What Eastern Washington University Athletics does

Eastern Washington University Athletics is the intercollegiate athletic department of Eastern Washington University, a public state university in Cheney, Washington. The department fields 14 NCAA Division I FCS teams in the Big Sky Conference and supports more than 300 student-athletes across football, men's and women's basketball, cross country, track and field, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, women's tennis, volleyball, and cheerleading. Its core operational product is the goeags.com official athletics website, built on the Sidearm Sports platform, which centralizes schedules, rosters, news, and ticketing for all sports programs; ticket sales and seat management run through Evenue.net.

The department generates revenue across five streams: ticket sales (season and single-game via Evenue.net, with free admission for many Olympic sports and all EWU students), donations through the Eagle Athletic Fund (EAF), corporate sponsorship administered via Learfield's multimedia rights partnership, Name Image and Likeness (NIL) activity routed through the Rise of the Red Collective, Eagle Marketplace powered by Opendorse, and Influxer NIL Apparel, and ancillary youth/community programs such as the Jr. Flight Club ($25 annual membership for children ages 12 and under). Community engagement is further supported by the Swoop mascot program, which monetizes off-campus appearances on a tiered fee schedule.

Operationally, EWU Athletics is led by Director of Athletics Tim Collins and Associate Athletic Director of Development Rickie Alvarez, with the department headquartered at the 207 Physical Education Building on the EWU campus and a separate ticket office at Cheney Hall. As a department of a public state university, the entity has no independent ownership or fundraising events in the venture or private-equity sense, and its financial reporting is consolidated into Eastern Washington University's institutional budget rather than published as standalone financials.

Name

Eastern Washington University Athletics

Legal name

Eastern Washington University Athletics Department

Website

https://goeags.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Eastern Washington University Athletics is the NCAA Division I FCS athletic department of Eastern Washington University, fielding 14 Big Sky Conference teams and serving 300+ student-athletes, alumni, students, fans, and corporate sponsors across the Inland Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collegiate Athletics Programs

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Spectator Sports (7112), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Athletics Events, Game Operations & Ticketing (EDALAIAK), Intercollegiate Athletics (Varsity Sports Programs) (EDALAIAA)

Keywords

• Collegiate athletics
• Intercollegiate sports
• Sports ticketing
• NIL partnerships
• College fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheney

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to home athletic events including football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, and other sports. Season tickets, single-game tickets, and student tickets are offered through the Evenue.net platform.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The Eagle Athletic Fund (EAF) collects donations to support EWU Athletics programs. Donors can contribute through the donation portal on goeags.com.
3. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship opportunities through Learfield and the athletics department's sponsorship program.
4. NIL Revenue: Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for student-athletes through the Rise of the Red Collective, Eagle Marketplace powered by Opendorse, and Influxer NIL Apparel partnerships.
5. Jr. Flight Club Membership: Annual membership fee of $25 per year for children ages 12 and under, providing access to exclusive game tickets, welcome packs, and member events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eastern Washington University Athletics operates the intercollegiate athletics department of Eastern Washington University, administering 14 NCAA Division I FCS sports programs in the Big Sky Conference. The department sells tickets to home events, operates youth fan programs (Jr. Flight Club), manages NIL opportunities through the Rise of the Red Collective and Eagle Marketplace, and runs the Eagle Athletic Fund for donor development.

