MAAC Announces Partnership with Inspirus Sports Ltd
Edison, N.J. (Jan. 8, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today a seven-year partnership with Inspirus Sports Ltd, a Belfast, NI based firm dedicated to creating premium inspirational live sporting events for a global audience. The agreement which was approved by the MAAC Council of Presidents runs through June 30, 2027.
The MAAC is an 11-school NCAA Division I conference based in Edison, NJ and will serve as the sponsor of the events per NCAA Bylaw 17.3.5 under the partnership agreement. The event sponsorship is for a series of 4 team or 8 team Classics, which would entail two or three game international exempt men’s or women’s basketball tournaments hosted by Inspirus Sports Ltd, in conjunction with Sports Changes Life staged in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
“The MAAC is pleased to continue its partnership with Sports Changes Life and the new Inspirus company that will independently manage the international Classic events,” said MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor. “Gareth Maguire is a visionary leader who has championed social justice and opportunity through a life-long commitment to sports and education. The goals of the foundation and the MAAC are very compatible as we jointly seek excellence in academics and sports by providing opportunities for young people to succeed.”
Under the MAAC/Inspirus agreement, the conference will serve as the sponsoring entity for Inspirus events as per the terms of NCAA Bylaw 17.3.5.1.1 and would be responsible to insure compliance with the bylaw, including the preparation and annual submission of financial reports to the NCAA. The first tournament is scheduled to take place during December 2020 in Belfast. The MAAC will serve as the exclusive sponsor for all Inspirus MTEs in men’s and women’s basketball for the term of the partnership.
“We are very excited to be taking the Belfast Classic concept to a new level of global audience,” said Gareth Maguire, co-founder of the Belfast Classic. “We are bringing together an experienced top-level management team and are very much looking forward to developing the series of events with our international partners including the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.”
“A MAAC school will be chosen annually to participate in each of the Classics,” said Ensor. “This a great opportunity for the MAAC to expand its brand and provide opportunities for its student-athletes to gain international travel experience.” It is expected that teams for the 2020 and 2021 Classics will be announced later this month.
Inspirus Sports is solely responsible for the budget, marketing and staffing of the Classics. The MAAC would provide staffing assistance and management expertise for the intercollegiate events.
For further information on the launch of Inspirus:
https://www.inspirussports.com/post/inspirus-sports-announce-basketball-classic-series-takeover
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
About Inspirus Sports:
Inspirus Sports, creating premium inspirational live sporting events for a global audience.
Inspirus Sports has been created to build on the success of the first ever NCAA Collegiate basketball Tournament in Europe, the “Belfast Basketball Classic” 2017 & 2018 in conjunction with the Sport Changes Life Foundation. Inspirus has one clear mission, to bring this event series to a global audience to inspire communities through the power of sport.?
About Sport Changes Life Foundation:
The primary goal of SCL is to provide an opportunity for raising the aspiration of young people on both sides of the Atlantic so that they can live out their dreams and guide them as sport changes their lives. We are a sports foundation built on inspiration, hope and victory. SCL works in disadvantaged communities to help young people find a path to a brighter future with the help of our international student athletes, the Victory Scholars. Sport Changes Life continues to help change the lives of young people on the island of Ireland and beyond through the support of the Inspirus Sports events.
https://sportchangeslife.com