Spalding, a division of Russell Brands  LLC, and Sports Specialties LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sportsfield Specialties Inc., based in Delhi, NY, announced an agreement making Sports Specialties the exclusive licensee for Spalding indoor sports construction equipment in the public bid market for North America.

As part of the agreement, Sports Specialties will focus its marketing efforts on indoor construction equipment such as overhead and wall mount basketball goals, volleyball poles and official stands as well as accessories such as scoreboards and scorer's tables. Spalding will continue to sell its entire line of equipment into privately funded facilities, and the Spalding line of portable backstops used by the NBA and the NCAA Final Four Tournament will also continue to be sold exclusively by Spalding.  

“Spalding sees this partnership as an opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of both Sports Specialties relationship with architects and Spalding's brand name recognition for quality products and service,” said Paul Sullivan, VP sales and marketing for Spalding. “This partnership allows us to focus our construction efforts into the private market arena where our greatest strengths lie, creating a win-win-win for Spalding, Sports Specialties and most importantly the athletes who play on the best equipment.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Spalding will sell manufactured components such as backboards, rims, winches and controls to Sports Specialties, who will then build them into complete systems at its manufacturing plants.  Further, this partnership for the first time allows facility experts to align a high quality outdoor line with an equally high quality indoor line so that all the athletes will be playing on only the best equipment.

“The Spalding brand promises to bring heightened recognition to Sports Specialties as it steps into the indoor sports construction market and we are delighted that Spalding has agreed to this partnership,” said Wayne Oliver, president of Sportsfield Specialties.  “Given the outstanding reputation Sportsfield Specialties has developed in the outdoor sports construction industry over the past 12 years, I'm confident this will become a value-added partnership that will be beneficial to both parties.”  

A Division of Russell Brands, LLC, Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world, and America's first baseball company. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official baseball of the Little League World Series, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and the official football of Pop Warner. In addition to being the leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley brand.

Following its launch in 1998 and the opening of its own manufacturing facility in Delhi in 2004, Sportsfield Specialties has built a national reputation in outdoor sports construction. Its products include football goal posts, soccer and lacrosse goals, track and field equipment and drainage systems, baseball  and foul poles, modular dugouts and press boxes, and  a complete line of protective athletic padding via its subsidiary Promats Athletics  of Salisbury, NC.