Spalding Partners with AAU

Source: Spalding

BOWLING GREEN, KY (March 18, 2015) -- Spalding and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) announced today a multi-year partnership in which the premier sporting goods provider and largest basketball equipment supplier in the world will serve as the official ball of AAU for basketball, baseball, football and softball including championship play.

The partnership will also provide Spalding and the AAU with co-branded marketing and retail opportunities across advertising, digital and grass roots platforms.  .

"Our alignment with AAU is a natural fit given our shared philosophy of competitive play and passion for sport,” said Paul Sullivan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Spalding. “With more than 670,000 participants, AAU assembles some of the nation’s most elite amateur competitors and presents a great opportunity for Spalding to expand its reach with an important demographic.”

The AAU is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.

“We are pleased to align with Spalding, an iconic and innovative sporting goods brand because we are committed to providing our athletes with a best in class experience including equipment that enables them to play their best game. Spalding delivers across multiple categories,” said Dr. Roger Goudy, president of AAU.

About Spalding
Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world, and America's first baseball company. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official baseball of the Little League World Series® and the official volleyball of the King of the Beach® Volleyball Tour. In addition to being the leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley® brand. The SPALDING® and DUDLEY® trademarks are owned by Russell Brands, LLC. For more information, visit www.spalding.com.

About AAU
Founded in 1888, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. The “Sports for All, Forever” philosophy is shared by over 670,000 participants and over 50,000 volunteers. The AAU annually sanctions more than 34 sports programs, 250 national championships, and over 30,000 age division events. AAU alumni include LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Diana Taurasi, Madison Bumgarner and Justin Verlander to name a few.  A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the development of amateur sports www.aausports.org