Purdue University Northwest Athletics
Purdue University Northwest Athletics is the intercollegiate athletics department of Purdue University Northwest, fielding 23 NCAA Division II and ACHA sports programs serving 530+ student-athletes across Hammond and Westville, Indiana campuses, funded through tickets, media rights, and corporate and donor support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersHammond, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Purdue University Northwest Athletics does
Purdue University Northwest Athletics (PNW Pride) is the intercollegiate athletics department of Purdue University Northwest, a public state university operating across two campuses in Hammond and Westville, Indiana. The department fields 23 NCAA Division II and ACHA-sanctioned sports programs serving more than 530 student-athletes, and competes as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). It is led by Director of Athletics Rick Costello, with John Friend serving as Director of Athletics Emeritus following a 20-year tenure as AD at Purdue University Calumet.
The program generates operating revenue through a diversified mix of channels: single-game and season ticket sales (card-only, no cash accepted), media rights via a streaming partnership with FloCollege/FloSports, corporate sponsorships through the Corporate Champions program (40+ regional businesses including Nike, PepsiCo, Nipsco, Laborers' Local 41, RUSH Physical Therapy, Purdue Federal Credit Union, and Wintrust), and philanthropic fundraising through the Champions Club and the annual Day of Giving campaign, which raised a record $508,000 in April 2026. Additional revenue comes from youth sports camps and clinics and merchandise sales through the BSN Sports team shop. The department holds naming-rights deals for multiple facilities, including The Kube Sports Complex (ice hockey, opened January 2020), RUSH Physical Therapy Field, Pepsi Field, and Laborers' Local 41 Field.
Strategic positioning centers on balancing competitive athletics with academic outcomes. The department has maintained a GPA above 3.0 for 21 consecutive semesters, with 130 student-athletes earning GLIAC All-Academic honors in 2025-26, and has secured 21 conference championships since transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2016-17. The D1 hockey program has qualified for three consecutive ACHA National Tournament berths and won its first-ever GLCHL Tournament Championship. As a state university department, PNW Athletics is not a commercially reporting entity and has no private capital, M&A, or equity-related strategic levers.
Purdue University Northwest Athletics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Purdue University Northwest Athletics
- Legal name
- Purdue University Northwest Athletics
- Website
- https://pnwathletics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Purdue University Northwest Athletics is the intercollegiate athletics department of Purdue University Northwest, fielding 23 NCAA Division II and ACHA sports programs serving 530+ student-athletes across Hammond and Westville, Indiana campuses, funded through tickets, media rights, and corporate and donor support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Purdue University Northwest Athletics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collegiate Athletics
- NAICS
- Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- College/University Sports Events (NCAA & equivalents) (MPAGAMAE), Collegiate & School Athletic Facilities (MPAKAEAJ)
Keywords
Where Purdue University Northwest Athletics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hammond
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Purdue University Northwest Athletics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Athletic Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales to home athletic events across all sports programs including men's and women's basketball, hockey, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, track & field, and other sports.
- Media Rights and Streaming: Partnership with FloCollege/FloSports for broadcasting live games and events, generating revenue through media rights agreements.
- Donations and Fundraising: Annual Day of Giving campaign raising over $508,000 in 2026; Champions Club donor program; individual endowed scholarships such as John and Betty Friend Endowed Athletics Scholarship; total of $1.8M raised over five years.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate Champions program with 40+ local and regional businesses providing financial support, sponsorships, and in-kind contributions. Includes companies like Laborers' Local 41, PepsiCo, Nike, Nipsco, and various restaurants and service businesses.
- Camps and Clinics: Revenue from sports camps and clinics programs offered to youth athletes, providing training and development opportunities while generating program income.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Single-game tickets with debit/credit card payment at door |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Purdue University Northwest Athletics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Purdue University Northwest Athletics operates 23 NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports programs with more than 530 student-athletes across men's and women's teams at the Hammond and Westville, Indiana campuses. The department fields teams in sports such as men's and women's basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, cross country, track and field, golf, tennis, volleyball, and football, providing competitive collegiate athletic opportunities and representing the university in conference and NCAA competition.
Product overview
Purdue University Northwest Athletics operates as an NCAA Division II athletic department offering 23 intercollegiate sports programs serving over 530 student-athletes. The department consists of men's and women's teams across basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, track & field, along with baseball, softball, STUNT, flag football, volleyball, cheer, and dance. The athletics program includes various facilities (The Kube ice rink, fitness center, field complex), youth camps and clinics, and fundraising programs like the Champions Club and Corporate Champions partnership initiative. The department is a member of GLIAC and the ACHA for hockey.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 21 consecutive semesters with department GPA above 3.0
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Purdue University Northwest Athletics
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Purdue University Northwest Athletics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Purdue University Northwest Athletics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- Laborers' Local 41coreMajor corporate champion and sponsor of PNW Athletics. President Scott Sparks cited partnership as bringing high-level student-athletes to Northwest Indiana and creating a culture for student-athlete success.
- NikecoreCorporate Champion providing athletic apparel and equipment sponsorship to PNW Athletics programs.
- PepsiCocoreCorporate Champion and beverage sponsor for PNW Athletics events and facilities.
