(Silvis, IL) – “We’re absolutely thrilled with the new relationship we’ve formed with the arenafootball2 league,” said Dan Kosth, CEO of Silvis-based Sports Media, Inc. (SMI), a full-service marketing agency specializing in live-sports and sports-related medias. “The af2 presents a great opportunity for sponsors who want to gain a national marketing footprint but can’t afford a multi-million dollar deal with a major, professional league.”

The arenafootball2 league is the developmental league for the Arena Football League (AFL) and currently fields 29 teams across the United States. Operating since 2000, the af2 draws 60,000+ fans a week during the season which runs from late March through July.

“Sports Media brings a lot of experience to the table,” explained af2’s president, Jerry Kurz. “SMI’s background with arena operations as well as with the front offices of both major and minor-league teams is a real asset. They understand how sponsorships work and what both advertisers and their agencies need to know in order to get a deal done.”

SMI’s Vice President of Sponsorships, Adam Robbins, will serve as the lead on the business and will oversee both the sales activities of the SMI field representatives and the in-office personnel provided by Sports Media to the af2. “We need to make sure sponsors understand that the af2 is a multi-million dollar business and that unlike many sports leagues of similar sizes, this group can be very creative and very nimble when it comes to activating promotions. Our in-house staff at the league offices will oversee the activation of sponsorship programs sold by our field representatives.”
“The af2 has developed a lot of promotional assets that we look forward to representing to clients,” continued Mr. Kosth. “Jerry and his team in Chicago have developed a successful relationship with a streaming, online television service as well as several other merchandising licensees that give us a tremendous amount of flexibility with sponsors. Add to that the willingness of individual team operators to work with us and we’ve got a great program to work with.”

Immediate focus on ArenaCup 2008; opportunities to increase in 2009
“Our main focus for sponsorship is the af2’s championship game, the ArenaCup and the playoff series leading up to it,” said Mr. Robbins. “If this year is anything like last year, the af2’s playoff games will be wildly unpredictable and exciting. It’s all sure to be great for fans and sponsors alike.”
The af2’s championship game will be played at the home arena of the team with the best record – assuring intense regional interest and fan participation. “It’s a bit of a throw back to our first league championship games,” elaborated the af2’s Mr. Kurz. “We expect tremendous fan support and a great atmosphere for our finale which should carry into the 2009 season.”

Going forward into 2009, the af2 hopes to have more games on television and to continue its record of development in small and mid-sized communities throughout the country. The expansion of team brands onto the Internet will also continue with more team and fan club web sites offering advertising opportunities to both local and national sponsors.
Companies interested in learning more about the af2 and sponsorship opportunities with the league are encouraged to contact Adam Robbins at adam@sportsmedia.net.
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About the arenafootball2 league – With its ninth season now underway with 29 member teams, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football into small to mid-sized cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans’ Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League. Log on to www.af2.com for more information

About Sports Media, Inc. – Sports Media, Inc. is the USA’s leading full-service marketing agency specializing solely in live-sports and sports-related media. The company works directly with advertisers, ad agencies and media buying firms to plan, place and activate advertising campaigns and promotions. You can learn more about Sports Media, Inc. by visiting the company’s web site at www.sportsmedia.net or by calling its offices at 877-266-0042.

Contact: Amy Hillyer
Sports Media Public Relations
(309) 755-6557 – phone
(847) 574-0458 -- fax
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