Prince to Open Flagship Advanced Tennis Innovation Center on IMG Academies’ Campus in 2012

Jan. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- BRADENTON, Fla. (January 23, 2012) - Prince Sports, Inc. and IMG Academies today announced an enhanced renewal of their long-standing relationship. Under the terms of the new agreement, IMG Academies will become a prime catalyst of Prince’s ‘Who’s Next’ philosophy, aimed at cultivating future champions and taking the game of all tennis athletes to higher levels through leading-edge on court weaponry, training, and complete athlete support programs. Additionally, as part of the agreement, Prince will establish a flagship, first of its kind, advanced tennis innovation facility on site at IMG Academies, set to open in 2012.

“At IMG Academies, we align ourselves with the most innovative companies to provide our athletes with as many resources and tools possible,” said Sam Zussman, Managing Director, IMG Academies. “While Prince has played an important role in the advancement of our tennis program for many years, we are looking forward to this next step, which will bring the best of Prince’s product and technical expertise to the heart of our campus.”

For years, Prince has been at the forefront of product innovation, engineering and customizing its products to help today’s athletes gain a competitive advantage as they step on the court for battle.  More than gear, Prince is relentlessly committed to arming players with on-court “weaponry” and as such, Prince has invested in building a flagship, first of its kind, advanced tennis weaponry facility on site at IMG Academies, and set to open in 2012.

The facility, which will be outfitted with state-of-the art product and performance-testing equipment, will become the global destination for product and athlete performance and development. The innovation center will offer athletes a comprehensive approach designed to help them take their game to the next level, including customized product fitting and product-concept testing activities.

In addition to Prince’s on-site presence via the new center, Prince and IMG Academies will collaborate on and off-site to offer committed athletes a comprehensive product, training and development program. This 360 degree support program will include not only advanced and custom-product offerings, but also collaborative talent scouting programs, training analysis and online information offerings for elite athletes and tennis enthusiasts globally. With several hundred full-time tennis student-athletes, and thousands more camp participants of all ages descending on its campus annually, IMG Academies provides an ideal environment for athletes to play an active role in all stages of Prince product development long before new products enter the marketplace.

“We are bringing to life a philosophy that has been an integral part of Prince’s DNA since its inception,” said Gordon Boggis, Chief Executive Officer at Prince Sports, Inc, “which is to relentlessly pursue and deliver meaningful game-changing innovation and opportunities designed to help players take their game to the next level.” Continued Boggis, “By actively leveraging our relationship with a world-leading institution like IMG Academies, and specifically with the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy, we can combine our innovations with their world-renowned methods and leadership in coaching to create an ideal environment for athlete development. Together we will help nurture the next generation of tennis champions, and continue to be the first to arm them with the technology of tomorrow, while providing them with everything else they need to reach their next level – whatever level that may be.”

About Prince Sports, Inc.
Since 1970, Prince Sports, Inc, based in Bordentown, New Jersey, has been more than a racquet company, it has been an ally - equipping past, present and future champions with unique, performance enhancing products and support programs to help take their game to the next level.  Prince is the only tennis brand solely committed to turning the next generation of committed, passionate tennis players into the next generation of champions.
Prince has enjoyed a history of cultivating champions and bringing to market the most important, game-changing technical product innovations of the last 40 years - including the invention of the first electronic ball machine, Oversize, Longbody and EXO3 racquet technology, the first "Natural Foot Shape" tennis shoe and the first multi-filament string. Prince patented technologies can also be found in leading performance brands in baseball, hockey, lacrosse, field hockey and archery. Prince Sports’ portfolio of brands includes Prince (tennis, squash and badminton), Ektelon (racquetball) and Viking (platform/paddle tennis).  Its products are distributed in over 100 countries. For more information on Prince products, athletes and programs, please visit www.princesports.com.

About IMG Academies
IMG Academies, located in Bradenton, Fla., is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and education complex dedicated to developing the TOTAL ATHLETE™.  For more than 30 years, IMG Academies has helped countless youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes reach their full potential in sport and life, by providing expert coaching, tailored programs and world-class facilities within an energetic environment across a 400-acre campus.

Today the campus attracts more than 20,000 athletes from 100 countries annually. The Academies consists of the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy, IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy, IMG Madden Football Academy, IMG Baseball, Basketball, Lacrosse and Soccer academies – all supported by the IMG Pendleton School and IMG Performance Institute’s multi-faceted training disciplines. IMG Academies also conducts camps, clinics and events year-round, while providing support to teams and federations around the world. Find more info at www.imgacademies.com.  
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Contact:
Kim Berard, IMG Academies, kim.berard@imgworld.com, 941-752-2621
Zach Perles,, Prince Sports, Inc, zperles@princesports.com, 609-291-5932

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Prince is a global tennis brand that has enjoyed a history of cultivating champions and bringing to market the most important, game-changing technical tennis product innovations of the last forty years.