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According to Spalding officials, the new Spalding J5V Advance is the only ball in the category that addresses two major areas for grip enhancement -- construction and laces. "The J5V football aligns with who we're targeting -- the varsity competitor," stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing, Spalding. "This product reflects our commitment to increasing our institutional presence and pursuing new adoptions and college football programs. In addition we're looking to maximize our association with Pop Warner, leverage our AFL relationship with the teams and retailers and deliver a solid line of institutional items at retail." Even months before introducing the Spalding J5V Advance to the market, Spalding received a sturdy endorsement from Division I Auburn University, who switched from the standard J5V to the new J5V Advance heading into the SEC Championship against Tennessee, after a perfect 11-0 start. "We felt confident enough to make the switch to the Spalding J5V Advance during an undefeated season en route to our SEC Championship game," stated Tommy Tuberville, head coach of the Auburn, whose Tigers completed a perfect 13-0 season with a win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl and finished number two in the Associated Press Coaches Poll. Auburn Quarterback Jason Campbell's debut with the Spalding J5V Advance in the SEC Championship game resulted in a three touchdown, 400+ yards performance. Campbell, with the Spalding J5V Advance in hand, had another three touchdown pass performance in the season finale over Virginia Tech. The new Spalding J5V Advance addresses two major areas for grip enhancement -- construction and laces: Construction SBR Foam Rubber Backing:
Laces:
Spalding's J5V Advance will be sold at retail outlets starting in January 2005 and is backed by a significant advertising and marketing commitment, including both consumer and retail support. It will retail for $69.99. The J5V Select Grain leather model retails for $38.99. "The institutional market is our greatest area for growth so when top programs like Auburn strongly endorse our products it further substantiates our commitment to delivering the best products in the category," stated Brian Kelly, Spalding's category manager, football. "We're certainly poised to build on our early successes and the partnerships we've established in the past year." Auburn isn't the only winning program to endorse Spalding's football lineup. Spalding has a strong foundation of partnerships with the AFL, Pop Warner and a number of state adoptions. In the past year Spalding also made significant inroads on the institutional side of the business. As the official football for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Spalding has aligned with three conferences and more than 30 colleges and universities across the country. In addition, Spalding has 10 state high school associations and represents 34 additional colleges including Auburn and the Southwest Texas State Conference. ABOUT SPALDING Springfield, MA-based Spalding is a leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls under the Spalding brand name and softballs under the Dudley brand. Spalding is the official basketball supplier of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official volleyball of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and American Volleyball Association (AVA), the official soccer ball of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the official football of the American Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. Spalding was acquired by Russell Corporation in May 2003. Spalding and Russell's other business units, American Athletic (AAI) and Huffy Sports brands, collectively combined, are now part of the largest basketball equipment provider in the country. AAI is the leading seller of gymnastics equipment in the country as well as institutional basketball backboards, and Huffy Sports, is a leader in basketball backboard systems. |
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