“Sponsors Sizzle At Super Bowl '06!”

Wednesday, December 6, 2006 – Morning

“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!” And, win, place or show, when YOU are looking for a little break in the action, on the football field or on the cheer floor, Disney's Wide World of Sports is THE place to be ! For example, this morning I'm mingling with football teams, cheer & dance squads, coaches, parents, grandparents and friends as they amble outside along Victory Boulevard and inside on the mezzanine of “The Milk House” discovering a whole array of incredible Pop Warner sponsors and their top-quality signature Pop Warner products and services.

Prominently situated between Fields 3 & 4, bathed in the sun of a gorgeous Florida morning, is the Russell/Spalding interactive booth. Kids and adults alike are drawn to the big Spalding target display where you can test your “would-be QB” marksmanship from close range, or downtown, by spiraling one of the sharp looking official Pop Warner Youth Footballs into the arms of a larger than life “Wide Receiver”. Parked next to the football passing target is a classy, portable Russell/Spalding Hall of Fame vehicle where you can walk through and view action photos from great sporting events – including all-time great Pop Warner Super Bowl games.

Spalding's Brian Kelly tells me, “ We started with Pop Warner about two and a half years ago and it's been great! The growth has been amazing and Pop Warner just gets better every year. Our goal at Spalding is to get on the fields-of-play on every level, and Pop Warner has been instrumental in helping us to do that. Frankly, this is fun. Seeing the kids playing like this is awesome. Our objective with this Spalding station at Pop Warner Super Bowl 50 was to have an interactive experience that was fun and something that could incorporate a little of Pop Warner history, as well. Kids are excited to see all this, and we're really excited to be here.”

One of the things that I've been impressed with right away about Pop Warner equipment, uniforms and merchandise is the quality of everything. And, the official Spalding Pop Warner youth football is a great case in point! Just wrapping my fingers around the laces and testing the tactile surface of this super sphere, and I feel like I'm ready for a BCS Bowl game! “That's one thing we build our company on, ‘quality', “ says Brian. “If the quality is not there, we're not going to make the ball. From the minute we started with Pop Warner we said, ‘we're going to make the highest quality ball possible for their players.' We were not going to cut-corners to save costs here and there. And, we wanted to make it fun, make it different, make it associated with Pop Warner. That's why you see the Pop Warner logo stripe and the crosshairs…it looks different…it says ‘Pop Warner.' “

Spalding offers both leather and composite Pop Warner Youth footballs. As Brian explains, “Football's often played in wet weather, not like today- sunny and 75 degrees. Leather is actually better for typical ‘football' conditions, because of the way that leather absorbs water. “ Wow! Leather or composite, both these Pop Warner Spalding footballs look and feel great! “Our footballs are sold through a dealer network,” Brian tells me. “ But, the best way, if you're starting up a new Pop Warner league, is to get in touch with one of our sales reps directly. You can find us on the popwarner.com website, and we can let you know a dealer in your area ho will be stocking the Pop Warner footballs.”

From the Spalding station, I walk over to see the colorful booth for ESPN- The Magazine. Now, talk about a “quality fundraiser”, this high profile publication is boss! Their special Pop Warner deal delivers profits to your local or regional organization with ease. As Amanda Weaver- Sales Assistant for the Coaches Fundraising Program explained, “Each subscription to ESPN-The Magazine is $20. Some of the subscriptions run for a year, some for a year and a half. Out of the $20 subscription, your Pop Warner team or cheer squad, or whoever is selling them, keeps $12.”

Gosh, “60%” of all monies collected? That's good! “It is good,” Amanda beams. “In fact, in the fund-raising world, it's very good. What's so great is that there's no money down to start the program. So, you don't risk losing money trying to break-even. There's no inventory to keep up with. When kids go around to get people to sign up and subscribe to ESPN-The Magazine, you mail the forms to us, we take care of everything. And, what's nice is that once you get people to subscribe, you have a subscriber base for the next year. You can run the program as long as you want, and as many times as you want during the year.”

And, that's not all, as Amanda explains. “With Pop Warner, we also have promotional program coming up, that will start January 1st and run through December 1st, where for every 500 subscriptions that you sell, we will match that with a $500 donation to your Pop Warner organization.”

As it happens, Amanda is a coach herself of lacrosse and cheer, and she saw, right away, the benefits of this great program. “ I know, as a coach, what it's like to be out there begging for money, running car washes and bake sales. I mean, I wish someone had told me about this great ESPN-The Magazine program earlier. It's really the way to go.” Sweet! A great magazine and great fund-raising potential for your Pop Warner organization , all in one easy program. Quick, sign me up!

Across Victory Boulevard at the Turfer Athletic booth, Turfer's President Glen Cook proudly displays some of the slick array of Pop Warner sportswear.
Once again, “quality” is the word, great bargains too! Glen shows me a full “Coaches Suit” featuring a Pop Warner logo shirt and pants for under $70! And , that's not all. For kids, you can get Turfer jackets for under $30! During my entire stay here, I've been wearing one of the Turfer Pop Warner jackets , and guys, I'm telling you , this stuff is great! Warm , comfortable, and the value is unbeatable. Glen tells me, “You can link to WearYourColors.com right from the popwarner.com home page to find out more about Turfer products styles, colors, anything you want for your Pop Warner cheer or football organization.” Check this stuff out, folks. Turfer is definitely great sportswear for all seasons, and it's Pop Warner-quality all the way!

Right next to the Turfer booth is the "Amazing Sports Photos Pick-Up" tent. You HAVE to see this place to believe it! In about fifteen minutes (that's all!) you can preserve your Pop Warner memories for all time by reviewing and selecting individual player photos, team photos, and game-action photos of you, and your pals, all in one place. Ah, the magic of the digital age! And, the beauty of all this is that you can step right up to an selection monitor in the tent, touch the screen, see your options, and then choose your favorite shots!

Bob Salmons of Amazing Sports Photos explains the process, “When our crack photographers come back from shooting the games on each of the four fields here at Disney, you can come back here to one of our monitor stations, touch the screen and locate your team.” Bob, touches the screen to show me a menu of teams playing on any given day in one of the Pop Warner division brackets. From there, the magical selection process beings, instantaneously! “Here we have the still shots, the group shots, and a whole array of action shots from you game. So then, you go and pick what you want, then fill in your name, and plunk your shots in your collection. “

From here, Bob shows me how you can select shots for a handsome framed collection, or a poster, or a larger than life blow-up! Hey, dude, you'd look great in a blow-up action shot right next to your favorite NFL “Fat Head” player- sticker on your den or bedroom wall, and it's all possible at Amazing Sports Photos! So, preserve your memories of Pop Warner Super Bowl ‘06 in full color. Go see the good folks at the Amazing Sports Photos tent!

Yes sirree, Pop Warner's sponsors sizzle at Super Bowl '06, and I'm not even halfway through their offerings. More later in “Field Notes”!