The University of Alabama and Fanatics announced its merchandising partnership on Monday, which will include merchandise featuring the name, image and likeness of the current Crimson Tide student-athletes.
Along with the new merchandise, there will also be the launch of a brand new apparel store “The Authentic” which will be the first-ever retail store located inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The store is expected to launch this upcoming football season and will feature licensed apparel, including customized Nike player jerseys, customized name and number t-shirts, headwear, official game-used memorabilia, and on-demand digital trading cards from Topps, and more.
The space will also create new engagement opportunities for student-athletes providing autographed memorabilia, conducting meet and greets along with social media marketing to support sales of NIL merchandise.
“Fanatics has been one of Alabama Athletics’ top partners for more than a decade and this new deal elevates our relationship to new heights,” Greg Byrne, Alabama’s Director of Athletics said in a press release. “By taking advantage of the expanded breadth of Fanatics’ services, we have put our University and student-athletes in a position to maximize sales and brand exposure with Fanatics’ blue-chip family of brands, including Fanatics Commerce, Topps, and Candy Digital. I think our fans will be fired up when they see everything come together inside The Authentic shop at Bryant-Denny, which we plan to open this season.”
According to the release, Alabama has been Fanatics’ top-selling collegiate partner and under the new arrangement will obtain new exclusive rights to Alabama’s primary apparel and headwear licensee. Fanatics and Topps have also secured rights to design, manufacture and distribute physical and digital trading cards of Crimson Tide student-athletes.
“Fanatics’ comprehensive service offering across multiple product categories was key to delivering on the University’s expectations for an elevated fan and commercial experience,” said Derek Eiler, Executive Vice President of Fanatics College. “The University of Alabama has high expectations for fan experience and engagement, so by creating a one-stop-shop to address all the University’s needs, we were able to align on a transformative partnership to make a profound impact on Alabama Athletics.”
Alabama 🤝 Fanatics
Multifaceted partnership includes the addition of The Authentic, a first-of-its-kind store in Bryant-Denny Stadium featuring an NIL activation area & co-branded NIL merchandise from Nike, Fanatics & Topps.
➡ https://t.co/WnLa6hp1gx#RollTide | @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/hDQUgNGLHc
— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) July 25, 2022
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
