Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announces its title sponsorship of the 2009-2012 Southwestern Athletic Conference football championships and conference basketball tournaments. The agreement includes coverage of 10 colleges and universities in the SWAC.
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"The title sponsorship means that Farmers is the 'official insurance and financial services provider' of the SWAC," explained Faye McClure, Farmers Vice President of Strategic Marketing. "The sponsorship is a Farmers tradition of reaching out to communities and young students in today's world and letting them know we support them not only in athletics, but all that they do academically and in their future endeavors."
The SWAC is a mid-major college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-AA.
"We are elated to announce Farmers Insurance Group as the title sponsor for the SWAC football and basketball championship events," SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said. "This agreement with our newest corporate sponsor allows the rich history, tradition and legacy of our great conference to partner with the one of the nation's most innovative companies and allow enhancement of the Championship experience for our student-athletes."
The Farmers Insurance Group 2009 SWAC Football Championship and SWAC Basketball Tournaments will be nationally televised on ESPNU. The football championship will be played December 12 at 1PM (CT), with the basketball tournaments being held in March 2010.
Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com.
Founded in 1920 by eight visionary leaders, the Southwestern Athletic Conference has evolved into one of the leading sports associations in the world of collegiate athletics. The SWAC consists of 10 member institutions in five states (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) and sponsors 18 championship sports (10 women, 8 men) with over 4,000 student-athletes. For more information on the Southwestern Athletic Conference, visit the official website at www.swac.org.
Contact: Jerry Davies
213-400-4459
Jerry.davies@farmersinsurance.com
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