Plymouth School Board greenlights naming rights for athletic facilities

In a unanimous 5-0 vote last week, the Plymouth School Board authorized the high school’s athletic department to solicit corporate sponsorships in exchange for facility naming rights. The initiative, spearheaded by Athletic Director Josh Troyer, aims to generate new revenue streams to offset the ever-increasing costs of facility maintenance and future upgrades.

Addressing the board, Troyer explained that the request is driven by a need for sustainable funding. "I’m a big proponent of, you don’t build nice things and not have some plan to maintain them," Troyer said. He emphasized the importance of preserving upcoming investments for the varsity gym, noting that the goal is to ensure the newly updated gym looks just as pristine a decade from now.

To illustrate the value of these naming rights to potential business partners, Troyer highlighted the heavy foot traffic the facilities receive. The main gym sees over 15,000 visitors annually for athletic events such as wrestling, volleyball, and basketball. Meanwhile, the football stadium draws more than 13,000 attendees each year for sports alone—a figure that doesn't even factor in major community gatherings like graduation. Currently, the high school supports just over 400 participating student-athletes.

Revenue generated from the naming rights will be directly injected into ongoing maintenance and upkeep. Additionally, Troyer outlined a vision for future facility enhancements, including upgraded locker rooms, new seating, and advanced training equipment.

"I think we need to be smart with our money, but I think we can add in the enhancements into those pieces and allow our athletes to feel valued better than what they are now and continue to grow those pieces," Troyer explained.

Initially, the athletic department will focus on gauging interest for the naming rights to the high school gym and the football field. Troyer stated his goal is to secure multi-year agreements ranging between $20,000 and $30,000 annually. In exchange, sponsors will receive extensive visibility. Beyond having their name on the building, sponsors will be featured in multiple locations throughout the facility, on athletic apparel and tickets, during public address announcements, and across social media platforms.

While Troyer has held off on formal discussions with businesses until securing the board's official approval, he noted there is already a strong foundation of community support to build upon. The department currently has two $5,000-level sponsors who could be potential targets for the new naming rights opportunity. Currently, the athletic department's largest single sponsorship is a $10,000 agreement for the Big Red Open.