Sept. 17, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Ticket To Thrive press release in PDF Format
The San Diego State Department of Athletics announced the creation of Ticket to Thrive, a five-year community outreach program created with the goal of increasing attendance at Aztec women's basketball games. The program's main objective is to establish a connection between members of the community and the San Diego State women's basketball program and is being partially funded by an NCAA grant.
"It is an honor, and a compliment to our staff, that the NCAA has chosen San Diego State to receive this grant in recognition of our "Ticket to Thrive" marketing initiatives in women's basketball," said SDSU Director of Athletics Jeff Schemmel. "This will be a unique program matching innovative ticket sales initiatives with what we know will be an exciting and successful women's basketball team at San Diego State."
Ticket to Thrive will have a different outreach focus during each of the five years of the program. There are four target groups for the program, including educators, business leaders, community leaders, and campus leaders. As the program develops, there will be opportunities for leaders from all four sectors to network and interact with each other. Members from all four groups will receive special benefits from the Aztec women's basketball program, including invitations to practices, games and other special events.
In 2008-09, Ticket to Thrive will focus on recruiting educators who have an interest in supporting and developing women's basketball and health and fitness in schools and in the community. These educators will receive all of the opportunities mentioned above, as well as the chance to bring their students to women's basketball games.
This year's marketing plan also involves recruiting community business leaders to become founding partners of the Ticket to Thrive program. These partners will help support Ticket to Thrive with monetary assistance and development of the business professional model.
"We are most appreciative and excited that the NCAA recognized and chose our marketing proposal as one of the 17 selected schools from over 70 applicants," Aztec head coach Beth Burns said. "Now, it's time to go to work. We aspire for this to be a win-win for all parties, culminating in a heightened awareness and respect for the role athletics will play in all young women's lives. The added Aztec benefit is, of course, playing to a full house in Cox Arena. As the leader of our program, I could reach out to all of these entities; now that we have a collaborative effort, we can build and gain momentum for years to come."
If you are an educator and would like to sign-up, or if you would like more information on a founding partnership in the Ticket to Thrive program, please contact SDSU Director of Marketing and Ticket Sales Chris Carlson at 619-594-8392 or via email ccarlson@mail.sdsu.edu.
If you would like general information about the Ticket to Thrive program or are interested in being a future member of one the four target groups, contact Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Jenny Bramer at 619-594-0394.or via email at jbramer@mail.sdsu.edu.
For more information on the Ticket to Thrive program, consult the women's basketball page on the official website of Aztec Athletics, www.goaztecs.com.