University of Houston Athletics
Check in with Yurachek - August 11, 2015
8/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
In spite of the hot temperatures here in Houston, it is hard to believe that the summer has almost come and gone and that the start of the fall sports season is imminent as our student-athletes begin pre-season camps.
As I made my way around Houston this summer and from many of the emails I receive and posts I read on social media, Cougar fans continue to be concerned about the level of officially licensed UH merchandise they see in and around the Houston marketplace as compared to counterparts in the Big 12, SEC and area professional sports. Honestly, I feel the concern as well and we need everyone's help.
First and foremost, the University of Houston has enjoyed a positive relationship over the past five years with Learfield Licensing Partners (formerly LRG). Learfield currently oversees licensing partnerships on 100+ NCAA D-I campuses including Baylor, Kansas State, Mississippi State and NC State. During their tenure at UH, our licensing royalty revenue has increased from approximately $225K to over $600K in the current fiscal year with projections at the current growth rate forecasting an increase to more than $750K by 2017. During the current year, UH product has been on the shelves of more than 250 merchant locations in the Houston area; that is the good news. The bad news is that list has decreased by more than 30 merchants during recent months due to minimal UH product sales at these locations.
Merchants manage for-profit businesses that experience success when the products occupying their shelf space sell. When it does not sell, they look for other products to fill their shelves such as Texas ($9.5 million in annual licensing royalty revenue) or Texas A&M ($5.5 million) or Texas Tech ($2.2 million). In the most simplistic of terms, the more UH licensed products that sell in the marketplace, the more UH licensed products we will see in the marketplace. There are 255,000 UH alumni, 160,000 who reside in the Houston metropolitan area. What would our merchandise sales and associated royalty revenues look like if 50 percent of those alums committed to purchasing $50 of UH licensed merchandise on an annual basis? That amounts roughly to purchasing two t-shirts, or a golf shirt or a sweatshirt.
The University of Houston is a Tier One Research institution with over 40,000 students and 8,000 beds on campus. UH is a University on the rise both academically and athletically and is receiving global recognition for its growth and achievement. For UH alums or residents of the Houston community, UH should be a great source of pride. The time has come for us to start wearing that pride on our sleeves, chests, backs or heads. Buy UH licensed products, wear them proudly around town and to TDECU Stadium this fall and let's paint our community and the state of Texas Houston RED.
I hope to see you on September 5 at TDECU Stadium in a newly purchased UH licensed product.
Go Coogs,
Click here to follow Hunter Yurachek on Twitter.
August, 2015 Ask the AD answers
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News & Notes from Houston Athletics
Our Football program has hit the field and is preparing for the 2015 season. The intensity on our practice fields is at an all-time high and is exciting to be around. You can get an inside look at training camp at our training camp central. Read more...
Our Men's Basketball program is currently in China for a 10-day trip of basketball and education. After playing four games in four days starting Aug. 14 and touring Yellow Mountain and Xi Di Hong village, the Cougars will return to Houston and prepare for their Culture, Sports and China (Sociology 3398) class during the fall semester. The 3-hour course will be taught by Dr. Shayne Lee, who laid out the course expectations during a team meeting Friday morning inside the Athletics/Alumni Center. Read more...
Single-game tickets for the 2015 Houston Football home season are now on sale. Although I hope if you are reading this, you either live far outside of Houston or you live in Houston and have friends from out of town coming in for a single game. If you live within driving distance of Houston, why wouldn't you purchase season tickets for as low as $99 at UHCougars.com/2015. Read more...
A big congratulations to Cameron Burrellwho won the long jump, setting a new meet record, at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Senior Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica. Representing USA as a part of the national team, Cameron continued an impressive summer after finishing sixth at the USATF Outdoor Championships in the long jump. Read more...
Cameron was not the only Cougar competing on the international stage this summer as Micaela BouterandSharo Rodriguezgained valuable international experience at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Bouter, a diver, and Rodriguez, a swimmer, each performed admirably in multiple events during the season's premier competition on the aquatics calendar. Read more...
I hope you'll help me welcome Brendan Hoffer as our Associate Athletics Director for Development. Brendan comes to Houston after spending five years at ULM, including the last two as Associate AD for External Relations and Executive Director of the ULM Athletic Foundation. We are excited for Brendan to get started and meet all of our valued Cougar Pride members while bringing new members into the fold. Read more...
We are all cheering for sophomore-to-beMegan Thothongand Assistant CoachLucy Nunnin the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at the Portland Country Club. The two Cougars are part of a 156-woman field in the nation's premier amateur event. Read more...
Houston fans will be able to get a sneak peek at the Houston Volleyball program this month as the team is set to host the annual Red and White Day on Aug. 22 in the Athletics/Alumni Center. The team will begin by hosting a free youth clinic for children eighth grade and younger starting at 12 p.m. Following the clinic, the Cougars will play an intrasquad scrimmage starting at 2 p.m. Read more...
Entering its first season with head coachTom Hermanat the helm, Houston was picked to finish second in the west division in the 2015 American Athletic Conference preseason poll by media from across the league. Across we all know those are just preseason predictions and are excited for the upcoming season with a goal of a sold-out TDECU Stadium on Dec. 5 for The American Championships. Read more...
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Compliance Tip of the Week
An institution may purchase passports for a student-athletes to participate in a foreign tour.
Purchase of Student-Athletes Passports in Conjunction with Noninstitutional Foreign Tour
Interpretation:
Purchase of Student-Athletes Passports in Conjunction with Noninstitutional Foreign Tour. The legislative services staff confirmed that it is permissible for an institution to purchase passports for its student-athletes required travel in connection with institutional and/or noninstitutional foreign tours. [References: NCAA Bylaws 16.8.1.3 (departure/return expense restrictions -- other competition), 16.9.3 (foreign tour expenses -- passports) and 17.23 (foreign tours)]
Players Mentioned
