Pirate Club And ECU Athletics Build On Strong Year Of Support
July 28, 2022 | General
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU Pirate Club saw continuous growth over the past year thanks to the generosity of its donors, where Pirate Club members have contributed $7 million towards the Pirate Club Annual Fund.
The $7 million in annual fund donations was $1.4 million over what was projected. The annual fund is used in support of student-athlete scholarships. For the first six months in this year's Annual Fund, donations are trending $1 million ahead of the same time period last year.
"We are fortunate and grateful for the growing support of our Pirate Club membership," ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert said. "I commend Ryan Robinson (Pirate Club Executive Director), our Pirate Club Executive Committee members and Pirate Club staff for their leadership and guidance. Ryan is a proven leader who understands the importance of a positive culture, the power of relationships, and has assembled a dedicated staff that is committed to moving the Pirates forward. There's no doubt the Pirate Club is positioned for success as we head into the Pirates United campaign."
Pirate Club membership continues to rebound following the pandemic with over 9,000 current members, an increase of 750 new members in the past year, including 4,400 Student Pirate Club members. Student attendance at Pirate football games averaged 8,628 in 2021 after a year of not being able to attend games due to the pandemic.
Football Season tickets have already increased in 2022 by more than 1,000 to 14,550, the highest number since 2017, with a goal of 15,000 by the season opener against NC State on Sept. 3. The number of season tickets sold increased from 12,908 in 2018 to 14,096 in 2019. Attendance was limited in 2020 to the pandemic and the department finished with 13,563 season tickets sold in 2021. In six home games in 2021, the Pirates averaged 36,059 – which trailed only UCF (40,427) and Cincinnati (37,338) in the American Athletic Conference.
Sales for premium seats at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium are at an all-time high heading into the 2022 football season. All suites, loges and Trade Club seats are sold out in the TowneBank Tower for the first time since the building opened in 2019. On the opposite side of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, less than 200 Williams-Clark Club seats remain, the most seats sold in the area since 2019. More than $100,000 was generated in revenue off single-game Trade Club seats, Williams-Clark Club single-game sales and Suite standing-room only tickets in 2021.
ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club announced in May the launch of "Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence." The $60 million fundraising campaign will provide critical funds and essential training spaces that will transform the experiences of Pirate student-athletes and make an impact on all 18 sport programs and their ability to succeed.
The transformation of the athletic campus is ongoing thanks to the support of Pirate Club donors. In 2020, Grady-White Boats made the largest donation in ECU Athletics and Pirate Club history. In recognition, the ECU athletics complex was named the Grady‐White Boats Athletic Campus.
Projects funded by Pirate Club donors over the past year include a new weight room, the overhaul of the football meeting space footprint on the first floor of the Ward Sports Medicine Building and additional branding and graphics in multiple athletics buildings.
For more information about the Pirate Club, please visit www.ecupirateclub.com or call (252) 737-4540.
The $7 million in annual fund donations was $1.4 million over what was projected. The annual fund is used in support of student-athlete scholarships. For the first six months in this year's Annual Fund, donations are trending $1 million ahead of the same time period last year.
"We are fortunate and grateful for the growing support of our Pirate Club membership," ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert said. "I commend Ryan Robinson (Pirate Club Executive Director), our Pirate Club Executive Committee members and Pirate Club staff for their leadership and guidance. Ryan is a proven leader who understands the importance of a positive culture, the power of relationships, and has assembled a dedicated staff that is committed to moving the Pirates forward. There's no doubt the Pirate Club is positioned for success as we head into the Pirates United campaign."
Pirate Club membership continues to rebound following the pandemic with over 9,000 current members, an increase of 750 new members in the past year, including 4,400 Student Pirate Club members. Student attendance at Pirate football games averaged 8,628 in 2021 after a year of not being able to attend games due to the pandemic.
Football Season tickets have already increased in 2022 by more than 1,000 to 14,550, the highest number since 2017, with a goal of 15,000 by the season opener against NC State on Sept. 3. The number of season tickets sold increased from 12,908 in 2018 to 14,096 in 2019. Attendance was limited in 2020 to the pandemic and the department finished with 13,563 season tickets sold in 2021. In six home games in 2021, the Pirates averaged 36,059 – which trailed only UCF (40,427) and Cincinnati (37,338) in the American Athletic Conference.
Sales for premium seats at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium are at an all-time high heading into the 2022 football season. All suites, loges and Trade Club seats are sold out in the TowneBank Tower for the first time since the building opened in 2019. On the opposite side of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, less than 200 Williams-Clark Club seats remain, the most seats sold in the area since 2019. More than $100,000 was generated in revenue off single-game Trade Club seats, Williams-Clark Club single-game sales and Suite standing-room only tickets in 2021.
ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club announced in May the launch of "Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence." The $60 million fundraising campaign will provide critical funds and essential training spaces that will transform the experiences of Pirate student-athletes and make an impact on all 18 sport programs and their ability to succeed.
The transformation of the athletic campus is ongoing thanks to the support of Pirate Club donors. In 2020, Grady-White Boats made the largest donation in ECU Athletics and Pirate Club history. In recognition, the ECU athletics complex was named the Grady‐White Boats Athletic Campus.
Projects funded by Pirate Club donors over the past year include a new weight room, the overhaul of the football meeting space footprint on the first floor of the Ward Sports Medicine Building and additional branding and graphics in multiple athletics buildings.
For more information about the Pirate Club, please visit www.ecupirateclub.com or call (252) 737-4540.
Friday, May 29
Thursday, May 28
Sunday, May 24
Sunday, May 24
