CLC Licensing Selected to Exclusively Represent College Football Playoff
October 20, 2014
The most anticipated postseason in recent sports history now has licensing representation. CLC Licensing, the licensing affiliate of IMG College, has been selected to be the exclusive licensing agent for the new College Football Playoff (CFP), it was announced today.
Through its comprehensive licensing offering, CLC Licensing will focus on protecting, managing and developing the new CFP brand and trademarks in a new six-year agreement. CLC Licensing has worked alongside the CFP to identify best-in-class licensees in select product categories and channels of distribution to bring the highest quality products to consumers.
Forty total licensees have been selected to use the CFP trademarks, which is approximately 1/3 the licensees in the old BCS system. CLC Licensing will also utilize its established enforcement network to stop counterfeiters who manufacture and sell unlicensed goods at the high-profile championships and bowl games.
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football will begin a new post-season playoff structure this season in which the best four teams (as ranked by a 13-person selection committee) will play in two playoff semifinal games, followed by the national championship game to be played in a rotating city each year. The new playoff preserves the excitement and significance of college football’s unique regular season while protecting the tradition and experience of the bowl games.
It will also provide merchandising and licensing opportunities to college fans around the playoff semifinal events, which rotate among the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, and Sugar bowls.
“We are entrusting CLC to help build the College Football Playoff brand while also protecting our trademark rights at what will be the marquee event for our sport,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “We have tremendous confidence that CLC is the right company at the right time for this important responsibility to enhance protect and preserve the integrity of the brand of this exciting new event.”
CLC Licensing, which represents 28 bowl games, is also the official licensing agent for five of the six iconic bowl properties participating in the new College Football Playoff rotation including, the Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl.
“The College Football Playoff has the potential to be the biggest event in the history of college sports,” said Cory Moss, CLC’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director. “CLC is partnering with a true leader in the sport’s growth and evolution at a time when there’s vast potential for this new brand. We will draw on our full range of resources and expertise to capitalize on the attention and buzz of the College Football Playoff. CFP’s faith in CLC reinforces our position as the licensing company with the resources and experience to grow and protect the biggest and most iconic brands in college sports.”
The 40 best-in-class licensees that were selected to produce College Football Playoff branded merchandise for retail sale include:
adidas
Antigua
Box Seat Clothing Company
Captivating Headgear
Columbia by OCS
47 Brand; Cutter & Buck
Game Change Apparel
G-III; Blue 84; Knights Apparel
New World Graphics
Nike USA
Nike by Haddad Apparel Group
Wildcat Retro Brands
Outerstuff
Sportsscarf
Top of the World
Under Armour by Gear for Sports
Zephyr Graf-X
Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas
Boelter Brands
B.S.I. Products
Highland Mint
Emblem Source
Fanatics Authentics
Fathead; Franklin Mint
Fremont Die Consumer Products
Hunter Manufacturing
Kolder Incorporated
Matthew Powell Creations
OYO Sportstoys Inc
ProGraphs; R.F.S.J. Inc
Rico Industries/Tag Express
Sewing Concepts
Team Beans
Wilson Sporting Goods
WinCraft
All licensing revenue generated from CFP merchandise sales will be donated to Extra Yard for Teachers, the College Football Playoff’s initiative that empowers teachers and students by providing resources, support and program development to positively affect students’ education in K-through-12 classrooms in the communities that will host the College Football Playoff National Championship.
CLC Licensing is the leading collegiate licensing agency in the U.S. and currently represents nearly 200 collegiate institutions in the $4.6 billion retail market for collegiate products.
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff will begin with the 2014-15 season. The semifinals will match the No. 1 seed vs. No. 4, and No. 2 will face No. 3 in semifinal games that will rotate annually among the Peach Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. The first semifinals will be January 1, 2015, at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The first national championship game will be January 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.