U of L lands big sponsorship deal — but it’s not to rename the football stadium
The University of Louisville announced on Wednesday a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with an iconic Kentucky hotel.
The Galt House Hotel, which has been a downtown Louisville institution since opening in 1835, has committed $3.5 million to the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Athletic Fund. The money will be paid out over a 10-year period and will be used to expand and renovate the school’s Planet Fitness Kueber Center, which houses training facilities and offices for the men’s and women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse programs.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity and support of the Galt House,” U of L Vice President and Director of Athletics Vince Tyra said. “The sponsorship agreement avails us the opportunity to experience the amazing renovation of the hotel rooms and its amenities going forward. The larger meeting space allows more supporters to experience some of our annual events for the first time.”
As part of the deal, the Galt House received naming rights for the east- and west-side suites at Cardinal Stadium, the home of Louisville’s football program. Also, the university agreed to hold several special events, including the annual Football Kickoff Luncheon and Basketball Tipoff Luncheons, at the Galt House Hotel.
“U of L Athletics is a centerpiece of our community, and this is a chance for us to be part of that excitement,” Scott Shoenberger, president and CEO of the Al J. Schneider Company, which owns the Galt House, said. “We are thrilled to be able to support another iconic Louisville institution in this way, and look forward to a long-standing, mutually beneficial partnership.”
The naming rights for Cardinal Stadium are still up for grabs, but Tyra said the search for a sponsor has been put on hold for now because of the uncertainty surrounding college sports during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve tabled that discussion,” Tyra said. “We would have loved to have continued that conversation and keep it going, but I think at this point we’ve stepped back from it and just felt like we’ll come back to it at a different time.”
For several years the Cardinals’ home field was named Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, but in the summer of 2018 it was renamed Cardinal Stadium after John Schnatter, the founder and chairman of the pizza chain, used a racial slur during a company conference call.
