15 years ago, if a student had played multiple sports at Nobles, it was likely that their uniforms would be from all different brands ranging from Nike to New Balance. However, today, almost every uniform a student dons sports the highly recognizable Under Armour emblem. This relationship has given Nobles’ athletics significant benefits not only in terms of gear and pricing but also in the overall experience for coaches and athletes. The Nobleman explored how this relationship came about.
In the early days of the Athletic Department at Nobles, aligning the school with a specific brand was appealing. However, according to Athletic Director Alex Gallagher, this was more of a concept than a concrete plan. “At that time, there was a sense that there was some real attractiveness to being a branded school. To say that you were a Nike school or an Under Armour school had some real appeal to it,” Gallagher said. About fifteen years ago, Gallagher and the equipment manager at the time, Robin Kenny, began the process of becoming a “branded school.” The two met with several vendors and explored different partnership opportunities. At the time, Nike had dominated the high school market. However, securing deals for Nike’s uniforms and athletic gear had begun to prove increasingly difficult due to its focus on higher-profile organizations rather than high school programs. At the same time, Under Armour, a rising company in the sports apparel industry, seemed to present a more flexible and realistic opportunity. “Under Armour was an up-and-coming brand that could fully outfit a school,” Gallagher said. The decision to partner with Under Armour kickstarted a strong and ongoing collaboration.
The Under Armour partnership has brought many advantages to Nobles, both financially and logistically. The deal provides the school with several key benefits: a 40% discount on all retail-priced Under Armour goods, substantial discounts on uniforms, and exclusive access to gear that the Athletic Department might not otherwise be able to offer. These benefits extend beyond just the athletes themselves. Nobles also gets access to apparel for coaches through a cash-back program. “At the time of the partnership, there was a real desire to try and upgrade what we were being given, and what we were able to give to our coaches,” Gallagher said. Because of this desire, a major part of the deal between Nobles and Under Armour is a program in which a percentage of equipment sales from Under Armour is returned to Nobles and then used as a “gear allowance” that is given to coaches. “It was an incentivizing way to be able to do something for our coaches. We wanted to be able to offer them something special that other schools might not be able to,” Gallagher said.
The deal provides the school with several key benefits: a 40% discount on all retail-priced Under Armour goods, substantial discounts on uniforms, and exclusive access to gear that the Athletic Department might not otherwise be able to offer.
The contract also stipulates that Nobles should work with Under Armour first when selecting team uniforms. If Under Armour has the desired equipment in the appropriate sizes and styles, Nobles will purchase from them. Otherwise, Nobles will look to other brands. “If they don’t have something that teams can come around as being acceptable for their program, we will then go in a different direction,” Gallagher said. While 90% of Nobles’ athletic gear and apparel is from Under Armour, they do not carry some equipment, such as crew and wrestling singlets. In these cases, Nobles looks to other brands through Stadium System.
The Athletic Department also has a separate partnership with Stadium System. Stadium System is a company that represents multiple brands, giving the school access to companies such as Patagonia, North Face, and Carhartt. “The deal with Stadium allows us to get a range of products at reasonable prices, especially when we need gear that Under Armour doesn’t provide[…]it’s been an essential partnership because of the variety and flexibility it brings,” Gallagher said.
The 15-year-long partnership between Nobles and Under Armour has become integral to the Nobles’ athletics program. By aligning with Under Armour, Nobles has been able to have consistent quality across its teams and give high-quality resources to its coaching staff. The added flexibility of working with Stadium Systems for gear outside of Under Armour’s offerings has given the athletic department a comprehensive and cost-effective system that supports the school’s athletic programs.
