WVU Athletic Director Eyes Suites, Naming Rights to Boost Revenue

The WVU Coliseum debuted in 1970 and has undergone several renovations since, including a 2004 upgrade that added a club seating area, and Milan Pusker Stadium currently features 12 luxurious suites below its camera deck.

But West Virginia University athletic director Wren Baker has made it clear he would like to have more premium inventory to sell in an effort to boost athletic department revenue.

As reported by Keenan Cummings at Rivals.com, the Mountaineers don't necessarily have a spending problem, as the athletic department is very efficient with the dollars it does receive, but must look at ways to generate more revenue to be competitive. Currently, West Virginia sits ninth in the Big 12 in terms of budget, but that drops to tenth when debt services and travel are excluded.

"Baker, who was hired in December 2022, understands that one of the biggest strengths of the program is the fan passion and loyalty and the Mountaineers are always near the top of the Big 12 Conference when it comes to valuations given that affinity," Cummings wrote. "But there needs to be ways to look at monetizing that and being more effective."

One way to potentially do that is the creation of more suites, and Baker has certainly seen that the appetite is there for that. The demographics of the fan base isn't much different than the rest of the Big 12 member schools but many of those institutions sell a lot more club seating and suites than West Virginia.

West Virginia doesn't have any suites to sell at the moment, and it's an avenue that the athletic department is exploring to see if there is a pathway for a major gift or two to help build those and provide multiple cash funds not only from the rental itself but officials could then turn around and spread that out to other areas, according to Cummings.

Another avenue that has been explored is naming rights. There has been some engagement with third parties to do evaluations on what that could potentially bring in terms of revenue "but the juice must be worth the squeeze given the attachments that people have to the names of the athletic facilities," Cummings wrote..

Still, Baker believes it's an opportunity given the reach of the athletic brand in the state for companies to advertise with the biggest bang for their buck.

If West Virginia is able to generate more funding, the plan is to invest back into the programs and support staffs across the board in every sport. For example, Baker points to the explosion of video and graphic design and how important that is when it comes to creating content and to engage the fan base and potential recruits, according to Cummings.

The other area would be in terms of player development — nutrition, strength and conditioning, and sports medicine.