ELON – Elon Athletics has announced an extension of its partnership with Learfield, the leading media and technology company powering college athletics, continuing a comprehensive relationship that supports the department's revenue generation brand partnerships, and fan engagement efforts through Elon Sports Properties.
The new agreement, which officially begins at the start of the 2026-27 fiscal year, extends the partnership for 10 years and reinforces a shared commitment to revenue generation, innovation and student development.
"In a dynamic and rapidly evolving time in college athletics, it is essential to have a forward-thinking partner focused on generating new revenue opportunities and maximizing our growth potential," said Elon Director of Athletics Jenn Strawley. "We are excited to continue a relationship rooted in shared values and innovative collaboration. Through our work with Elon Sports Properties, this extension will strengthen our ability to drive revenue, expand corporate partnerships and elevate our athletics enterprise. Additionally, this partnership creates opportunities beyond athletics, including a unique collaboration with the School of Communications to provide meaningful, hands-on internship and experiential learning opportunities for Elon students. It is a partnership that strengthens our department while also investing in the next generation of leaders in sport and media."
Through this enhanced partnership, Elon Sports Properties will remain steadfast in its efforts to focus on revenue generation, exploring new and innovative ways to increase revenue for Elon Athletics. Elon Athletics and Elon Sports Properties have unlocked new centerpiece asset openings for brand partners, including on-field logos at Rhodes Stadium, on-court logos at Schar Center, and jersey patch opportunities across Elon's 17 varsity programs. These assets offer increased brand visibility for partners and significant financial opportunities for Elon Athletics.
"Elon Athletics has built a strong and sustained sponsorship program over our nearly two-decade partnership, and this renewal positions us to capitalize on exciting new asset opportunities to drive meaningful incremental revenue growth," said Meghan Heinchon, Executive Vice President of Sports Properties at Learfield. "Led locally by General Manager Pat Streko and
Taylor Durham, the Voice of the Phoenix, our focus remains on delivering innovative solutions that strengthen the Elon brand and create real value for partners, student-athletes, fans, and the broader Phoenix community."
Additionally, as part of the extension, Elon Athletics, Learfield and the Elon School of Communications will collaborate on a structured internship program designed to provide students with real-world experience across areas such as sports marketing, media, content creation and sponsorship activation. The initiative reflects Elon's commitment to experiential learning and will be supported in conjunction with Elon Sports Properties.
"This internship represents the kind of high-impact experiential learning opportunity that defines an Elon education, "said Tony Weaver, the Interim Dean for Elon's School of Communications. "Through our partnership with Elon Athletics and Learfield, students gain the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real projects while developing the leadership and professional skills needed to succeed in the sport industry."
Elon Sports Properties will continue to manage all aspects of the department's multimedia rights and corporate partnerships. This includes oversight of in-venue and on-field assets, premium inventory corporate sponsorships, hospitality, digital and broadcast platforms, and integrated marketing initiatives designed to enhance brand visibility and fan engagement. The Phoenix will also drive revenue growth through Learfield's integrated services, including licensed merchandise partner CLC, digital platform provider SIDEARM Sports in addition to the flagship multimedia rights division.
The agreement also positions Elon Athletics to further leverage Learfield's national network and Fanbase, the most comprehensive fan data infrastructure in college athletics by enabling greater data accessibility through industry-leading websites, mobile apps, and streaming services. The multimedia rights team and Elon University Athletics staff will tap into demographic, geographic, and profile data metrics to better target Phoenix fans and maximize brand partnership opportunities.
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