Western Carolina University Athletics and Ingles Markets have extended the original three-year partnership agreement for the court naming rights for Catamount home sporting events held inside the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, it was announced today. The two-year extension through the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons furthers the long-standing, mutually beneficial corporate partnership that continues to enhance the fan experience for the Catamount Nation.
WCU and Ingles Markets entered into the naming rights agreement in the summer of 2021, renaming and branding the playing surface in Cullowhee “Ingles Court” in recognition of the expanded sponsorship agreement with the Asheville, N.C., based grocer. With the extension, Ingles will maintain the naming rights that include logos adorning the court and the sidelines, directional branding within the Ramsey Center, as well as the inclusion of Ingles Court in all name recognition of the facility's floor.
Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center serves as the home court for all Catamount volleyball, men's basketball, and women's basketball games, while also playing host to venue events such as WCU intramural basketball championships and the Harlem Globetrotters.
“Catamount Athletics is thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with Ingles Markets,” said WCU Athletics Director Alex Gary. “As a true community partner, Ingles has meant so much to Western North Carolina and the student-athletes we serve here at Western Carolina University.”
Ingles is a well-established corporate partner of Catamount Athletics that positively impacts WCU’s student-athletes and the gameday experience in Cullowhee. The supermarket chain’s catering service The Chef’s Kitchen at Ingles is the exclusive food provider at Western Carolina’s “PurpleZone” football pregame events. In addition to venue signage, Ingles also supports in-game achievement-based promotions, such as rewarding field goals at football and made 3-pointers during basketball season, that trigger contributions made to the school.
Ingles is also the primary sponsor of the Ingles Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in Asheville each March, heightening the excitement with the Ingles Mascot Challenge each year resulting in donations to the school and for the Hoops Against Hunger campaign of the Asheville-based Eblen Charities.
“The partnership between Ingles and Western Carolina University continues to grow with more opportunities to lift our shared communities, student-athletes, and alumni, as well as support one of the Southern Conference’s premier universities,” said Melissa Leavell, Ingles Advertising Director. “Ingles is so proud of this far-reaching partnership, and we look forward to many years to come. Go Cats!”
Catamount Athletics and Ingles Markets are both excited to continue to build upon the successful regional partnership that helps support WCU’s student-athletes and the surrounding community.
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