Finish Line will begin offering t-shirts, hoodies and other apparel of nearly 100 high schools across the country at more than 50 Finish Line stores. The apparel, displayed in the new Student Section of the stores, features official school colors, logos and mascots with the program tied to the start of the football season.

Each of the participating Finish Line stores is offering the apparel that represents high schools in the neighborhoods they serve. In addition, the apparel is also being sold online at www.FinishLine.com/StudentSection . Not just for students, apparel in the Finish Line Student Section is perfect for parents, grandparents, siblings, alumni and anyone who wants to show support for their school.

“The student section at any high school game is always filled with the most spirited and intensely competitive fans you'll find anywhere in sport. This inspired our Student Section name,” said David Osswald, Vice President, DMM Softgoods for Finish Line. “With this new program, we are thrilled to offer the fans of nearly 100 high schools across the country the opportunity to access officially licensed gear with sales directly benefitting the schools. This is a game fans cannot lose,” he added.

The current apparel assortment is manufactured by E5 Inc. Licensing for Student Section apparel comes from a partnership of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Licensing Research Group (LRG). Student section apparel features a distinctive hangtag that ensures customers that royalty payments are being provided, a portion of which is distributed directly to schools. There is no cost for schools to participate.

Finish Line stores and high schools for which they are stocking apparel are listed online at www.FinishLine.com/StudentSection . Those who don't find their school on the list and want access to high school apparel at Finish Line are encouraged to visit the Student Section tab on the Finish Line Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/finishlineusa to submit their school for consideration.

To prove who has the most school spirit, Finish Line is sponsoring a high school fan contest via Facebook. Students will be asked to upload photos that show their school spirit. Facebook fans will then vote on the photos. From the five that receive the most votes, Finish Line will select one grand prize winner whose school athletic department will receive $10,000. The winning school will also be considered for inclusion in the Finish Line Student Section apparel program in 2012.