We in Arizona Athletics are committed to providing our student-athletes with a first-class experience. From academics to athletics and everything in between, we do our best to put those young men and women in the best possible position to succeed. Amongst many initiatives, we want to outfit the members of our department with the gear and equipment that matches that goal. As a result, we're happy to announce that we've reached a long-term agreement with NIKE to remain our footwear, apparel and equipment provider through 2025.
Because we place such a high value on our Wildcat Wednesday subscribers, we wanted you to be the first group to see our official media release, which will be circulated across the country tomorrow.

Here is the release:

Arizona and NIKE Extend Agreement Through 2025

Arizona Athletics has reached a long-term agreement with NIKE, the world's leading sports and fitness company, to remain the Wildcats' official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider through June 30, 2025. The value of the extension, which went into effect on July 1, 2015, ranks Arizona among the top tier of NIKE's stable of college athletics departments.

"We're thrilled that a brand like NIKE, which dominates the collegiate apparel space, considered Arizona a priority and we were able to generate an extension that will be beneficial for both parties moving forward," said UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne. "Through conversations with student-athletes, coaches and staff, we concluded that NIKE was the preferred apparel company for the University of Arizona. This was confirmed by a peer institution who recently conducted a survey of student-athletes, resulting in an overwhelming majority stating that their brand of choice was NIKE."

The information that was gathered played an important role in Arizona Athletics' decision-making process as it underscores the institution's commitment to providing student-athletes with the best support possible.

"Excellence and Integrity, the first two values listed in the University of Arizona's Mission Statement, are part of the bond that first brought Nike and Arizona together more than three decades ago," said Kit Morris, Nike's Senior Director for College Sports Marketing. "We are fortunate to serve the student-athletes and coaches of an institution that is rich in tradition and also driven by strong values; and, we look forward to working together for many years to come."

Arizona's extension is based upon an agreement with Nike that commenced in 2006 and the extension will continue to supply uniforms, footwear, apparel and equipment for all 20 of Arizona's athletics programs.

"NIKE has been an excellent partner of ours for a number of years," Byrne added. "We're happy that we'll continue representing the 'Swoosh' along with so many of the top athletics departments around the country."

NIKE has been such a great partner for Arizona Athletics and we're ecstatic that the relationship will continue for the next 10 years.

 

TEACHER APPRECIATION IN TUCSON

School has started for most K-12 schools in the Tucson area. It's an exciting and busy time for students and teachers. Teachers sometimes don't get the recognition they deserve for the important role they play in molding our youth. We're launching the Teacher Appreciation Ticket Plan to give all K-12 teachers an opportunity to enjoy several Arizona home football games at a special discount price. Teachers in the Tucson community will receive an e-mail from the "Tucson Values Teachers" listserv with instructions on how to take advantage of this offer. You can also bring your teacher/school ID to the McKale Ticket Office during Monday/Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase in person. Thank you for all you do. We hope you will enjoy some football this fall!

 

SOCCER READY TO BUILD ON SUCCESSFUL 2014 SEASON

In 2014, our soccer program turned in one of the best seasons in school history, recording 11 wins and a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The 2015 season is quickly approaching with the first home game on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. MST. Season tickets are on sale at a NEW LOW PRICE of $40 for adults and $25 for youth. Season tickets include all 10 home games, an Arizona Soccer Scarf, use of a chair back and the opportunity for special-access parking. Help Arizona soccer Build a Legacy and purchase your season tickets today by clicking HERE or by calling (520) 621-CATS!

 

UPDATES FOR WILDCAT CLUB MEMBERS

As you heard last week, we now have 12,900 Wildcat Club members! We're constantly working to provide the best possible customer service to show our members just how much we appreciate their support. There are a few new items and changes this year we want to share with you that we hope will create a better experience for our members.

All-In-One Ticket and Benefits Booklet: For the past few years, you have received your football season tickets and Wildcat Club benefits separately. This year, they will all come together in a booklet. If you do not have football season tickets and are a Wildcat Club member, you will still receive a booklet with your benefits.

Access to the New Online Store: Available exclusively to Wildcat Club and A-Club members, the new store will give you access to Wildcat Club and A-Club gear. Use your account number listed in your All-In-One booklet to log-in HERE. If you are a member at the Coaches level or above, this is where you will redeem your specialty item as well.

Parking Changes: If you are a football season ticket holder and Wildcat Club member at the Coaches level and above, you receive complimentary parking. This year you will receive game-specific permits instead of one season-long permit.

