The Jersey Program
The Athletics Admin Jersey Program turns one-night uniforms into lasting fan engagement, new revenue and memorable experiences. From creative jersey concepts to nationwide auctions at no cost to the university, the program is built on proven data, operational experience and a willingness to test ideas outside the box. We help departments create something fun, marketable and meaningful for student-athletes, donors and fans everywhere.
The idea behind the Athletics Admin Jersey Program started after years of sitting in external strategy meetings and watching talented marketing teams develop creative promotions that connected social media, in-game entertainment, giveaways and the overall fan experience.
There might be a retro night, a blackout or another themed promotion, but the team would still take the floor wearing its traditional uniform. That was assuming the team even had a black jersey for its own blackout night. Meanwhile, donors and fans continually asked how they could purchase the jerseys worn by the student-athletes.
At the same time, minor league organizations were creating fun, conversation-driving promotions that generated attention, sold merchandise and positively impacted the bottom line. College athletics leaders often talked about adopting a “minor league approach,” but rarely took the opportunity to actually suit up and try it.
Athletics Admin is perfectly comfortable serving as the test pilot for your outside-the-box idea or “minor league approach.” We will help test it, refine it and determine whether it can work for your program.
For nearly a decade, the idea of a one-night specialty jersey was pitched to athletics leaders. The responses ranged from polite rejection to questions from financial officers about why anyone would take the risk of purchasing uniforms for a single game.
Eventually, after hearing “no” one more time, a credit card was placed on the table with a simple offer: the jerseys would be purchased personally, but the auction revenue would be retained. The first auction generated approximately $20,000.
Instead of keeping a large portion of the revenues as originally intended, we kept a portion after reimbursement and gave the rest to the scholarship fund. This still remains the purpose today.
Since then, Athletics Admin has helped execute dozens of jersey auctions for teams across the country. Along the way, the program has developed extensive data, internal processes and proprietary operational knowledge around jersey design, promotion, auction timing, pricing, inventory and fan engagement. There is much more happening behind the seams than simply creating a uniform and listing it online.
Athletics Admin also works with a national auction platform that comes at no cost to the university. That allows departments to focus on promotion, the fan experience and student-athlete impact without adding another expense to the budget.
The program has also evolved far beyond the traditional blackout jersey.
Athletics Admin helped launch the NCAA’s first fan-designed jersey contest for a women’s basketball program at the University of Hawai‘i, generating more than $50,000. It also helped develop the first fan-designed jersey contest for an NCAA men’s basketball program at UTEP.
Both campaigns attracted participation and attention from fans across the country and around the world.
More importantly, these programs gave donors, former student-athletes, parents and fans who could not attend the game a meaningful way to engage with the team. The jersey became more than something worn for one night. It became a connection to the program and a story fans could own.
It is marketing. It is engagement. It is revenue generation. It is licensing. Most importantly, it is fun.
We are still willing to bet on the idea, swipe the card and let the jerseys do the talking.
Athletics Admin may not be the biggest name on the board, but our track record proves we belong. The underdog role suits us just fine, and we like our odds.
