Fans of California State University, Northridge Athletics who were wondering when they could buy Matador gear at local retailers need to wait no longer, as CSUN has entered into a partnership with Sport Chalet to carry the university’s athletic gear.

The Sport Chalet in Porter Ranch, just four miles from campus, is the first store to carry the officially licensed gear, with other locations in the franchise beginning to carry the active wear in the months ahead. CSUN Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brandon E. Martin noted that more than 40,000 CSUN alumni live within a five-mile radius of the campus, and now they can buy athletic apparel highlighting the university’s new “Rise of the Matadors” pride campaign.

“This is a game-changer for CSUN Athletics,” Martin said. “This is a partnership with the community that we’ve wanted for a long time. What better partner than Sport Chalet in what we’re trying to do? From the leadership to middle management, they’ve been close partners in making this happen. This is going to provide more options for our fans, for our students, and for some of our other constituents to be able to come in and purchase our apparel.”

Helping cut the ribbon during a recent celebration of the partnership at the Porter Ranch location was CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison.

“Our department of athletics is on the rise and is on the rise in many different ways,” Harrison said. “The timing of this partnership works perfectly. I think the demand for our products and our identity is going to be very high.”

Fans are encouraged to enroll in the Sport Chalet Community Action Pass program, which allows CSUN Athletics to receive 3.3 percent back on every purchase.

“CSUN really matters a lot,” said Sport Chalet CEO Craig Levra. “To be the first official retailer with CSUN is a big deal for us. The product came out great, that’s the number one thing. The fans, the students and the alumni are going to love it, especially the whole giveback piece that we believe in so strongly at Sport Chalet.”

Also taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony was Sport Chalet Chief Financial Officer Howard Kaminsky, a CSUN alumnus brimming with Matador pride throughout the event.

“It’s really exciting to see a synergistic relationship between Sport Chalet and CSUN,” Kaminsky said. “The school over the last several years has grown immensely in terms of image and getting the name out and what they represent.”

Coming on the heels of the June announcement of the CSUN Athletics pride campaign, this new partnership continues the momentum for the university.

“We’ve only hit the cusp of where we can go,” Martin said. “We hope to have several other partnerships throughout the year that have the same impact. This is not just about CSUN Athletics. This is about CSUN, the university. At the end of the day we got better today because we created a partner who is fully vested in our success.”

Events, Featured