Avis Alaska Scores Naming Rights to UAA Sports Complex
Scott Rhode | Alaska Business
A new corporate sponsor has the naming rights to the Seawolf Sports Complex at UAA. Rental car company Avis Alaska is putting its moniker on the building, which includes the Chuck Homan Ice Rink where the UAA hockey team has played home games since 2019.
It’s Avis’ Space
“Today is another excellent step forward for our hockey program,” says UAA Director of Athletics Ryan Swartwood. “Avis Alaska’s generosity and commitment to improving our fan experience is inspiring. They have been a key supporter of UAA Athletics for many years, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued partnership.”
The naming agreement is a ten-year contract valued at $1 million and includes an option to extend for an additional three years through June 30, 2036, based on mutually agreed additional investment. The building, attached by indoor walkways to the Student Union and Rasmuson Hall, was known as the Wells Fargo Sports Complex until the bank’s sponsorship contract ended in 2019.
The new name is the Avis Alaska Sports Complex, abbreviated ASC.
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“Avis Alaska is proud to be strengthening our 35-year-old relationship with UAA,” says Andrew Halcro, chairman of the board for Avis Alaska. “We believe the university represents Alaska’s best hope for the future and we are excited to be partners.”
Halcro served in the Alaska House of Representatives in 2000, coinciding with the term in the Alaska Senate of UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell.
UAA Sports Complex skating rink.
Scott Rhode | Alaska Business
“We are honored Avis Alaska has chosen to make a long-term investment in the university and in Seawolf Athletics,” Parnell says. “This truly serves as a vote of confidence in UAA’s direction, and we couldn’t be more grateful. The entire community will benefit from this partnership, and we are especially excited about what this means for the future of Seawolf Hockey.”
The facility, which opened in 1978, is home to UAA’s Division I hockey program. In addition to the ice rink, locker rooms, and staff offices, the complex features a gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, a swimming pool, a fitness center, aerobics areas, and more. These spaces support intramural sports as well as recreation and kinesiology courses focused on physical activity, exercise science, recreation, and wellness.
UAA is exploring renovation concepts that will further optimize the facility, specifically the ice rink and spectator bleachers.
“This long-term sponsorship by Avis Alaska and its investment in updating the seating around the rink will help improve the fan experience by making the live games more comfortable and enjoyable to spectators,” says Kathie Bethard, chair of Seawolf Hockey Alliance. “Seawolf Hockey players gave more than 500 hours of volunteer service to our community last year. It’s wonderful to see businesses and the community return the favor and invest in the student athletes.”
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