TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University athletics department recently finalized a three-year extension with Coppermine for facilities rentals. This partnership is intended to generate significant revenue for the department. In the expanded agreement, every athletics venue, with the exception of Burdick Pool, is available for Coppermine to rent.
 
College athletics has undergone a series of transformations over the past several years. From navigating initiatives such as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the House settlement, the only constant is that change will continue. Universities now face extreme pressure to devise strategies for revenue and access to funding to offset the cost of athlete revenue-sharing.
 
Coppermine is Maryland's largest destination for youth sports – with 21 facilities in the Baltimore metropolitan area – providing year-round social, athletic and fitness programming including youth and adult classes, clinics and camps as well as leagues and nationally competitive club teams in lacrosse, soccer and field hockey.
 
"In the new era of college athletics, it is important to find new and creative ways to generate revenue," said Towson Deputy Athletics Director Casey Cegles, who oversees revenue generation for the department. "This was an easy decision for us. Our goal is to get people over to south campus and the idea of 50-75,000 youth in the area visiting our side of campus is exciting. It is also a partnership Coppermine values. We have had extensive conversations about our programs using their facilities and are transitioning all our coaches' camps and clinics to Coppermine."
 
The initial agreement between Towson and Coppermine began in May 2024 and included Tiger Field/Lower Fields Complex, the Tiger Tennis Complex, the TU Field Hockey Complex, Johnny Unitas® Stadium and the Towson Center gym. The new partnership has added the SECU Arena court, Schuerholz Park and the Tiger Softball Stadium to the lineup.
 
"Geographically, Towson is perfect for us. So many of our families surround the Beltway, so it is easy access for them. It is a good opportunity for parents to see the campus and potentially want to come to school here," said Alex Jacobs, owner and CEO of Coppermine. "Towson has an amazing brand, and we want to protect it. We understand how to operate facilities and how to manage and facilitate assets to create revenue."
 
In July, Coppermine brought The MidAtlantic Summer Club Championships to campus with the nation's top women's lacrosse club teams vying for championships in seven different divisions - from rising seniors in high school to girls just entering middle school.
 
"The great thing about Coppermine is the flexibility they bring to the table, not only for us to have exposure to local youth, but also hosting regional and national events that bring in families from beyond the borders of our state, as Towson tries to grow its reputation nationally," said Towson Director of Athletics Steve Eigenbrot. "We appreciate that Coppermine was willing to invest in this relationship and we could work together to meet the needs of Towson University athletics in this new era in a way that also maximizes the support we have received from the state of Maryland to have these beautiful facilities. This partnership gives us a chance to maximize that potential and expose a ton of young people to our first-class Division I facilities."