St. Luke’s sponsorship of Boise State club sports a huge hit in first year: 'win-win-win'

Attend a few Boise State sporting events and you can’t miss St. Luke’s support of the state’s largest university. The health system’s logo adorns multiple athletic facilities, from Dona Larsen Park, home of the softball team, to Albertsons Stadium.

But for the 2024-25 academic year, another group of Boise State athletes also have St. Luke’s front and center — right on their uniforms.

Comprising 25 teams and more than 700 students, club sports are a vital part of the campus experience for many Boise State students. Both the university and St. Luke’s saw an opportunity to collaborate by making St. Luke’s the title sponsor of club sports, supporting physical activity and aligning with the health system’s mission to improve the health of people in the communities we serve.

“It’s kind of rare (when) you get into a space where its win-win-win, but I think this has been a great example of that,” said Brandon Fudge, director of corporate strategic partnerships at the Boise State University Foundation. “It’s the end of Year 1 and we feel like the momentum is just getting started.”

Through its sponsorship, St. Luke’s provides $50,000 annually through the 2028-29 academic year to the club sports general fund, created this school year.

Though teams still have their own accounts and ways to fundraise and accept donations, the fund works two-fold — to support travel for teams qualifying for regional and national teams, plus increasing maximum funding provided to each team by two-thirds. The goal is to continually foster a community within Boise State while providing the benefits of being active and part of a team.

“Being able to give more help … it alleviates player dues for every team,” said Jada Swenson, a club softball player and Club Sports Council president. “Softball is $500-$600 a year, before fundraising, sponsorships, donations. It does help the cost and opens the door for more students to be able to play club sports without the cost being a (hurdle) for them.”

While St. Luke’s continues to be a sponsor of Boise State’s scholarship sports, having the opportunity to be involved with club teams presented an exciting opportunity.

Boise State had just begun its on-campus sponsorship efforts in full as the academic year began. And pairing with Idaho’s largest private employer made sense – plus, St. Luke’s had positive experiences with club sports teams volunteering at events like FitOne.

Swenson said the council meets with every team, which then presents a budget and a funding request for whatever it may need — equipment, jerseys, even possible scholarships. She said it has helped bolster her leadership skills, while presenting teams get experience creating a budget and pitching ideas.

“Club sports are funded by students themselves and student fees, which make up a portion of the rec center budget,” Fudge said. “The current use fund that was created, it offers more in a sustainable way without raising student fees. You’re doing more with more.”

St. Luke’s also offers support from an athletic trainer to Boise State to be stationed at the recreation center and competitions. St. Luke’s has athletic trainers supporting local high schools, the Boise Hawks, Idaho Steelheads and smaller colleges. Swenson joked that she is “one of the most consistent patients there” because of a lingering hip injury for which she recently had surgery at St. Luke’s in Boise.

There also is a bit of personal interest, as Swenson is a pre-med major. She has experienced St. Luke’s care from the patient side but also is gearing up for a potential career in pediatrics.

And that is another reason the Boise State pairing makes sense — many of the student-athletes will remain in the community and pursue careers in health care.

“I’m 100% interested in coming back to Boise (after med school),” Swenson said. “Now seeing the support in club sports … helping such a big program that so few people know about has opened my eyes. If I end up back in Boise, St. Luke’s is 100% a place I’d be applying for jobs and look into working for.”

Said Fudge: “It’s a really awesome first dip of the toe and people in these sports are going to make memories, now St. Luke’s in a way will be a part of those.”