RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The community continues to rally behind The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in a meaningful way, generating $7,679,000 million in philanthropy, ticket sales, and corporate partnerships during fiscal year 2025, which ran from Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025.
During fiscal year 2025, UTRGV Athletics raised a record $6,176,595 in philanthropic giving, $872,395 in corporate partnerships, and a record $630,010 ticket sales. These figures represent the support of UTRGV Athletics prior to the first football game.
"We are greatly appreciative of the impactful commitment the Valley is making to UTRGV Athletics," UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "The support and momentum of our fans has created a path of exponential growth while the impressive increases in attendance and revenue show just how much the Valley is rallying behind the Vaqueros. We are grateful for this tremendous support which will impact student-athletes for years to come."
UTRGV's philanthropic giving came from an impressive 2,463 donations, a nearly 200% increase since 2019-20.
To further illustrate UTRGV's unprecedented growth in support, collectively through ticket sales, sponsorships, and philanthropic support, this year's nearly $7.7 million in support comes just seven years after UTRGV generated $726,500 in fiscal year 2018 (Sept. 1, 2017 through Aug. 31, 2018).
"In addition to the generosity from our supporters, we also have one of the sharpest, most dedicated, and hard-working external operations staffs in college athletics," Conque said. "Our team should be applauded for the job they do advancing our mission to position our programs for championships success."
This past year's record-setting ticket sales can be directly attributed to some of the best attendance numbers in program history while tickets prices for UTRGV baseball, basketball and volleyball remained the same as in previous years.
As a department, UTRGV Athletics welcomed a record 147,569 fans across all sports, including a program record 84,258 fans for baseball, the 34th best total in NCAA Division I. UTRGV welcomed four of the seven largest crowds in program history this past season while drawing over 3,000 fans 14 times, a feat accomplished just 12 other times since the program moved into UTRGV Baseball Stadium in 2002. The volleyball team also broke its attendance record, drawing 13,386 fans, the 70th-best total out of 346 Division I programs.
Season tickets for baseball, basketball and volleyball, multi-sport passes, and season ticket deposits for football can be purchased at GoUTRGV.com/SeasonTickets or by contacting UTRGV Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Sales and Operations Nick Swanson at (956) 665-4205 or tickets@utrgv.edu.
The record setting corporate partnership revenue can be attributed to several factors, including increased attendance, which helped to increase the value of and interest in partnering with UTRGV Athletics. Additionally, UTRGV Athletics has built meaningful relationships with many local businesses that are all buying into the vision of where the Vaqueros are going. Each relationship is mutually beneficial, as when UTRGV Athletics grows, so do its corporate partners, and vice versa.
To become a corporate partner, contact UTRGV Chief of Staff/Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation Seth Jones at (956) 665-3877 or sponsorships@utrgv.edu.
The strong philanthropic giving is in-part due to significant multi-year commitments made by donors to the Vaqueros Athletic Fund (VAF).
All donations provide resources that are necessary to compete for championships, earn degrees, and create leaders of tomorrow.
Raising these crucial resources through various avenues of fundraising is paramount in this current climate of college athletics that is constantly evolving.
More information on the VAF can be found at GoUTRGV.com/VAF, by sending an email to VAF@utrgv.edu, or calling (956) 665-4069. To donate immediately, visit GoUTRGV.com/Donate.
The increased revenue generation is helping UTRGV Athletics to transform the student-athlete and fan experiences through over $180 million in athletics facilities enhancements across 13 capital projects positively impacting all 18 sport programs.
The most recent of these enhancements include Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium, which hosted UTRGV's first football game in front of 12,732 fans on Aug. 30, and the Vaqueros Performance Center (VPC), a 45,000-plus-square-foot facility that houses the football program and features state-of-the-art weight training, academic, and sports medicine facilities for use by multiple teams. The VPC also features two practice fields, one of which is the same synthetic turf used at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium and one of which is natural grass. The turf field is striped for both football and soccer.
The renovations began in the spring of 2022 with the construction of a new weight room and administrative offices near the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Upgrades to the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex began during the summer of 2022, including the installation of a new press box and upgraded sound system. Construction on an operations center for the soccer and track & field programs, with new locker rooms and coaches' offices, as well as a new sports medicine facility for those programs, was completed in Jan. 2024.
Enhancements to the interior of the UTRGV Fieldhouse, including new seating, a new video board and ribbon board, and a new court design, were completed in the fall of 2023. A new practice gym opened last summer. Construction on the new atrium and lobby on the east side of the fieldhouse is currently underway and scheduled for completion later this fall.
Renovations to the home clubhouse at UTRGV Baseball Stadium were completed in January 2023 with a much larger renovation project including new reserved seating and premium seating, and new walls and padding occurring prior to the 2024 season. Additional premium seating was added ahead of the 2025 season.
The Vaqueros Golf Center, located next to the driving range at Champion Lakes Golf Course, opened in the spring of 2024 and includes locker rooms, coaches' offices, and hitting bays.
For more information on UTRGV Athletics facilities, visit GoUTRGV.com/AthleticsFacilities.
Naming opportunities are available for all facilities, include locker rooms, head coach and assistant coach offices, meeting rooms, strength & conditioning facilities, practice fields, and whole facilities.
To pursue a naming opportunity, contact UTRGV Associate Athletic Director for Development Eddie Galvan at (956) 665-3415 or vaf@utrgv.edu.
Support UTRGV Athletics | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube
