Amherst, Mass. – September 07, 2026 -- Baystate Health will place its logo on both 25-yard lines at McGuirk Alumni Stadium starting with the 2026 UMass football season, marking the first time a brand logo has appeared on the field's gridiron in the stadium's history since 1965. The move expands a multi-year partnership between UMass Athletics, Baystate Health and Learfield's UMass Sports Properties, deepening a sponsorship relationship that has run for more than a decade.
Baystate Health secures branding across UMass football, hockey and basketball venues
Beyond the football field logo, Baystate Health will gain prominent signage throughout the Mullins Center for UMass hockey and men's and women's basketball, including 'Baystate Benches' signage positioned behind both hockey team benches. The health system will also extend the Junior Captain of the Game promotion, previously limited to hockey, to every home football and hockey game during the 2026-27 season, giving fans aged 6 to 12 in-game recognition and sweepstakes participation.
Fan data shows overlap of 325,000 UMass supporters near Baystate facilities
According to Learfield's Fanbase platform, more than 325,000 UMass fans live within 10 miles of a Baystate Health location, and nearly half of all UMass fans visited Baystate Medical Center in the past 12 months. Baystate Health employs nearly 13,000 team members and serves over 800,000 people across Western Massachusetts, positioning the sponsorship to reach an audience with substantial geographic and consumer overlap.
Partnership builds on existing academic and clinical ties between the two institutions
UMass Amherst and Baystate Health already maintain clinical placement programs each semester, with Baystate hosting undergraduate and graduate nursing students for preceptorships and clinical hours. Baystate Nursing Research collaborates with UMass's Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation on nurse-led research, and this fall the two organizations launched a business-focused internship program covering marketing and finance roles.
"Baystate Health has been an outstanding partner of Massachusetts Athletics for more than a decade, and we're excited to keep growing that partnership for years to come," said Ryan Bamford, UMass Director of Athletics, noting the sponsorship supports more than 650 student-athletes across 21 NCAA Division I programs.