The 2022 College Football National Championship win meant new rings for the Georgia football players, bonuses for Coach Kirby Smart and renewed pride for Bulldog fans.
But at the University of Georgia Athletic Association, it’s business as usual.
“From an operational standpoint, the day-to-day process is the same,” said Darrice Griffin, senior deputy director of athletics. “As our Coach Smart would say, we attack each day the same way we’ve always done.”
The success of the athletic association hinges on putting UGA student athletes as the top investment priority. Griffin pointed to the university’s nutrition, sports medicine, strength and conditioning and academic support staff as examples. Plus, the newly added mental health unit.
"Winning a national championship doesn’t come down to what you do in one year,” Griffin said. It’s what you’ve done over the course of many years to strengthen your foundation and your infrastructure for sustainability.”
Georgia football is the engine that allows for the association’s support of individual student athletes and other sports. The sport accounts for more than half of UGAA’s operating revenue. Football had $4.2 million in ticket sales, $42.5 million in contributions, $17 million in media rights and $8.6 million in advertisement, licensing and sponsorships, according to the fiscal year 2021 financial report.
Ticket sales were drastically reduced because of Covid-19 restrictions in UGA’s Sanford Stadium, and the athletic association’s operating revenue for football decreased around $40 million from the three fiscal years prior, according to the financial reports.
But across the Power 5 conference schools, UGA was one of 11 to not furlough or lay off anyone in its 300-person staff or cut any program funding during the pandemic, said Darlene Camacho, senior associate athletic director for strategic communications.
“That was due to the generosity of our supporters that continued to give despite limited games and limited opportunities for ticket revenue,” Camacho said.
The association ended the year with $46.3 million in excess, according to the report, despite pandemic pains.
Revenue came from increased donations from fans, conference distributions, partnerships with external partners and merchandise sales. Plus, winning the championship added more brand recognition to the widely popular Bulldog brand, Griffin said.
Total enrollment
| Rank | Prior Rank | College |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Central Georgia Technical College |
2 | 2 | Gwinnett Technical College |
3 | 3 | West Georgia Technical College |
