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Abbotsford’s UFV gym now without a sponsor

Partnership with Envision Financial ends, school seeking new organizations to partner with
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Crews paint over the wall where the Envision Financial logo once stood. The UFV Athletic Centre is now without a sponsor. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)

The University of the Fraser Valley’s gym is now without a title sponsor.

Crews removed the Envision Financial signage a few weeks ago from the athletic centre and painted over whatever remained.

According to Dave Pinton, UFV’s director of communication, the agreement ended on Dec. 31, 2019.

“Envision Financial’s 11-year sponsorship of the UFV Athletic Centre ended on December 31, 2018 and UFV extended this agreement for an additional year of recognition,” he stated in an email. “UFV is grateful for the support Envision Financial has demonstrated for athletics, students, and the UFV community over the years through a number of important initiatives. The University and Envision Financial continue to partner on philanthropic projects with Envision recently supporting the UFV COVID Student Emergency Fund as part of the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Envision Financial shared that the original sponsorship agreement saw a naming rights payment occur from 2007 to 2017 with recognition occurring from 2008 to 2018. The agreement was then extended by a year by both parties, with the recognition expiring on the final day of 2019.

“We are extremely grateful for the partnership with UFV and proud of the work we achieved together,” Envision told The News. “Since the partnership expired, we have continued to look for ways to support UFV including their 2019 convocation and, most recently, the support of their COVID-19 relief fund to helps students in need. They continue to be such an important pillar in the Abbotsford community and we are thankful for the amazing work they do in providing high-quality education to our youth.”

UFV kept signage up and referred to the gym as the Envision Financial Athletic Centre until recently, with Pinton pointing out that while the agreement technically ended, there was some overlap.

“The signage on the centre was slated to be removed in early 2020 as part of scheduled maintenance and facilities work on campus and coinciding with the end of the varsity athletic schedule. The pandemic delayed this work until very recently,” Pinton said.

The UFV Cascades website now refers to the building as “UFV Athletic Centre”.

Pinton added that UFV is currently discussing potential partnerships for the athletic centre with a number of other organizations.

RELATED: UFV Cascades hire Joe Enevoldson as new men’s basketball head coach



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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