HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison University kicks off its 2015-16 athletic season represented by Learfield Sports, a proven leader in the collegiate sports marketing space with more than 40 years in the business and a portfolio of more than 100 collegiate properties nationwide.

JMU Athletics is now one of Learfield’s newest university partners as the Texas-based company recently acquired the assets of Front Row Marketing Services from Comcast Spactacor. Learfield’s local entity, JMU Sports Properties, is led by General Manager Mike Chatburn and Manager of Business Development Colin Dailey. They also receive ongoing management support from Learfield Sports’ Regional Director Keith Bradshaw and Senior Vice President Steve Gowan, and the company provides various corporate support to its properties such as graphic design, public relations, digital, accounting, creative services, national sales and event planning.

Effective immediately, JMU Sports Properties team will oversee every aspect of the Dukes’ rights including signage, digital, corporate sponsorships, television, radio play-by-play, and coaches’ shows, while continually aligning with JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne and his entire athletics administration.

“We are excited about the partnership with Learfield Sports and the reputation of success in the college athletics industry,” said Bourne. “This alignment will assist with the growth of our initiatives and revenue projections in the sponsorship area, while presenting opportunities for national growth with respect to the overall brand of JMU Athletics. We’re looking forward to their aggressive stance, experience and significant track record of creative revenue growth.”

Learfield has a strong presence in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast Regions, with the Front Row acquisition bolstering its visibility in the state of Virginia. In addition to JMU, Learfield Sports now represents George Mason, VCU, Radford and the Colonial Athletic Association.

Complementing the rights aspect, JMU Athletics already is a partner of SIDEARM Sports, a Learfield company and provider of JMU’s official athletics website, JMUSports.com.

“We are tremendously excited about the opportunity to work with Jeff and his team to integrate the Learfield Sports processes and resources that will enable us to enhance the terrific work already in progress,” said Gowan. “We look forward to establishing a successful partnership by focusing on maximizing the valued JMU Dukes’ brand.”

Learfield Sports has developed trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. The company has prominence in all of the major conferences and titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. Learfield represents collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas for their respective multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives and offers these partners with professional concessions and ticket sales, licensing and trademark consulting, digital platform expertise and venue signage and technology systems through its owned companies. To learn more about Learfield’s history, portfolio, businesses and job opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.

About James Madison Athletics

James Madison University is a NCAA Division I institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Nicknamed the Dukes, JMU sponsors 18 sports, six male and 12 female, with approximately 450 student-athletes and an overall student enrollment of 20,800. The Dukes are part of the Colonial Athletic Association, whose conference footprint covers the East Coast spanning from South Carolina to Massachusetts.