Southern Utah University

Name

Southern Utah University

Legal name

Southern Utah University

Website

https://suutbirds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intercollegiate Athletics

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Intercollegiate Athletics (Varsity Sports Programs) (EDALAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB), Collegiate Athletic Conferences & Associations (MPAKACAA), Collegiate & School Athletic Facilities (MPAKAEAJ), College/University Sports Events (NCAA & equivalents) (MPAGAMAE)

Keywords

• Intercollegiate athletics
• NCAA Division I sports
• College sports programs
• Athletic event ticketing
• Sports performance training

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Athletics Revenue: Southern Utah University Athletics generates revenue through ticket sales for basketball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, softball, and track and field events. The department also receives corporate sponsorships and naming rights partnerships.
2. Donations and Alumni Support: The Thunderbirds Athletics Alumni Club accepts recurring monthly gifts to support student-athlete scholarships, facilities enhancements, and team experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southern Utah University Athletics operates NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics programs across 17 men's and women's sports, including basketball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, softball, track and field, cross country, and golf. The department delivers competitive collegiate athletic competition primarily in the Big Sky Conference, supported by on-campus facilities, sports medicine services, coaching, and athlete development. Revenue-generating offerings include ticketed game-day events, corporate naming rights and sponsorships, alumni and kids-club memberships, and licensed athletic merchandise.

Product overview

Southern Utah University's athletics website serves as a comprehensive platform for the Thunderbirds intercollegiate athletics program. The offering consists of the main athletics website powered by Sidearm Sports, which provides access to 17 men's and women's sports programs including basketball, football, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, cross country, and golf. The site features facilities information (Eccles Coliseum, America First Event Center, Thunderbird Soccer Field, Kathryn Berg Field, Multi-Purpose Center, George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center, Cedar Ridge Golf Course), sports medicine services, athletics Hall of Fame, and direct access to ticketing and merchandise. The sports programs compete primarily in the Big Sky Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flippin' Birds: Nickname for the SUU Women's Gymnastics team
• T-Birds

Products and services

• Southern Utah Thunderbirds Intercollegiate Athletics Intercollegiate athletics program spanning 17 men's and women's NCAA Division I sports, including men's and women's basketball, football, women's gymnastics, volleyball, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's track and field, cross country, and golf, plus cheer and dance teams. Programs compete primarily in the Big Sky Conference and have announced a return to the PAC-12 Conference. The athletics website provides schedules, rosters, news, facilities information, and ticketing access for all programs.
• SUU Athletics Event Ticketing Online and in-person ticket sales for Thunderbirds basketball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, softball, and track and field events, distributed through the vivenu.com seller portal and venue box offices at Eccles Coliseum, America First Event Center, Thunderbird Soccer Field, and other on-campus venues.
• Jr. T-Birds Kids Club Youth fan engagement membership program for children to develop connection with SUU Athletics, designed as a long-term fan development offering for families in the southern Utah region.
• Thunderbirds Athletics Alumni Club Recurring monthly giving and membership program for alumni and supporters to fund student-athlete scholarships, facilities enhancements, and team experiences at SUU Athletics.
• SUU Bookstore Licensed Merchandise Official Thunderbirds merchandise and licensed apparel offered through the SUU Bookstore, including Adidas-produced gear and team-branded products for fans and alumni.
• SUU Athletics Corporate Sponsorships and Naming Rights Sponsorship, advertising, and naming-rights packages sold by SUU Athletics to corporate partners, including venue naming rights (America First Event Center), official apparel agreements (Adidas), media partnerships (Van Wagner), and program-level sponsorships (Leavitt Group & Auto-Owners Insurance; Intermountain Health Cedar City Hospital).
• SUU Athletics Sports Medicine Program Sports medicine and athletic training services delivered to all Thunderbirds student-athletes, including dedicated athletic trainers per sport, performance coaching at the George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center, mental performance support from a Sports Psychologist, and external medical partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Big Sky ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUU Athletics competes in the Big Sky Conference for most sports, providing conference scheduling, championships, and NCAA automatic qualification for football, basketball, and other sports programs.
• PAC-12 ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUU Athletics has announced return to PAC-12 Conference for future competition, marking a new era for the program alongside regional powerhouses.
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Collegiate Athletic Association governs SUU's Division I intercollegiate athletics programs with official rules, championships, and compliance requirements.
• America FirstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmerica First Event Center naming rights partnership. The 5,300-seat arena is home to Thunderbird basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics teams.
• Intermountain Health Cedar City HospitalminorOthersHealthcare provider partner supporting Thunderbird athletics with medical services and sports medicine resources.
• AdidascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial athletic apparel and equipment partner for SUU Athletics teams.
• Van WagnerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports marketing and media company partner for athletics broadcast and marketing initiatives.
• Leavitt Group & Auto-Owners InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner and sponsor of Thunderbird athletics programs.
• Utah Summer GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUU serves as the centerpiece venue for Utah Summer Games, hosting multi-sport athletic competitions at America First Event Center and other campus facilities annually.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Weber State University: Big Sky Conference peer with comparable NCAA Division I mid-major athletics footprint in Utah. Operates a similar portfolio of 16+ sports including a Big Sky gymnastics program and serves as a direct conference scheduling and recruiting comparison for SUU.
• Montana State University: Big Sky Conference peer and similarly-sized public university in the Intermountain West. Competes with SUU in football, basketball, and other sports, and shares comparable facility scale, attendance, and sponsorship profile.
• Northern Arizona University: Big Sky Conference peer and fellow public mid-major with a similar athletics portfolio, regional recruiting overlap, and comparable facility infrastructure. Frequently mentioned alongside SUU in conference standings and scheduling.
• Idaho State University: Big Sky Conference peer competing in the same Division I mid-major athletic programs. Shares comparable geographic footprint in the Intermountain West and overlapping recruiting and sponsorship markets with SUU.
• Sacramento State: Big Sky Conference peer and similarly-resourced public university athletics program. Competes head-to-head in the same conference and faces comparable facility, sponsorship, and attendance dynamics as SUU.
• Portland State University: Big Sky Conference peer and fellow public mid-major. Operates a similar athletics portfolio and shares the same conference scheduling and NCAA tournament qualification pathways as SUU.
• University of Northern Colorado: Big Sky Conference peer with a similar Division I mid-major athletics profile. Operates comparable sports portfolio and competes with SUU in conference standings and postseason qualification.

Emerging players

• Utah Tech University: Formerly Dixie State — shares institutional heritage with SUU and is a regional Utah peer undergoing its own transition to NCAA Division I. Useful comparable for assessing SUU's transition economics and trajectory.
• University of Northern Iowa: Mid-major Division I FCS/I program with comparable size and athletics portfolio. Useful peer for evaluating mid-major athletics budget benchmarks and sponsorship models outside the Big Sky/PAC-12 footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Boise State University: Established mid-major public university in Idaho with a larger athletics budget, blue turf football brand, and Mountain West Conference affiliation. Useful benchmark for the upper end of mid-major Division I athletics operations in the Intermountain West.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SUUThunderbirds
• Facebookfacebook.com/suuthunderbirds
• Instagraminstagram.com/@southernutahdance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Utah University