Product overview

Eastern Washington University Athletics operates as a comprehensive collegiate athletics department offering 14 intercollegiate sports programs. The core product is the goeags.com official athletics website, which serves as the central platform for all sports information, ticketing, and fan engagement. Supporting products include NIL initiatives through the Rise of the Red Collective and Eagle Marketplace (powered by Opendorse), the Jr. Flight Club for youth fan engagement, Ticket Central for event management, and the Swoop mascot program. These products work together to support the athletic department's mission while providing revenue-generating opportunities through ticketing and NIL partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intercollegiate Athletics Programs 14 NCAA Division I FCS intercollegiate sports teams competing in the Big Sky Conference, providing competitive collegiate sports entertainment for students, alumni, and regional fans.
• Jr. Flight Club Annual youth fan membership program for children ages 12 and under, offering exclusive perks including complimentary youth tickets, welcome packs, ball kid opportunities, and behind-the-scenes access at EWU Athletics events.
• Rise of the Red Collective NIL collective facilitating compensation opportunities for EWU student-athletes through partnerships with local entities, charities, businesses, and brands.
• Eagle Marketplace Marketplace platform powered by Opendorse enabling student-athletes to manage NIL deals and for fans and businesses to work with student-athletes.
• Ticket Central Comprehensive ticketing system for all EWU Athletics events including football, basketball, volleyball, and other sports, offering season tickets, single-game tickets, group tickets, and free student tickets via the Evenue.net platform.
• Swoop Mascot Program Mascot appearance program featuring Swoop, the Eastern Washington University mascot, available for paid bookings at university and community events.
• Eagle Athletic Fund Fundraising and donor development program collecting tax-deductible donations to support EWU Athletics programs and student-athletes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ student-athletes benefit from NIL support programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Big Sky ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastern Washington University Athletics is a member of the Big Sky Conference, participating in conference championships across multiple sports including football, basketball, and others.
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastern Washington University Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I FCS level, subject to NCAA rules and regulations including recent NIL policies.
• Rise of the Red CollectivecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Rise of the Red Collective is EWU's official NIL collective that allows student-athletes to receive compensation for NIL opportunities by partnering with local entities, charities, and businesses. Visit eagsrise.com.
• Opendorse (Eagle Marketplace)majorTechnology or IntegrationThe Eagle Marketplace powered by Opendorse provides a platform for student-athletes to manage NIL deals and for fans and businesses to work with student-athletes.
• Influxer NIL ApparelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInfluxer provides NIL apparel merchandise for Eastern Washington University Athletics, allowing fans to purchase EWU sports merchandise that supports student-athletes.
• LearfieldmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLearfield serves as EWU Athletics' multimedia rights holder and corporate sponsorship partner, managing advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
• Sidearm SportsmajorTechnology or IntegrationSidearm Sports provides the website platform and digital infrastructure for goeags.com, the official athletics website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Portland State Vikings Athletics: Big Sky Conference peer at the FCS level with a similar urban-adjacent campus profile, comparable number of varsity programs, and shared Pacific Northwest regional audience. Operates with a parallel Learfield multimedia rights arrangement.
• Idaho State Bengals Athletics: Big Sky Conference FCS peer with similar mid-major public university athletics profile, comparable number of varsity programs, and shared regional fan base in the Inland Northwest. Operates an analogous ticket/sponsorship/donation revenue stack.
• Weber State University Wildcats Athletics: Big Sky Conference peer at the FCS level, operating 14+ varsity programs with similar mid-major budget scale, Learfield sponsorship arrangement, and Pacific Northwest/Rocky Mountain regional footprint. Directly comparable in athletic department size, sport mix, and revenue structure.
• Sacramento State Hornets Athletics: Big Sky Conference FCS peer transitioning toward FBS-level ambitions, with similar public university athletics department size, Learfield sponsorship structure, and broad-based varsity program offering (14+ sports).
• Montana State University Bobcats Athletics: Big Sky Conference co-member and FCS-level competitor with strong football brand (Brawl of the Wild rivalry with Montana). Operates a similar Learfield-driven sponsorship model and donor-funded athletics department of comparable size to EWU.
• Idaho Vandals Athletics: Former Big Sky Conference member (now Big Sky for football) and FCS peer with shared Pacific Northwest regional market, similar public university funding structure, and directly comparable athletics department scale and sport offerings.
• University of Montana Grizzlies Athletics: Direct conference rival in the Big Sky Conference competing at NCAA Division I FCS level with a comparable portfolio of 14+ varsity sports, similar revenue structure (tickets, donations, Learfield sponsorship), and shared regional fan base in the Pacific Northwest. Most directly comparable peer given identical conference, subdivision, and institutional size profile.
• Northern Colorado Bears Athletics: Big Sky Conference co-member at the FCS level with similar mid-major public university characteristics, comparable varsity sport count, and shared reliance on Learfield for multimedia rights monetization.
• UC Davis Aggies Athletics: Big Sky Conference FCS peer with comparable public university athletics department scale, similar broad-based sport portfolio, and shared western regional audience that overlaps with EWU's Pacific Northwest footprint.
• Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Athletics: Big Sky Conference peer at the FCS level with similar public university athletics department profile, comparable number of varsity programs, and parallel revenue stream composition (tickets, EAF-style donations, Learfield sponsorship).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ewuathletics
• Facebookfacebook.com/EWUFootball
• Instagraminstagram.com/ewu_football

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Eastern Washington University Athletics