If you requested disabled parking, your permit will no longer have a disabled logo printed on it. Based on your request, we assigned your parking in a lot where disabled spaces are available. To park in a disabled space, you must display your state-issued disabled parking placard or license plate in addition to your University-issued lot permit.

If you're not a member and want to get involved, we encourage you to visitwww.wildcatclub.org to learn more.

 

A-CLUB LETTERWINNER ASSOCIATION UPDATE

As the A-Club membership continues to grow, we would like to encourage all letterwinners, participants and coaches to activate their FREE membership. The A-Club distributes information regarding Homecoming, team reunions, recognitions and special events to all alumni letterwinners. Please don't miss out on your opportunity to stay connected with fellow Wildcats and Arizona Athletics.

If you have not signed up for the A-Club, please click HERE to activate your membership and take advantage of all the benefits offered to Arizona letterwinners. Activating your membership will allow the A-Club to have your current contact information and enable us to send you invitations to special events like this year's Homecoming or your sport reunion.

Invitations for the following events will be sent out shortly, so if you have not signed up yet, do so soon!

Homecoming - October 23-25, 2015

Arizona Softball Reunion - October 23-25, 2015

 

TWITTER GIVEAWAY

Great job everyone on the first Twitter giveaway of the year. We had over 50 people tweet the phrase of the week, but we want even more so we can give away more prizes.

Congrats to Page Repp (@PageRepp) for being selected as this week's winner of the #ByrneTwitterGiveaway. A member of the athletics department staff will DM you with more information on how to secure your prize so make sure you're following @AZAthletics.

Here is this week's Twitter giveaway message:

I #WearTheColors as much as possible to show my Wildcat pride. @Greg_Byrne #ByrneTwitterGiveaway

This week, we'll give bonus points to anyone who attaches a photo that includes them wearing the colors.

Each week, we'll provide a phrase accompanied by the twitter handle @GregByrne and the hashtag #ByrneTwitterGiveaway for Wildcat Wednesday subscribers to tweet. We'll select the winner(s) at random and announce in the following edition of Wildcat Wednesday. We hope you'll have some fun with this and participate each week. As long as we're seeing a lot of participation, we'll keep the giveaways going throughout the year.

Good luck!

 

COMPLIANCE CORNER

A student-athlete's decision to transfer to another school is an important and often difficult one to make. The general rule is that all student-athletes have to sit out a year from competition after transferring, but student-athletes in every sport except basketball, baseball, and football could be eligible to use what is called the "One-Time Transfer Exception." This rule allows student-athletes, who have met legislated criteria, to be eligible to compete right away after transferring. However, if a student-athlete in the sport of basketball, baseball, or football initially enrolled at the University of Arizona and subsequently graduates with eligibility remaining, then they could also be eligible to transfer to another NCAA school and compete immediately. Every year, we lose and gain student-athletes who have transferred, so while we wish our former student-athletes the best with their future endeavors, we welcome all of our new additions to the Wildcat Family.

 

ARIZONA NUGGETS

Softball's Kellie Fox was the starting shortstop for the U.S. National Team as they won gold at the World Cup of Softball and silver at the Pan Am Games … Track & Field's Pau Tonnesen took second in the decathlon at the European Cup with a score of 7,841 points … Candice Warthen of Women's Basketball signed a professional contract with Forssan Alku in Finland.

 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Here is a look at the upcoming events for Arizona Athletics (Home events in BOLD). All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time. To purchase tickets for home events, click here. To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visitArizonaLiveStats.com.

Friday, August 21 7:00 p.m.: Soccer vs Abeline Christian

Sunday, August 23 6:00 p.m.: Soccer vs Santa Clara

Friday, August 28 5:00 p.m.: Volleyball at SMU (in Dallas, Texas) 7:00 p.m.: Soccer at NAU

Saturday, August 29 9:00 a.m.: Volleyball vs. Texas State (in Dallas, Texas) 3:00 p.m.: Volleyball vs. Abilene Christian (in Dallas, Texas)

Thursday, September 3 7:00 p.m.: Football vs. UTSA (TV: Pac-12 Networks) (Radio: TuneIn)

Friday, September 4 4:30 p.m.: Soccer vs. San Diego St. (in Tempe, Ariz.) 6:00 p.m.: Volleyball vs. South Dakota

Saturday, September 5 10:00 a.m.: Volleyball vs. Florida A&M 12:00 p.m.: Cross Country at George Kyte Classic (in Flagstaff, Ariz.) 7:00 p.m.: Volleyball vs. Cal St. Northridge

 

WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS

Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week's edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our "Wildcat Wednesday" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics.

NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email touofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line 'Wildcat Wednesday photo.' Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.