- Nipsco (Northern Indiana Public Service Company)majorCorporate Champion energy sponsor supporting PNW Athletics programs.
- Buffalo Wild Wings of HammondsupportingLocal restaurant partner and corporate champion providing dining sponsorship and fan engagement opportunities.
- Berglund ConstructionsupportingConstruction company partner and corporate champion supporting athletics facilities and programs.
- Courtyard Marriott Chicago Southeast HammondsupportingHotel partner providing accommodation support for visiting teams and recruits.
- RUSH Physical TherapymajorMedical services partner providing physical therapy and sports medicine support. Naming rights sponsor of RUSH Physical Therapy Field (Softball).
- FloCollege/FloSportscoreOfficial streaming partner broadcasting PNW Athletics events live via FloCollege platform, part of the FloSports network.
- GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)coreNCAA Division II conference membership providing competitive athletics framework and conference championships across all sports.
- NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)coreGoverning body for collegiate athletics providing rules, compliance framework, and national championship opportunities.
- ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association)coreGoverning body for ACHA Division I and II ice hockey programs. PNW men's and women's hockey compete under ACHA rules.
- Kube Sports ComplexcoreJoint venture facility housing the PNW Ice Rink (The Ice Kube) along with Ninja Kids trampoline park and The Kube Lounge. Pride took home ice in January 2020.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Purdue University Northwest Athletics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- University of Indianapolis Athletics: GLIAC D2 member with an athletic department of comparable size and sport count, sharing the same conference scheduling and competitive context. Comparable in academic-athletic dual-mission positioning.
- Grand Valley State University Athletics: Fellow NCAA Division II member of the GLIAC conference with a comparable multi-sport department, similar scale, and overlapping recruiting geography in the Midwest. Directly competes against PNW for GLIAC championships and shared scheduling.
- Ferris State University Athletics: GLIAC D2 peer with a strong hockey tradition and similar D2 footprint. Provides direct benchmarking for ACHA/NCAA hockey programs and Midwest D2 athletics operations.
- Ashland University Athletics: NCAA Division II school with comparable sport count and private-institution sponsorship model. Useful for comparing corporate champion programs and donor-driven revenue structures.
- Davenport University Athletics: GLIAC D2 competitor with similar enrollment profile and sport offerings; comparable in private/public sponsorship mix and D2-level media-rights economics. Useful peer for benchmarking fan engagement and corporate partnership revenue.
- Saginaw Valley State University Athletics: Another GLIAC D2 peer located in Michigan, fielding a similar number of NCAA D2 sports and competing in the same conference championships. Closely comparable in athletic department scale, fundraising model, and community-engagement approach.
- Michigan Tech Huskies Athletics: GLIAC conference counterpart with a similar D2 footprint, comparable sports sponsorship mix, and overlapping GLIAC championship slate. Provides direct competitive benchmarking for PNW's basketball, hockey, and Olympic sports programs.
- Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics: Purdue system sister institution competing in NCAA Division I (in some sports) and Horizon League, providing a peer within the same Purdue ecosystem for fundraising benchmarks, brand leverage, and athletic department operating model comparison.
Broad incumbents
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC): The NCAA D2 conference in which PNW competes, distributing media rights, governing championships, and co-managing the FloCollege streaming relationship. Operates as the structural framework around PNW Athletics' competitive calendar.
- NCAA: National governing body providing compliance, championship pathways, and rules framework that define PNW Athletics' operating constraints and competitive opportunities at the Division II level.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Purdue University Northwest Athletics social profiles
Digital presencePurdue University Northwest Athletics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Purdue University Northwest Athletics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Purdue University Northwest Athletics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Purdue University Northwest Athletics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Purdue University Northwest Athletics
What does Purdue University Northwest Athletics do?
Purdue University Northwest Athletics operates 23 NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports programs with more than 530 student-athletes across men's and women's teams at the Hammond and Westville, Indiana campuses. The department fields teams in sports such as men's and women's basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, cross country, track and field, golf, tennis, volleyball, and football, providing competitive collegiate athletic opportunities and representing the university in conference and NCAA competition.
Is Purdue University Northwest Athletics a public or private company?
Purdue University Northwest Athletics is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Purdue University Northwest Athletics founded?
Purdue University Northwest Athletics was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Purdue University Northwest Athletics based?
Purdue University Northwest Athletics is headquartered in Hammond, United States, in the North America region.
How does Purdue University Northwest Athletics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Athletic Event Revenue is the primary driver. The others are media Rights and Streaming, donations and Fundraising, corporate Partnerships and camps and Clinics.
Who are Purdue University Northwest Athletics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are University of Indianapolis Athletics, Grand Valley State University Athletics, Ferris State University Athletics, Ashland University Athletics, Davenport University Athletics, Saginaw Valley State University Athletics, Michigan Tech Huskies Athletics and Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics. Broad incumbents are Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA.
Does Purdue University Northwest Athletics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Purdue University Northwest Athletics.
What industry is Purdue University Northwest Athletics in?
Purdue University Northwest Athletics's product category is Collegiate Athletics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKACAB, College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs, with a secondary code of MPAGAMAE, College/University Sports Events (NCAA & equivalents). Its NAICS code is 711211 and its SIC code is 7997.