COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West Conference and Learfield Sports announced today an exclusive agreement wherein Learfield will manage the Conference’s corporate sponsorship program. The collegiate multimedia rights holder – already aligned with the league through individual rights agreements with six current and two new member institutions – will develop a strategic corporate partner platform for the Mountain West.

Learfield Sports represents member schools Boise State University, Fresno State, San Diego State University, University of Nevada, The University of New Mexico and University of Wyoming. San Jose State University and Utah State University also are individually represented by Learfield Sports and will be new members of the Mountain West effective with the upcoming 2013-14 athletic season.

Learfield will establish an office at the Conference headquarters in Colorado Springs and will appoint a staff and operate as Mountain West Sports Properties. Learfield staff will work directly with Commissioner Craig Thompson and the league staff. The Learfield property will identify viable corporate partnerships, branding opportunities, sponsorships of select championships and tournaments and engage in on-campus activation with students and alumni. In addition, Learfield will work with Silver Chalice, the producer of the Mountain West Digital Network, to develop sponsorship opportunities within Conference games, special programming and other features of the new network.

“Learfield Sports is an industry leader in corporate partnership sales and with many new sponsorship opportunities now available to the Mountain West, a natural partner,” said Craig Thompson, Mountain West Commissioner. “We look forward to a mutually-productive relationship with Learfield Sports.”

“Being a partner with so many MW universities, we’ve worked alongside Commissioner Thompson many years. But now we’re excited to officially come together with the Mountain West Conference in a formal partnership arrangement. There are an endless number of opportunities that exist in this dynamic conference alignment and we look forward to representing the Mountain West to corporate America,” said Greg Brown, president and chief executive officer for Learfield Sports, which owns the multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations, including the Big Ten Conference and Missouri Valley Conference.

About Learfield
Learfield Sports’ multimedia rights encompass numerous corporate sponsorship vehicles, including content distribution platforms that deliver to fans everywhere the passion of college athletics across radio, television and digital networks. Today, Learfield Sports’ exclusive sports programming reaches more than 50 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,100 radio stations. To learn more about the company’s 40-year history, complete collegiate portfolio, Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup partnership or involvement in collegiate ticketing and concessions, visit www.learfieldsports.com.

About the Mountain West
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 14th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. With the addition of San Jose State University and Utah State University on July 1, 2013, the MW will be comprised of 11 all-sport members and 12 football-playing institutions. Currently, the Mountain West membership includes: the United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Hawai`i (football only), University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, UNLV and University of Wyoming.