The athletic department is partnering with a public affairs advisory firm to ramp up revenue and rally fan engagement among GW’s athletic community, officials announced in a release issued Monday.

The partnership with Bullpen Strategies, an advisory firm that partners with organizations to increase profit through new strategies and practices, will aim to identify new revenue streams while strengthening GW’s relationships with the business community and fan experience, according to the release. The announcement comes after administrators and student leaders worked to harness a rebound in energy during the first season with crowds at basketball games since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to begin our partnership with Bullpen Strategies,” Tanya Voguel, the director of athletics, said in the press. “As our passionate student body, alumni and fanbase knows, GW Athletics champions success in the classroom and competition.”

Vogel said the partnership would build up GW’s relationships of the University with the business community while allowing the athletic department to grow “resources” for student-athletes on and off the field.

Bullpen Strategies specializes in business development, marketing, innovation and training that will help partners like GW connect with brands and “innovative” partnerships, according to the firm’s website. GW will become the newest addition to the firm’s 15 partners, which include George Mason, American, the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards, among other teams and organizations.

“We are grateful and honored by the opportunity to work alongside the leadership of GW Athletics to connect brands through innovative partnerships,” Graham Dunn, the principal of Bullpen Strategies, said. “This is an exciting time for GW Athletics, and we are eager to tailor partnerships that connect corporate partners to this incredible fanbase, alumni, and students.”