Monroe to explore idea of facility sponsorships
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer

MONROE - High school sports teams may find the areas where they play bearing a greater resemblance to those of their major league counterparts.

A marketing company recently approached school officials regarding corporate sponsorships for athletic facilities, and after hearing a presentation on the matter, the Board of Education voted to look into it.

"We don't have any sponsorships right now, but it seems like colleges do this, and it seems like high schools are starting to do this," Board of Education President Kathy Kolupanowich said. "It's a way for high schools to supplement their budgets."

At the board's Nov. 14 meeting, Belford-based Corporate Marketing Associates (CMA) gave a presentation about what they do in terms of matching clients with corporate sponsors. The company operates throughout the tristate area, and deals with clients from the high school level on up to professional sports organizations.

According to Kolupanowich, the company has worked with the Yankees and Mets, Giants and Jets, Knicks and Nets, and the Rangers and Devils.

"CMA seems to have a very good reputation," Kolupanowich said. "They do have a number of important clients."

Though Kolupanowich expressed confidence regarding CMA's abilities, she said that if the board decides to make a move toward corporate sponsorship, they could opt for a different company to assist them.

"This is not something that I think we want to rush into," Kolupanowich said. "We want to make sure whatever we do is tasteful and appropriate."

CMA typically gathers a group of seven or eight interested high schools, then goes about finding local companies that wish to advertise with them, Kolupanowich said. The clients, or school districts, have the final say on whether to accept a given corporate sponsorship, she said.

While Kolupanowich did not yet know how much money could be generated by such an undertaking, initial amounts would likely be small, she said.

"The little bit we might start off with will be beneficial to the sports teams," Kolupanowich said. "This is something we'll have to grow into."

These types of sponsorships at high schools typically entail signs or banners being placed around the perimeter of sports fields, on scoreboards, or in the hallways of schools. In Monroe's case, however, the signage would be limited to the athletic department to start.

The board will likely revisit the concept of corporate sponsorship at its January meetings, according to Kolupanowich.

"The board just decided this would be a great thing to look into," Kolupanowich said.