As department staff and media members awaited the arrival of game-day concession samples, Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois delivered a state-of-the-Wildcats address Monday at Arizona Stadium.
The topics included the “mass transition” during her first year and a half on the job, the impending erasure of a $39 million department deficit and the on-field successes of the UA triathlon and baseball teams, among others.
They also included the possibility of naming rights for Arizona Stadium — a potentially lucrative revenue source that Reed-Francois is determined to tap into.
Brian Rooney, the general manager of the recently formed Arizona Sports Enterprises, was unable to attend Monday’s press event because he was participating in a pitch meeting with one potential stadium sponsor, Casino Del Sol.
There are a handful of other possible candidates. Any agreement ideally would bring in seven figures annually. ASU’s deal with Mountain America Credit Union is worth more than $50 million over 15 years.
UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois addresses the media and other attendees at a news conference previewing the 2025 football season at Arizona Stadium.
“We’re making a lot of progress,” Reed-Francois said. “I’d love to tell you, ‘Hey, we’ll have it done in two weeks.’ I don’t know. It could be two weeks. It could be 18 months. There’s a lot of conversations, and there’s been a lot of analytics that have gone into that. It’s usually about an 18- to 24-month process. We are active.”
Reed-Francois and her staff have overhauled the department’s financial structure since she came on board early last year. She reiterated that the budget would be balanced by the end of fiscal year 2026 — even with the UA participating in revenue-sharing with student-athletes to the tune of $20.5 million.
Although it’s inescapable in today’s college athletics, money wasn’t the only topic on Reed-Francois’ mind Monday.
“We’ve stabilized our budget, but really what I’m most proud of is that we’re starting to build that culture, that true team culture,” she said. “We have some special momentum right now.”
The Big Kahuna Burger and Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich are among the concessions available at Arizona Stadium this year and revealed during a news conference on Monday.
Reed-Francois is reminded of that when she sees the banner honoring the triathlon team’s national championship last year.
“That’s really what started it all,” she said. “That started our momentum. Because we all started believing. We all started executing at a really high level.”
Tony Daniel, Arizona’s senior associate athletic director for revenue generation and engagement, followed Reed-Francois on the dais. The two touched on multiple topics related to department finances and the football game-day experience. Here’s some of what they had to say:
On launching Arizona Sports Enterprises and balancing the budget:
“My incredible team that moved here just on faith, they built a brand-new company, and they hit 114% of their revenue. Our Wildcat Club, it was a challenge for them as well ... when you’re looking at all the different nuances that go into fundraising. You know what they did? They earned an increase of 47% in philanthropic dollars year over year. So we have raised more revenue. Our conference revenue came in higher. We have cut our costs, and we have built that solid foundation to (propel) us into the future.” — Reed-Francois
Margaritas are among the beverages available at Arizona Stadium this year and displayed during a news conference on Monday.
On the start of the football season and the work Brent Brennan has done during the offseason:
“When you have Noah Fifita guiding your team ... and those defensive veterans, you know what? We’ve got a really good chance. ... One thing I really appreciate about Coach Brennan is the culture that he’s building. Those young men, they feel seen. They feel a sense of belonging. They feel a connection that is really special.” — Reed-Francois
On what was learned from Arizona’s Big 12 road trips last season:
“The Big 12 has great fan support. A lot of the different cities that we’re going to are smaller towns, very much like Tucson. There’s a college feel. ... We’re not going to Los Angeles. We’re not going to the East Bay. We’re not going to Palo Alto anymore. We are going to Texas Tech and West Virginia. Those fans are passionate, and it’s a different game-day atmosphere.” — Reed-Francois
On the new on-field suites in the northeast corner of Arizona Stadium:
Sir Veza's is one of the food vendors at Arizona Stadium this year; its menu includes burritos, nachos, the "Wild Sirnoran Dog" and a "Charro Tamale Bowl."
“The on-field suites are something we wanted to try this year and see how it worked. Sales are really robust, and we’re optimistic. We’re always looking for new revenue opportunities. But one thing that we heard from our fans when we did all the surveys is they wanted more premium opportunities. So we thought we would try (it) this this year, and then we’re going to continue to evolve it and see what’s working and what’s not. Every year we want our fans to see something different. We want them to know that we are listening to them.” — Reed-Francois
“Up close and personal. You don’t get that view everywhere. It’s an exclusive view. We’re providing an upscale food and beverage option down there for those folks. You’re basically in the huddle, some of those suites; you’re right over there against where our team prepares and they’re having their in-between offensive meetings. So it just gives them a great opportunity to really get the game-day feel, be in the mix, be down in the action.” — Daniel
On the biggest complaint from UA football fans about the game-day experience:
“We get a lot of game-time complaints, which we have no control (over), which is why we’re excited about this ‘Own the Night’ campaign. For us, it’s a reframing of the mindset and the narrative. We should welcome that. We want people to come here, and we want these games to be exciting at night. We want our fans to be passionate about that. ... Our student-athletes are excited. We get to own the night; we get to make this our own. Because not everybody gets those night-game opportunities. I know the previous places I’ve been, our fans would have begged to have a night game. We get them every week. It’s exciting, and we want to continue to drive that narrative of owning the night and making Arizona Stadium the hardest place to play.” — Daniel
Extra points
– Reed-Francois said the department had to make many difficult decisions and cuts while reshaping the budget. One area that was off the table: mental-health services for student-athletes. “We all worry about that,” she said. “So we’re not going to touch that.”
– The UA has relaunched the “Cat Cruiser” shuttle for Phoenix-based fans who’d like to attend games. The cost is $34 per person roundtrip. Passengers are dropped off two hours before kickoff and picked up 30 minutes after the final gun. Said Daniel: “Our coaches, our staff, we are keen on having our Phoenix alumni ... join us for any and everything that they can. This ride-share opportunity is an opportunity for them to hop on a bus with a bunch of other Wildcat fans, make the trip down to Tucson for football game days, do it at a relatively cheap price and not worry about having to drive. You can have your food and drinks on the ride as well.”
