Islanders Athletics Caps Off Successful Fiscal Year 2022 with Continued Revenue Growth

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Department of Athletics achieved another record year in key revenue areas during the recently completed 2022 fiscal year. Islanders Athletics generated over $1.6 million dollars in revenue including cash, trade, and gift-in-kind in support of student-athlete success.
 
Corporate sponsorship revenue increased 26% over last year to $314,000, surpassing last year's total for the most sponsorship revenue in program history. Josiah Castro, Senior Associate Athletics Director had this to say about the gains, "More and more businesses in the Coastal Bend have recognized the value Islanders Athletics brings to the community and want to be connected to the program." Corporate sponsors also provided over $90,000 in budget relieving trade value that Islanders Athletics uses to underwrite certain expenses.  
 
On the fundraising side, the Islander Athletic Fund also achieved significant gains with a 14% increase over the 2021–2022 fiscal year. The increase marks three years in a row the fund has seen growth. "We are very grateful to our donors for their continued support of scholarships – one of the most critical needs of our program," said Castro. The athletics department raised over $725,000 in total philanthropic support of student-athletes at the Island University for the fiscal year, the highest such figure in eight years. Highlighting the fundraising efforts were 14 major gifts that supported various sport specific enhancements across several programs in addition to the Islander Athletic Fund.  Islanders Athletics also licensed two branded beers with Lazy Beach Brewing and Lorelei Brewing with a portion of the proceeds going to the Islander Athletic Fund.
 
Special events also broke a revenue record with the annual Casino Night presented by Conni and Jay Wise and SpawGlass bringing in $144,000 in total support of Islanders Athletics. The Islanders Golf Classic presented by American Bank and the Basketball Tip-Off Tailgate saw year over year increases in net income. The Kleberg Bank College Classic and the Conni and Jay Wise Islander Classic with support from Fulton Coastcon each generated revenue while attracting high major NCAA Division I programs to Corpus Christi to participate in showcase events for the community. Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Development, Lee Malone had this to say about the successful fundraising events, "Fundraising is a team effort. We have a great team that takes pride in providing fun and unique events that allow the donor to experience a connection to the student-athletes and the University while also providing critical resources. It's exciting that our special events play an important role in helping provide the resources needed for our student-athletes to succeed."
 
Ticket sales to Islander sporting events saw significant gains year over year, accounting for over $227,000 in revenue.  This success was highlighted by basketball ticket sales, which increased 14% over the 2019-20 season before the pandemic. Merchandise sales at games and events saw gains of 74% over last year.
 
Director of Athletics Jon Palumbo shared his appreciation and thoughts on the revenue increases, "A huge thank you to everyone who supported Islanders Athletics this year. This record setting revenue year is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by many individuals who collectively achieved exciting things. Congratulations to our revenue generation team and our entire administrative staff, student-athletes and coaches who supported their efforts and provided great stories to tell. As we continue to raise the bar on the academic and competitive success that Islander student-athletes achieve, we will continue to build on this momentum to provide the resources needed to support them in those endeavors."
 
If you would like to learn more about supporting Islanders student-athlete success, purchasing tickets to our events, or marketing to our fans, call 361.825.3237 and an Islander will help you. 
 
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