Mansfield ISD recently signed a five year contract with Under Armour. With this agreement now in effect, every sports program within MISD must wear their brand. Though the contract takes effect immediately, teams have until 2018 to be in full Under Armour gear. With Under Armour now sponsoring MISD, all sporting venues will showcase their advertisements. After receiving a new uniform, senior Austin Franks feels special. The minute the uniforms come in, Franks cannot wait to put them on and wear it. Franks believes the uniforms make the team look better. Although Franks leans toward Nike, he knows Under Armour is a great brand too.

“We just found out about it, and I think it’s pretty cool because the whole district is going Under Armour,” Franks said. “They practically give us money to customize our own stuff.”

In the 2014-15 school year, Legacy softball purchased brand new Nike uniforms. Because of the contract, they will no longer be able to wear the Nike uniforms. Head softball coach Amie Prater approves of the new contract and says it will allow them to set up a fan page for parents. This allows them to purchase their workout gear before school starts so they have it ready to go on their first day of practice.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to save on costs of uniforms and overall gear,” Coach Prater said. “This comes at a good time because every two years is when I generally purchase new uniforms.”

Because of MISD’s new sponsor, all athletic departments receive ten percent back on everything they purchase under the Under Armour name. A website holds stock uniforms where teams can change the colors and design to help make their uniforms unique.

Golf coach Chris Word, leans toward buying Titleist and PING uniforms and equipment for his team. Word buys new uniforms for the team every year, however, the new contract forces him to buy Under Armour gear, something he has never had to do before.

Head Soccer Coach James Smelley had his team design new Nike uniforms this year but had to cancel the order due to the agreement. Even though teams have three years to transition to Under Armour, Smelley decided to make the change now.

“I’m going to do what the department wants me to do,” Coach Smelley said. “It’s different uniforms than what the kids are used to.”

Every sport has to purchase Under Armour from here on. Athletes and coaches visit the website and receive a 40 percent discount on all retail pricing on their uniform orders. MISD agreed to sign with Under Armour because they wanted to brand the district for the first time. Coach Word believes this might someday bring new athletes to MISD.

“If open enrollment were to ever happen, athletes would see Under Armour everywhere they play and would be drawn to MISD,” Coach Word said.

Mrs. Debbie Weems, the Director of Athletics for MISD, said Mansfield ISD has worked on this agreement for over a year. Overall, many view this opportunity as a way for MISD to get great products and service for all programs at a great cost. Michelle Morris, Legacy girls Athletic Director, also supports the new agreement.

“I think this is a great thing for our athletic department,” Coach Morris said. “This helps uniform our athletes and our sports programs in Under Armour.”

Although Franks graduates this year, he knows this contract will bring great publicity to Legacy.

“I think it will gives us something to look forward too,” Franks said. “We will get new uniforms more often and it could draw more attention to MISD.”