Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Athletics Receives Women's Basketball Marketing Grant
June 25, 2010 | General, Women's Basketball
The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department was one of 14 institutions and conferences to receive a marketing grant through the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Grant Program to increase awareness, exposure and attendance of women's basketball. A total of 88 schools submitted proposals in the third year of the program.
NCAA Office Release - PDF
"We're excited to be selected by the NCAA for this grant," Brian Delehoy, Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Promotions, said. "In looking at our fanbase, the area for the most growth is in our campus community so our proposal was focused on that area."
Bowling Green will receive $34,000 from the NCAA to begin the Talon Tailgate Series, a group of approximately 12 pre-game tailgate events targeting the BGSU faculty and staff and student populations. Each event will consist of a food/non-alcoholic beverage spread and audio entertainment in a tent or facility separate from Anderson Arena. The goal is to increase attendance at BGSU women's basketball games and springboard the program into the first year of competition in the Stroh Center in 2011-12.
While BGSU's women's basketball attendance has been among the best in the Mid-American Conference, student attendance has declined in recent years from an average of 280 students in 2007-08 to 192 in 2008-09 to 163 in 2009-10. The goal is to increase student attendance by 35 percent in 2010-11. As well, Bowling Green will look to implement a metric to track BGSU faculty and staff attendance at women's basketball home games.
The grant program is designed to increase awareness and exposure of, and attendance at, women's basketball. Including BGSU, grants were awarded to 12 institutions and two conferences. The other recipients include the Atlantic Sun Conference, Columbia, Dayton, Florida, Hartford, Kansas State, Miami, Southern Illinois, Stanford, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Xavier, and the West Coast Conference.
The NCAA Women's Basketball Marketing Grant concept was generated from the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Discussion Group, chaired by the late NCAA President Myles Brand. The group consisted of head coaches, media representatives, former student-athletes, and conference, institutional and Women's Basketball Coaches Association administrators. It has been strongly supported by the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee and the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee.
National office staff served as evaluators of the proposals and grants are awarded on a one-year basis and are not automatically renewed. A year ago, 10 of the 18 grant recipients increased their home game attendance, averaging a 7.5 percent improvement overall.
BGSU Softball "Outside the Chalk" - Morgan Beckham (April 21, 2026)
Wednesday, April 22
BGSU Men's Golf : Posttournament Interviews 4.20
Monday, April 20
BGVB vs DePaul & Grand Valley
Saturday, April 18
BGSU Softball Highlights (April 17, 2026)
Friday, April 17