ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- ESPN and Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX, NYSE) announced today a multi-year title sponsorship that will begin with the 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl. The entitlement of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl is part of a collegiate partnership reached by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, and Gildan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, sport shirts and socks. The sixth annual game will kickoff at noon MST (2 p.m. EST) on Sat., December 17, 2011 at the University Stadium in Albuquerque. “This is a tremendous day for our event,” said Jeff Siembieda, Executive Director of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. “Gildan is a remarkable company with a strong brand and a great worldwide reputation. We thank everyone involved with Gildan for seeing the potential in this bowl game and look forward to a long relationship.”
“We are proud to partner with ESPN to kick off the collegiate football postseason and have our brand name associated with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl,” said Glenn Chamandy, President and CEO, Gildan Activewear. “With close to 600 million shirts and over 600 million pairs of socks sold in North America last year, Gildan is already a part of the lives of families and student-athletes across the US. This sponsorship, and the related events in the weeks preceding the football game, is a way for us to support active living, take part in the community, and share our passion for football with all fans.”
“ESPN is proud to have a leader in the apparel business as the title sponsor,” said Clint Overby, ESPN Senior Director of Events. “The Gildan New Mexico Bowl combines the very best in intercollegiate athletics – great sponsors, great destination and great teams competing against one another. We are excited about the new relationship and about the game in December.”
The Gildan New Mexico Bowl also unveils a new primary logo, which is an evolution of the “5th Annual” logo utilized for the 2010 event. Created by Tim DeLisle of DeLisle and Assoc. of Mauldin, S.C., the logo depicts the Sandia Mountains and blue skies of Albuquerque and New Mexico. The Zia symbol, which is the centerpiece of the New Mexico state flag, is also incorporated to honor its long-standing relationship with the local Native American community. The blue sky and outline of the football coordinate with Gildan’s main color to compliment the look. The red and gold in the Zia are brought together in the lower half of the logo to create the synergy for the text “New Mexico Bowl” with “Albuquerque” standing out in a white font to complete the mark. Please use this logo in all references from here on out.
About the Gildan New Mexico Bowl
The Gildan New Mexico Bowl will kick off the collegiate bowl season for the third year, airing on ESPN and ESPN HD at noon MST (2 p.m. EST) from the University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, December 17. For the sixth year, the game is scheduled to include a team from the Mountain West Conference, and for the first time, a Pac-12 team will be the opponent. Tickets, ranging from $25-$40, are available now at the University of New Mexico ticket office by calling 505-925-5626 or the New Mexico Bowl office at 505-925-5999.
About Gildan
Gildan is a vertically-integrated marketer and globally low-cost manufacturer of quality branded basic apparel. Gildan® is the leading activewear brand in the screenprint market in the U.S. and Canada. The brand is continuing to grow in Europe, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific region. The Company sells T-shirts, sport shirts and fleece as undecorated “blanks”, which are subsequently decorated by screenprinters with designs and logos. The Company is also one of the world’s largest suppliers of branded and private label athletic, casual and dress socks sold to a broad spectrum of retailers in the U.S. Gildan markets its sock products under a diversified portfolio of company-owned brands, including Gold Toe®, PowerSox®, SilverToe®, Auro®, All Pro®, GT®, and the Gildan® brand. The Company is also the exclusive U.S. sock licensee to the Under Armour® and New Balance® brands. In addition to socks, the Company is increasingly becoming a significant supplier of underwear and undecorated activewear products in the retail channel. With over 29,000 employees worldwide, Gildan owns and operates highly efficient, large-scale, environmentally and socially responsible facilities in Central America and the Caribbean Basin and has begun the development of a manufacturing hub in Bangladesh to support its planned growth in Asia and Europe. The Company’s head office is based in Montreal and Gildan has US headquarters in Charleston, S.C.
About ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 telecasts of sporting events and holds ownership of several sporting events. ERT, based in Charlotte, N.C., is also the production headquarters for ESPNU; the syndication rights holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, SEC, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.