The University of Georgia Athletic Association announced an expansion of its long-standing partnership with Delta Air Lines on Friday.
The new agreement will now feature the Delta Air Lines logo on the field for Georgia’s final three home games of the 2025 season, starting with Saturday’s game against No. 5 Ole Miss.
The Delta logos will be on the 25-yard lines on the southwest and northeast sides of the field.
“We are thrilled to have Delta represented on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement released by the school. “With the ongoing transformation of college athletics, partnerships like ours with Delta continue to enhance the experience for our student-athletes, fans, and the entire Georgia community.”
Delta becomes the first corporate sponsor to have a logo displayed on the field at Sanford Stadium. Sanford Stadium is not the first stadium to feature a corporate sponsor on the playing surface, as Tennessee and Auburn, for example, have sponsorships with Pilot Travel Centers and YellaWood, respectively.
“As a longstanding partner of the University of Georgia and UGA Athletics, we are incredibly proud to see our logo featured on the field at Sanford Stadium,” Delta’s Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Tillman said. “The Bulldogs’ commitment to excellence perfectly aligns with Delta’s passion for connecting people and communities.”
The NCAA approved the usage of corporate sponsors on playing surfaces before the 2024 season.
Earlier this month, the NCAA proposed the use of sponsor logos on college uniforms. Should the Division I Administrative Committee’s proposal be adopted, schools could have two additional commercial logos on uniforms, in addition to the logo of the equipment or apparel manufacturer, Nike in Georgia’s case.
These new sponsorship opportunities come at a time when fundraising capital has never been more important in college sports, between name, image and likeness deals as well as revenue sharing between schools and athletes.
“You’re working to generate revenue for your players, which is the lifeblood of your program, but you’re also trying to entertain and make sure your customers, the home ticket fans, the alumni, the people who buy your seats are just as engaged,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said when discussing potentially moving home games to neutral-site venues for more money. “That’s obviously a decision that comes outside of me. But it’s very interesting because I know every coach is trying to get every dollar they can in terms of roster retention and roster management.”
Georgia’s game against Ole Miss is set for a 3:30 p.m. start on ABC.
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