TCU Athletics
Women’s student-athletes at TCU will be among those positively impacted by what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind corporate sponsorship with Simmons Bank.
Officials with the financial institution founded and based in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, recently announced an agreement that will bring “groundbreaking support” to female student-athletes through a multi-university initiative in which the bank will be the presenting sponsor for women’s athletics at 10 schools throughout the South and southwest U.S., including TCU and SMU, in Dallas.
At the heart of the sponsorship is a goal to expand support beyond traditional sponsorship elements to emphasize customized programming and enhanced career opportunities for female student-athletes. Simmons Bank is collaborating with each university to create distinct programs ranging from financial education curriculum and leadership training to mentoring, internship programs, and women-in-business development initiatives.
The sponsorship includes every program within each university’s women’s athletic department.
The initiative was created through a relationship between Simmons Bank and Learfield, the athletics multimedia rightsholder to eight of the schools.
“The opportunity to partner with leading universities across our footprint to provide financial support while also developing programs to further enhance the qualities female student-athletes gain through competition is an incredible honor for our organization,” says George A. Makris Jr., chairman and CEO of Simmons Bank, in a statement.
Other schools involved with the sponsorship include Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, University of Central Arkansas, University of Memphis, University of Missouri, Oklahoma State University, and Vanderbilt University.
“This level of sponsorship, specific to women’s athletics across multiple schools, is a real game changer,” says Jennifer Davis, Learfield CMO. “There are many sponsors that have stepped up to support particular women’s athletic teams, but Simmons Bank was very intentional to include all women’s sports at these 10 universities as a way to send a prevailing message about the impact and value of female student-athletes. There is tremendous potential for brands to partner with women’s sports in distinct ways that uplift these programs and we’re delighted to partner with Simmons Bank and eight of these schools to shine a big spotlight on the talent, dedication and accomplishments of these student-athletes.”
The sponsorship program is an expansion of robust sports sponsorship platform that Simmons Bank has built over the years, including the naming rights holder for the Simmons Bank Plaza and Simmons Bank Pavilion at Dickies Arena. The bank is also a major sponsor of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
The bank also boasts brand ambassador relationships with professional golfers, including Will Zalatoris, the PGA Rookie of the Year who emerged at the 2021 Masters Tournament. Earlier in 2021, the bank announced that it was in negotiations to acquire the naming rights to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. In Nashville, Simmons Bank is the title sponsor of the PGA TOUR’s Korn Ferry Tour event
Management figures at Simmons say there is a demonstrated correlation between athletic participation and business success, citing a study conducted by EY and espnW, which showed:
94% of women executives have a background in sport and over half participated at university levels
80% of women Fortune 500 executives had played competitive sports
74% of all executives believed playing sports can help to accelerate a woman’s career
61% of the women executives who responded believed playing sports contributed positively to their career success and advancement
“Sports teach intangible leadership skills that can’t necessarily be taught in the classroom while also building characteristics that include a strong work ethic, the value of teamwork and determination to see projects through completion — traits that readily translate from the sports world to the corporate world where we all play from the same tees,” adds Makris. “We applaud the talent and sportsmanship of these young women and believe our partnership with their universities will position them for even greater success in the future.”