The American Athletic Conference is home to quality programs in some major TV markets like Houston, USF, Temple, Cincinnati, Memphis, and UConn, just to rattle off a few. Yesterday, the conference announced their strategic plans to get themselves recognized as the sixth "power" conference and make the "Power Five" phrase a thing of the past.
The official release, which included thoughts from commissioner Mike Aresco, ECU director of athletics Jeff Compher and the Wasserman Media Group laid out what they hope to be a blueprint for making the AAC a Power conference, instead of a Group of Six member.
Five pillars lie at the foundation of the plan, and include:
- Student health, safety, and well-being
- Academic excellence
- Athletic excellence,
- Branding, marketing communications and public relations
- Revenue generation.
If the conference can manage to hit a home run with those five pillars, they're confident that the AAC will be able to leave the Group of Six behind to become recognized as one of the elite Power conferences for years to come.
Here is a bit more from the official release:
“The American Athletic Conference has enjoyed great success in many areas during its first four years of existence,” said Susan Herbst, University of Connecticut President and Chair of the Board of Directors. “The league’s new Strategic Plan will help guide our Conference in its next phase of development. College athletics is always in a pattern of change and it is important for The American to have a bold and aggressive plan as we look to the league’s future.”
“Being a part of the team that created the first Strategic Plan for the American Athletic Conference was a rewarding and gratifying professional experience,” Compher said. “The Athletic Directors, Conference Staff and other leaders from each of our 12 member institutions came together to create a living document that provides a strong set of core values as well as high expectations for the future. We are committed to working to accomplish our goals as we continue to build an outstanding brand for the American Athletic Conference. Many thanks to Mike Aresco and to our other Committee members for their hard work in the process.”
Head here to read the full release from Aresco and the AAC.