch surrounds Sun Devil Football and the hiring of Sun Devil graduate Kenny Dillingham, one of eight Arizona State alumni leading programs as head coaches at the University. The ASU fans have been ‘Activating the Valley’ leading up to the start of the 2023 college football season, as over 90 percent of football season tickets have been renewed so far, and 4,000 new season tickets have been sold. And now, with the record-breaking football naming partnership and comprehensive relationship with Mountain America, numerous Olympic sports teams will be showcased, and multiple areas of the Sun Devil fan experience, from in-stadium entertainment to digital marketing, will be impacted.

Stated Michael Crow, the ASU President, “This is one of the important naming rights deals in the history of college sports and that speaks to the power and the future of our brand. We are grateful for Mountain America’s investment in our student-athletes and our programs. This agreement creates a pathway to help us compete at the highest levels of athletics in today’s changing environment.”

Added Sterling Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Mountain America Credit Union, “The Mountain America Credit Union is pleased to expand its partnership with the Arizona State University and introduce the Mountain America Stadium. This new partnership allows Mountain America to support hundreds of student-athletes and the Arizona community for many years to come through enhanced financial education, scholarship, internship, and cause marketing programs.”

The deal was brokered in partnership between the Oak View Group (OVG) Global Partnerships, Pac-12 MMR and Sun Devil Athletics.

The Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. It is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment and hospitality industries and currently has eight divisions across five global offices (Los Angeles, New York [US], London [UK], Philadelphia [US], and Toronto [Canada]).

The OVG Global Partnerships-Oak View Group connects world-class sports and entertainment properties with world-class brands to create mutually beneficial outcomes. They are Global Leaders in Sponsorship Sales, Brand Consulting, Partnership Management, Activation, Creative, Analytics, and Client Service.

Said Dan Griffis, President, Oak View Group Global Partnerships, “We are relentless in our commitment to connect world-class brands to world-class properties at OVG and this commercial naming rights deal of the Mountain America Stadium is exactly that. Both the ASU and Mountain America are committed to the University and the greater Phoenix/Tempe community, and we were very honored to help make this mutually beneficial deal and one of the most integrated commercial naming rights deals in college sports a reality.”

Both Mountain America and ASU are committed to giving back to the community, and this partnership will provide support to the community and the student-athletes in a variety of ways:

Football Field Goals: Mountain America will donate $250 to the Sun Devil Club for every field goal made to enhance the ASU’s student-athlete experience;
Shoe Donation Program: The ASU and Mountain America will develop a shoe donation program, providing brand-new shoes to community members in need;
Scholarships: Each year, Mountain America will provide $20,000 to the ASU student-athletes, with $10,000 going to women’s sports and $10,000 to men’s sports;
Financial Education Programs: Mountain America will offer special student-athlete financial education programs, including personal coaching sessions; and
Internship Program: Mountain America will also provide an internship program for student-athletes to help students develop the skills and experience needed for future endeavors.

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