MORAGA, Ca., (Sept. 8, 2010) - St. Mary's College (SMC) Department of Athletics and IMG College, the exclusive third party sales representative for the college's corporate sponsorship program, today announced a three-year partnership agreement with Muscle Milk.
The new agreement, which will run through 2013, marks the largest corporate partner deal in St. Mary's history.
"We are excited to announce this new partnership with Muscle Milk," said Mark Orr, Director of Athletics, St. Mary's College. "This multi-year deal is a great statement about where we are as an athletic program and the opportunities to come in the future."
By entering into this sponsorship with St. Mary's College, Muscle Milk will receive official corporate sponsor status including category exclusive marketing rights, television and web presence, and signage. The company will also receive on-court logo presence at the McKeon Pavilion, the college's volleyball, and men's and women's basketball indoor athletic facility. In addition, the Muscle Milk Collegiate brand will be provided to the institution for use as nutritional support and recovery products for student athletes at St. Mary's College.
Muscle Milk's court decals will be on prominent display throughout an impressive, soon to be announced, men's basketball television slate, beginning with an early season ESPN contest when Saint Mary's men's basketball hosts St John's University as part of ESPN's 24 hours of hoops on November 16. In addition to the television exposure that men's basketball will receive, Muscle Milk will also benefit from the exposure of SMC's first-ever nationally televised home women's volleyball match as Saint Mary's takes on Pepperdine on October 20 on ESPNU.
"The tremendous exposure St. Mary's has received due to the success of its basketball team in recent years and our local ties deemed the college a perfect fit for Muscle Milk," said Chris Kildow, Vice President of Sports Marketing, Muscle Milk. "St. Mary's College is an excellent platform for us to showcase our support of collegiate athletics and promote the Muscle Milk brand both locally and nationally."
"It's great when a partnership comes together that is truly a win-win for all parties, for the institution, the partner, and more importantly the student athletes and fans through resources for continued growth of the athletics program.," said Dan Shell, General Manager, IMG College. "We thank Muscle Milk for its commitment to college athletics and anticipate a great partnership over the next three years."
With a total fan base of more than 172 million fans, 77 million of which are female fans who influence buying decisions, the college sports market is a an ideal platform for companies like Muscle Milk. The college market's affluent fan base, with more than 29 million college fans earning more than $100 thousand, and 17 million fans between the ages of 18 - 24, provides a key consumer audience.
Muscle Milk will be able to tap into a share of the college market through its new sponsorship with St. Mary's College.
About IMG College
IMG College is the leader in capturing consumer devotion to college sports through partnership opportunities in licensing, marketing, events and hospitality, multimedia rights, stadium and arena development, sales, and consulting across local, regional, and national platforms. IMG College partners with the nation's top collegiate brands, including the NCAA and its 88 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and some of the most prestigious universities in the country. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, the world's premier sports, media, and entertainment company. For more information, please visit www.imgworld.com.
About St. Mary's College
Saint Mary's College of California is 14-sport Division I athletic program, located in Moraga, Calif., a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Saint Mary's athletic department strives to provide student-athletics with an opportunity to compete successfully in an intercollegiate athletic program that is an integral part of their educational experience. Saint Mary's is a member of the West Coast Conference, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (women's lacrosse), and the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Saint Mary's was founded in 1863 and is based in Catholic, Lasallian and liberal arts traditions. The college currently enrolls more than 3,800 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. For more than 140 years the College has been guided by the Christian Brothers, the Catholic Church's oldest order dedicated exclusively to teaching. For more information on Saint Mary's Athletics, please visit SMCGaels.com.
About Muscle Milk
Muscle Milk® is a protein-enhanced functional beverage that promotes exercise recovery, lean muscle growth, and healthy, sustained energy. Muscle Milk takes the guesswork out of high performance nutrition, delivering a precise blend of premium proteins, complex carbohydrates, functional fats, vitamins and minerals. CytoSport, the maker of Muscle Milk®, is among the largest sport nutrition protein beverage companies in the U.S. and offers a complete line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes and bars. Muscle Milk® was recently named Best Functional Beverage and Beverage of the Year by BevNet, 2009 Best New Product by CSP (Muscle Milk Light) and 2009 Company of the Year by Beverage Forum presented by Beverage Marketing Corporation and Beverage World. For more information on Muscle Milk or additional CytoSport products, visit: www.cytosport.com.
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