Under Armour Strikes Landmark Partnership with University of California, Berkeley
Under Armour to Serve as Exclusive Performance Footwear and Apparel Supplier For Golden Bear Athletic Teams Through 2027
BERKELEY, Calif., April 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of California, Berkeley and Under Armour® (NYSE:UA) today announced a new, 10-year agreement that will benefit both the athletic department and the greater campus community. Under Armour Founder and CEO Kevin Plank joined Director of Athletics H. Michael Williams to introduce the partnership between one of the country's most prestigious collegiate athletic programs and the global leader in performance footwear and apparel.
The long-term agreement, which commences July 1, 2017, is the first outfitting partnership to feature a comprehensive, campus-wide relationship. Under Armour will not only exclusively design and supply the footwear, apparel and equipment for the athletic department's wide range of men's and women's sports, but also connect directly with the broader campus community by providing student internships, employment opportunities for UC Berkeley graduates, charitable partnerships and exclusive product discounts for campus departments, among other offerings. The additional campus benefits are part of the university's recent efforts to build more meaningful, campus-wide partnerships through the University Partnership Program, an initiative UC Berkeley launched last summer.
"UC Berkeley is one of the world's top universities and a standard bearer for academic excellence and athletic achievement," said Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO, Under Armour. "We share a mutual commitment to relentless innovation and believe we have found a perfect partner in the university. It's an honor to bring our mission for making athletes better to the Golden Bears. We look forward to collaborating with Cal Athletics and the entire campus for betterment in fitness, wellness, charitable and professional development in ways never done before by an apparel and footwear partner."
In addition to outfitting the Cal intercollegiate athletic teams, Under Armour will have an extensive social and communal footprint on campus, including:
- Providing apparel for Cal's 34 Recreational Sports club programs, supporting more than 1,300 students annually
- Offering discounts on Under Armour's connected fitness system, UA HealthBox, for faculty, staff and students
- Annually employing UC Berkeley student interns and graduates
- Creating and supporting multiple fitness and nutrition challenges for Cal students, faculty, alumni and staff
- Collaboration on philanthropic and social responsibility programs
There will also be a specific focus on innovation, research and entrepreneurship, with plans to host Future Show, Under Armour's annual open innovation challenge, and Cupid's Cup, an annual nationwide competition which allows undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their inventions, at UC Berkeley's campus multiple times over the course of the partnership.
"We are excited to announce this unique partnership between UC Berkeley and Under Armour," Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said. "Going well beyond a typical apparel contract, this relationship will extend across the entire campus, reinforcing our commitment to a strong, sustainable intercollegiate athletics program, one that is such an integral and fully integrated part of our university."
"Under Armour's vision mirrors our university's emphasis on innovation, research and entrepreneurship, and this agreement will offer opportunities for students to advance their ideas through a variety of programs," Williams said. "Together, the partnership aligns with our goals of succeeding in the classroom, in the field of competition and in the greater community."
This new affiliation further expands Under Armour's footprint in the collegiate market, with Cal becoming the brand's 34th Division 1 all-school partnership and second in the Pac-12 Conference.
Cal sponsors one of the nation's most successful and broad-based collegiate athletic programs featuring 30 different sports and more than 850 student-athletes. The Golden Bears have won 89 team national titles in 15 different sports, as well as nearly 300 individual and relay championships, while students, coaches and staff have claimed 185 Olympic medals, including 105 gold.
About University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley is the world's premier public university dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and public service. This longstanding mission has led to the university's distinguished record of Nobel-level scholarship, constant innovation, a concern for the betterment of our world, and consistently high rankings of its schools and departments. The campus offers superior, high-value education for extraordinarily talented students from all walks of life, operational excellence, and a commitment to the competitiveness and prosperity of California, the nation, and the world. The University of California was chartered in 1868 and its flagship campus in Berkeley, on San Francisco Bay, was envisioned as a "City of Learning." Today, there are more than 1,500 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members dispersed among more than 130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units. Twenty-two Nobel Prizes have been awarded to faculty, and 29 Nobel Prizes to UC Berkeley alumni. There are 7 Nobel Laureates, 32 MacArthur Fellows, and 4 Pulitzer Prize winners among the current faculty.
About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.uabiz.com.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110127/NE37387LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160422/358916LOGO
SOURCE Under Armour, Inc.
Share this article