After a decade with UW Health, Rockford Park District seeks new naming rights partner for Sports Factory

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Rockford Park District has begun a search for a new partner to take on the naming rights of the downtown UW Health Sports Factory.

The district announced its request for proposals on Thursday and began its sales pitch to potential sponsors of the 108,000-square-foot facility at 305 S. Madison St. in downtown. It is accepting proposals through Sept. 17.

“This is a unique chance to connect your brand with one of the community’s most recognizable community destinations,” Jay Sandine, the park district’s executive director, said during a news conference at the Sports Factory. “Being the premier naming rights sponsor means more than placing your logo on this facility. It’s also placing your logo next to the logo and brand of the Rockford Park District … putting your brand next to an organization that is ranked as one of the top park districts in the country, No. 1 in the state of Illinois.”

The district had entered a 10-year naming rights deal with UW Health in 2015 that started with a $175,000 commitment in the first year. It had annual increases built in and was worth more than $2 million by the end of the contract, Sandine said.

“That moment wasn’t just about a name, it was about a shared vision,” said Martesha Brown, president of the park district’s board of commissioners. “UW Health helped us to dream big and establish a strong presence in the hard court industry.”

The 10-year deal wasn’t extended, although UW Health will be a smaller sponsor at other facilities.

The park district said a local, regional or national naming rights sponsor would benefit by putting its brand in front of hundreds of thousands of people each year, both local users and visitors from around the Midwest.

This weekend, for example, more than 80 teams from 18 states will fill the center for the largest two-year college women’s volleyball tournament in the country. There are more than 1,500 student athletes, 200 coaches, 45 officials and nearly 6,000 spectators expected.

In 2024, the park district said the Sports Factory hosted 57 sports tourism events attracting more than 600,000 patrons and participants. Those events generated an estimated $5.19 million in economic impact, according to GoRockford.

Through the first sixth months of this year, the district said it has generated about $3.39 million in economic activity at the Sports Factory.

John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford, noted that the naming rights announcement was coming days after the Rockford City Council approved a $15.5 million plan for Davis Park, which is directly across the river from the sports facility. That plan is designed to bring more activity to the riverfront park with concerts and festivals, as well as daily use of a skate park and playground.

“When we look at where this facility will be in 10 years, it will be even further surrounded by additional development, additional investment, additional residents and visitors enjoying this facility and the amenities around the facility,” Groh said.

The park district said that while UW Health was not continuing with the facility’s naming rights, it was taking on multiple smaller sponsorships at facilities around the area. That includes Clarence Hicks Sports Complex, all park district pools, Lockwood Park, Riverview Ice House, Carlson Ice Arena and some continued support at the Sports Factory.

“We’re proud to continue our work with Rockford Park District, extending our focus across several of the parks, pools and sports venues that support the health and well-being of our community,” said Julia Zimmerman, vice president of strategic programs at UW Health in northern Illinois.

The UW Health Sports Factory opened in June 2016 as the culmination of the Reclaiming First initiative to grow local sports tourism and expand amateur sports facilities, including Mercyhealth Sportscore Two in Loves Park. The initiative was a collaboration between the park district, city of Rockford, Loves Park, Winnebago County, Machesney Park, Cherry Valley and local hotels. It was funded in part by a 2% increase in the local hotel tax.

UW Health’s support through naming rights sponsorship was also critical, Sandine said.

“As a result of this collaboration over nearly 10 years, our community benefits directly from these world-class sports facilities, which draw millions of visitors and athletes to our region each year, fueling local businesses, generating significant economic impact along with economic development, and fostering a sense of community pride,” he said.

Naming rights | Request for proposal

The district’s request for proposal is open now through 2 p.m. Sept. 17.

The bid package is available through DemandStar.

You can access it at uwhealthsportsfactory.com/namingrights.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas