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PEORIA, Ill. – Applebee’s has become the newest member of the Bradley Athletics corporate sponsorship family, agreeing to a 2-year partnership at the Silver level. As part of the sponsorship agreement, Applebee’s will be the presenting sponsor the Bradley women’s basketball “Field Trip Day” Nov. 9 and the restaurant chain will be included on the game day promotional card to be distributed at all Bradley men’s basketball games.
“We thank Applebee’s for their partnership with Bradley Athletics,” said Bradley Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross. “Their support of men’s basketball will bring increased value to our fans and increased interest in the performance of our individual student-athletes throughout the season. And their support of ‘Field Trip Day’ will enhance a number of great activities we have scheduled throughout our women’s basketball home opener Nov. 9.”
The Bradley women’s basketball team will open the 2012-13 regular season Nov. 9 when it hosts Central Michigan in an 11 a.m. game at Renaissance Coliseum, tipping off a busy day of events for Bradley Athletics. Presented by Applebee’s, “Field Trip Day” will include free admission for local 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, school staff and chaperones. The arena and in-game elements will focus on math, reading and personal care curriculum items and Bradley Athletics staff and coaches also will be on hand to provide presentations on athletic training, strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports communication, statistics, leadership and more.
Members of the Bradley women’s basketball team will visit participating schools and/or classrooms and classroom educational materials will be provided for learning opportunities in advance of the game, while workbooks will be provided to the grade school participants in attendance at the game.
The men’s basketball game day promotional card will be distributed at all home games at Carver Arena and will include the opportunity for fans to win a coupon from Applebee’s, which will be redeemable at the War Memorial, East Peoria and Pekin locations.
“Applebee’s is very excited to start a partnership with Bradley University Athletics,” said Kevin Allardice, managing partner of The Bloomin’ Apple LLC franchisee. We pride ourselves with aligning with the community where our restaurants are located and we look forward to working with Bradley long into the future.”
Applebee’s is the world’s largest casual dining chain with approximately 2,000 locations in 49 states, 16 countries and one U.S. territory. Based in Lenexa, Kan., Applebee’s takes pride in providing a welcoming, neighborhood environment where everyone can enjoy the dining experience. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar is a DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN) brand and is franchised and operated by Applebee’s Services, Inc. and its affiliates.
The Bloomin’ Apple LLC is a franchisee of Applebee’s and operates 19 Applebee’s restaurants in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. There are three locations in the Peoria area: 3929 W. War Memorial Drive in Peoria; 900 Riverside Drive in East Peoria; and 3450 Court Street in Pekin.
Founded in 1897, Bradley University is a distinctive, medium-size, comprehensive private institution of higher learning and the 85-acre campus is located in Peoria, the largest metropolitan area in central Illinois. With approximately 5,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students, Bradley offers the opportunities and choices of a larger university (with over 130 programs in five colleges, including the traditional sciences plus a graduate school) with the quality, personal attention and challenge of a small private college. Bradley is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, the second oldest conference in the nation, and boasts 15 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s athletic teams.
