• Mason Athletics extends corporate sponsorship partnership with Learfield
• A center-hung video board will be installed above midcourt at EagleBank Arena
• The video board is part of the Mason Athletics Strategic Plan and the Basketball Excellence Plan, which includes a recently opened privately funded basketball practice facility
 
FAIRFAX, VA – George Mason University Athletics has announced an extension of its partnership with Learfield, its exclusive corporate sponsorship partner and multimedia rights holder, through June 2022.
 
To enhance the student and fan experience, for the first time a center-hung scoreboard with video capabilities will be installed above mid-court at EagleBank Arena. Part of the Basketball Excellence Plan, the extension with Learfield will make a big game day impact with an upgraded video board, scheduled to be installed for the 2017-18 men's and women's basketball seasons. Mason will continue its long-standing relationship with Daktronics, the videoboard company featured in the majority of NBA venues. Daktronics will install Mason's four-sided video board and additional LED signage courtside to be displayed during Patriot basketball games.
 
The four-panel, high-definition video board will have active video displays measuring 14.6 feet wide by 8.5 feet tall, providing video replays, in-game entertainment, and live game action visible to every seat in EagleBank Arena.  
 
"Following five years of exceptional growth and results here in Northern Virginia, we look forward to the future of Mason Athletics alongside an industry leader in Learfield, whose partnership has provided consistent double-digit annual revenue growth," said Brad Edwards, George Mason's assistant vice president and director of athletics.  "Over the past five years, Mason Athletics and EagleBank Arena sponsorship revenue has grown over 400 percent, and we have experienced over a 90 percent renewal rate with our partners. Those figures say incredible things about the direction of our athletics programs, the Fairfax community, but most importantly about the increased support for Mason from local and regional businesses."
 
Learfield's local, dedicated team – George Mason Sports Properties – is responsible for identifying and building corporate partnerships with organizations on a regional and national level. The Mason team works with those clients to reach their sponsorship goals and objectives while aligning their brands with Mason Athletics and EagleBank Arena at more than 140 annual events. Mason Athletics established its multimedia rights partnership in 2013. General Manager, Graham Dunn and his team secured 19 new partners in 2016-17, part of their fifth consecutive year of revenue growth, in addition to numerous renewals and multi-year agreements.

George Mason Sports Properties works closely with each partner and the athletic department to formulate the sponsorship elements to best fit their brand objectives and to garner maximum exposure through inventory such as the brand-new video board, venue signage, event sponsorships, corporate hospitality, television, digital engagement, advertising on GoMason.com, and radio broadcasts. 
 
The most visible aspect of the Basketball Excellence Plan for fans will be the addition of video capabilities on the scoreboard, an enhancement that will strengthen the in-game environment and overall game day experience for Patriot fans. This high-quality board is a key element of the excellence plan, which in the last calendar year alone has featured the opening of Mason's new basketball practice facility, as well as enhanced lighting in EagleBank Arena. More improvements are planned in the coming years.
 
"Video capabilities is one of the most requested items we see from fans in our annual surveys, we're thrilled to deliver this to our season ticket holders and students," said Edwards. "It will be a challenge for us to learn how to best utilize the new video board, but we're excited for that challenge. This adds another dimension to our game day entertainment." 
 
Installation is scheduled to begin in late October, with the goal of having the board be fully operational at the start of the 2017-18 basketball season.
 
The next step in the Basketball Excellence Plan is a $1.2-million complete overhaul of the basketball game day locker rooms in EagleBank Arena, the home for men's and women's basketball games since 1985. The architectural design of the project has been awarded to Colley Architects, PC from Blacksburg, Virginia. The scope of the locker room project is to enhance the facility with new lockers and benches, a team lounge, a film room and upgraded technologies. The targeted date to begin construction is April 1, 2018.