Toronto, ON, July 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RYU Apparel Inc. (TSXV: RYU) (OTCQB: RYPPF) (FWB: RYAA) (“RYU” or the “Company“), a digital lifestyle brand and creator of award-winning urban athletic apparel that facilitates human movement, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with the NFL Alumni Academy to supply technical high performance apparel to the athletes and coaches of The Academy for 2022 following their inaugural success in 2021 together.
The NFL Alumni Academy is an exclusive and elite training program that develops “NFL Ready” players while providing critical solutions for in-season injury replacement for the NFL.
This season, the NFL Alumni Academy expects to train and place over 250 players on to NFL and XFL teams. Both athletes and coaches will exclusively wear RYU’s best-in-class performance apparel when training and while on official Academy business, such as media and other public appearances.
Dean Dalton, Executive Director of the NFL Alumni Academy, commented, “After one season of partnering with RYU and their award-winning, technically advanced products we knew we had to make sure they were back for 2022. Their powerful brand message of RESPECT is a perfect fit for everything that we hold in high esteem at The Academy!”
As part of their agreement with the XFL, which is co-owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Academy will not only be training the aspiring players in football skills and performance, but also life skills.
“RYU couldn’t be more excited for these incredible partnerships with NFL Alumni Academy and XFL, delivering best-in-class apparel and experiences to athletes and coaches. We see this as a pivotal partnership for our brand recognition and believe it will open up opportunities and relationships that have significant impact on our bottom line through 2022” said Cesare Fazari, CEO of RYU.
Further, Cesare Fazari said: “Beyond our physical products, I am personally eager to work hand-in-hand with the players to offer key insights from my experiences. I have hopes that they would be inspired and informed on how they can best utilize their platforms for long term success. I will be working with the players on building their brands, understanding financial markets, and even plugging into the web3 world and much more. This is about more than simply getting name recognition for RYU, I see this as an opportunity to help budding entrepreneurs, and nothing is more exciting to me than that.”
Additionally, RYU will be featuring products at this year’s NFL Alumni Golf Tournaments in Arizona, Detroit, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Minneapolis. The NFL Alumni Chapter golf tournaments serve as the qualifier for the Super Bowl of Golf on Oct 23 & 24, 2022 at Mission Hills Resort & Club in Palm Desert, California.
The Academy’s athletes and coaches will engage in a co-branded social media campaign with RYU emphasizing Respect in support of The NFL Alumni Academy’s diversity development program. The campaign will promote the tenants that RYU was built upon: respecting yourself, respecting your environment, and respecting others.
Through the social media campaign, RYU will be giving their award-winning Express Pack and Locker Pack backpacks to social media followers who exemplify the Respect Your Universe mentality.
“We are proud to announce that as part of our partnership with The Academy RYU will be providing 10 athletes at the Academy with internship opportunities as well as the opportunity to be social media influencers for our brand. Working with exceptional partners and athletes has been a key focus in our re-brand strategy that focuses on human movement and creating truly world-class products and we’re elated to be back with The NFL Alumni Academy as true partners for the 2022 season” said Cesare Fazari.
About RYU Apparel
RYU Apparel (TSXV: RYU) (OTCQB: RYPPF) (FWB: RYAA), or Respect Your Universe, is an award winning urban athletic apparel and accessories brand engineered for the fitness, performance and lifestyle of the athletic man and woman. Designed without compromise for fit, comfort, and durability, RYU exists to facilitate optimal human performance. For more information, please visit the RYU website at: http://ryu.com
About NFL Alumni
The NFL Alumni Association was founded in 1967 and is the oldest and most recognizable national organization of retired professional athletes. NFL Alumni consists of former NFL players, coaches, executives, spouses, cheerleaders, and associate members. Part of NFL Alumni’s dual mission is “Caring for Kids”. Player alumni give back in their local communities by raising funds for youth-related charities through their 38 regional chapters. It is a tradition that has existed for more than 50 years. Alumni support typically raises more than $1.5 million dollars for worthwhile causes. The other half of NFLA’s mission, “Caring for our Own” is to serve, assist and inform its members and their families. Alumni members are offered a diverse package of wellness, business, career, and legal services to help members and their families be healthy, productive, and connected to one another. To learn more please visit: https://www.nflalumni.org/
About Wav Sports and Entertainment
WaV Sports & Entertainment, LLC is a global sports marketing firm that specializes in sports property representation, brand side representation, and the management and production of unique sporting and entertainment events. WaV represents the NFL Alumni Association and a diverse list of sports and entertainment properties and athletes. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.WaVsports.com.
