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AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Teams With Russell Athletic for Three-Year Apparel Deal

Posted on: Monday, 9 February 2009, 12:05 CST

Russell to become an Official Apparel Sponsor of the AVP Crocs Tour; Event Merchandising, Inc. (EMI) to Handle Onsite and Online Merchandising

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, America's most authentic professional beach volleyball tour, today announced a new partnership deal with leading athletic apparel provider, Russell Athletic. The three-year agreement, effective January 2009, names Russell as an Official Apparel Sponsor of the AVP. Russell, in conjunction with Event Merchandising, Inc., will have a branded presence at the on-site merchandise tent at each tour stop; Russell will also serve as a sponsor for AVP Crocs Tour events nationwide over the next three years. The partnership continues the AVP's long tradition of joining forces with established lifestyle and sports brands.

"Russell Athletic is proud to partner with the AVP, the premier pro beach volleyball tour," said Gary Barfield, EVP of Russell Athletic. "This relationship provides Russell Athletic the opportunity to showcase our authentic licensed products on a national platform."

As the licensee of AVP apparel, Russell will produce athletically inspired lifestyle-oriented clothing and merchandise. Event Merchandising, Inc. (EMI), a company that has collaborated with several NBA, NCAA and AFL teams, will handle on-site and online distribution of all AVP-branded merchandise.

"Event Merchandising, Inc. sees sand, dirt and snow sports as the future," said Larry Travis, VP/COO at EMI. "The collective talent that has been brought together through this partnership between EMI, Russell and the AVP is sure to see AVP merchandise reach a new level."

The new, high quality products will be available at AVP Crocs Tour events this summer, as well as online at www.avp.com.

"We are delighted to finalize the exclusive agreement with Russell as our licensing partner in creating stylish and comfortable merchandise perfect for the beach. Russell's commitment to innovation and quality will only enhance the AVP's ultimate beach experience," said AVP Crocs Tour Commissioner and CEO Leonard Armato. "We are equally delighted to have EMI to handle our AVP branded event merchandise. The company's vast experience in this area will allow us to maximize the variety of clothing and equipment we provide our fans."

The AVP Hot Winter Nights tour is currently underway in cities across the United States, while the AVP Crocs Tour summer season kicks off in a unique and fun way at Spring Break in Panama City Beach, Fla., March 27-30.

About AVP, Inc.:

AVP, Inc. is a leading lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on the production, marketing and distribution of professional beach volleyball events worldwide. One of the fastest growing entities in the sports world, the AVP operates two of the industry's most prominent national outdoor touring series, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (1983) and the AVP Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour (launched in 2008). The AVP is set to stage more than 35 events throughout the United States in 2009 and features more than 150 of the top men and women competitors in the sport. AVP athletes won both the women's and men's gold medals at the 2008 Games in Beijing, marking the first gold medal sweep by a single country in the history of Olympic Beach Volleyball. AVP is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. For more information, please visit www.avp.com.

About Russell Athletic

For more than 100 years, Russell Athletic has supplied America's high school, college, and professional athletes and teams with the innovative products and uniforms. Russell Athletic activewear and college licensed products are broadly distributed and marketed through department stores, sports specialty stores, retail chains, and college bookstores. For more information, log onto www.russellathletic.com.

About Event Merchandising Inc

Event Merchandising Inc is a nationwide concessionaire in sports, retail, concert & special events. Event Merchandising Inc operates 1400 events and caters to an annual customer base of over 14 million people annually through 70 clients. Clients include NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, AHL Hockey, Indoor & Outdoor Concert facilities and a NASCAR track. For more information about the company please visit http://www.eventmerchinc.com.

SOURCE AVP Pro Beach Volleyball

Source: PR Newswire

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