In the fast-paced world of college sports, Indiana University (IU) Athletics has emerged as a remarkable leader in growth and success, both on and off the field. Coming off a historic 11-win season under the first year of head Coach Curt Cignetti in ‘24, an undefeated start to the ’25 season, and a top ranking in college football, Indiana Football is one of the hottest teams in the country. Through the vision of IU Athletics leadership, including Athletic Director Scott Dolson, Deputy Director of Athletics Stephen Harper and the talented team in Bloomington, and in partnership with Learfield’s IU Sports Properties, IU is capitalizing on significant momentum and growth opportunities. This collaboration has allowed Indiana Athletics to maximize its revenue potential and engage its fanbase in unprecedented ways.
Harnessing Comprehensive Solutions
IU’s approach to success on the field and its holistic partnership with Learfield, which spans all available enterprise solutions, sets Indiana Athletics apart. From IU Sports Properties (MMR) to SIDEARM Sports (website and mobile app), Paciolan (ticketing, marketing, and fundraising), Amplify (outbound ticket sales and fundraising), and CLC (licensed merchandise), each aspect of Learfield’s offerings plays a pivotal role in enhancing IU’s athletics operations. This comprehensive strategy means that as Indiana Athletics utilizes more of Learfield’s solutions, it captures more fan data, translating into deeper fan engagement and increased revenue streams.
Sponsorship and Revenue Growth Through Learfield Partnership
Indiana’s incredible achievements reflect strong growth throughout the enterprise-wide partnership with Learfield. Sponsorship revenue is projected to grow over 20% this year, fueled by key partnerships, including Merchants Bank of Indiana’s historic field naming sponsorship, Lucas Oil’s field suites naming sponsorship, and multifaceted sponsorships with GEICO, the Indiana Donor Network, and many more.
The growth isn’t just limited to sponsorship – the Hoosiers’ football success, combined with integrating Learfield’s solutions, has led to record-breaking increases in IU’s fan base. Indiana now has over 1.68 million fans in its Fanbase database, up from 674K just two years prior. Learfield’s Fanbase platform powers data-driven strategies to refine fan engagement, tailor messaging, and boost revenue.
Digital Engagement Soars with SIDEARM Sports
The excitement surrounding Indiana’s Athletics football program has translated into significant digital engagement growth. The ’25 football season has seen traffic on the official athletic website and mobile app, powered by Learfield’s SIDEARM Sports, surge impressively. Notably, gameday traffic jumped by 50% year over year, indicating high fan enthusiasm. Website users increased by 21%, while sessions rose by 27%, showing that fans are more connected than ever, utilizing these platforms to engage with scores, highlights, and interactive stories. Metrics from the mobile app also indicate an impressive trend, with total users up 16% and session durations increasing by 24%.
Ticketing, Fundraising, and Fan Revenue Climb with Paciolan and Amplify
Indiana has also experienced strong ticket sales and fundraising growth to match their unprecedented success on the gridiron. Through their partnership with Paciolan, Indiana football has driven a remarkable 40% increase in football season ticket sales from ‘24 to ‘25. This season, all remaining home games are sold out, which also unlocks the opportunity to capture fan data from their SeatGeek integrated ticket resale partnership, which has seen a 71% growth in sales from the ’23 to the ’24 season and a 154% growth from the ’24 to the ’25 season to date. Additionally, IU Athletics processed $2 million in incremental donations through the Paciolan system this year alone.
The Learfield Amplify team taps into Fanbase data to deliver powerful results and capitalize on momentum, with an 113% increase in football ticket revenue from the ’23 to the ’25 season. Their data-driven strategies also raised over $500K in incremental fundraising contributions this year. These efforts helped drive eight consecutive Big Ten sellouts and resulted in a 63% increase in per-game revenue year over year.
CLC Partnership Boosts Licensed Merchandise Sales for IU Athletics
The future looks incredibly promising for Indiana University Athletics, including licensed merchandise as a revenue growth opportunity. With a great start to their new partnership with CLC, Indiana was positioned to leverage the strong football performance, achieving 33% growth on its team store alone since the start of the season compared to the same period last year. Being highlighted for the first time through CLC’s national marketing platforms like College Colors Day, which included the Hoosiers being featured on Fox and Friends and highlighted in a national promotional campaign that generated more than 1.4B total impressions, provided significant exposure for the Indiana brand helping to drive growth. Additionally, through their partnership with CLC, IU Athletics participated in unique in-venue merchandise activations, which drove sales, heightened Indiana’s visibility, and elevated fan engagement.
With incredible leadership at Indiana Athletics, amazing momentum on the football field, including the recent extension of Coach Cignetti, and Learfield as a trusted partner, IU is not just rising to meet the moment but is also setting the standard in college sports. As they continue to build on this momentum, the sky is truly the limit for Indiana Athletics.