Colts pumping college football

The Indianapolis Colts won't take the field during a nationally televised game at the RCA Dome Oct. 28, but the professional franchise is as much a player in the matchup as the two collegiate teams battling between the goal lines.

Colts officials have been instrumental in coordinating the game

But the game represents more than a 60-minute Big 10 gridiron clash. It's the Colts' first foray in promoting college football. and sports industry insiders said it could be the first step in building an empire similar to one Pacers Sports and Entertainment is erecting.

"This could be the beginning of something interesting," said Met Poole, president of North Carolina-based SponsorLogic and an expert on sports promotions, marketing and operations. "This is just too good an opportunity for the Colts to pass up."

Pacers Sports and Entertainment handles much of the operation of Conseco Fieldhouse, including coordinating college basketball games and other sporting events, as well as music and other shows.

The Colts have much less control over the RCA Dome, but the deal struck between the Colts, dome and IU officials could be the first sign of the franchise's desire to become a bigger player on the local sports and entertainment scene.

"It's all about trying to become more vertically integrated. That's what drives the bottom line," said Milton Thompson, president of Grand Slam Cos., an Indianapolis-based sports marketing firm.

National Football League officials said the Colts are taking a step in the right direction.

"The Colts have gotten more involved in how the dome is administered, and we encourage that," said Aaron Jones, NFL Properties' director of club services. "More and more teams are moving to have total control of the facility they play in. That's not the case in Indianapolis, but it's been 'a big improvement in the last two to three years. You need to increase what you offer corporate sponsors and partners. This is a very, very good move."

Colts officials insist the move - at least for now - is mostly about promoting football in Indiana.

"There's a sports reason for this, and there's a business reason," said Ray Compton, Colts vice president of sales and marketing. "We want to promote football any way we can in the state of Indiana. We think one way to do that is have more football games in the RCA Dome."

The deal also promotes the Colts' good will with IU fans, officials, alumni, and city businesses and officials, said Mark Rosentraub, associate dean of the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and author of "Major League Losers," a book on professional franchise operations.

"There is no secret that the Colts also want 4 new stadium, and highlighting their good citizenship activities and the fact that IU and even Purdue could play a game or two at a new downtown stadium in Indianapolis would help build popular support for the financing of this facility," Rosentraub said.

Colts officials are hoping the deal with IU will spur relationships with other collegiate programs. The Colts already have agreed to play a preseason game Aug. 12 in Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium, and team officials want to further that relationship.

The Colts aren't the only ones hoping to prosper from the franchise's end run into college athletics. IU officials hope the dome game will bolster interest and attendance for the school's football program. Last year, IU averaged about 35,000 people per home game in the 52,354-seat Memorial Stadium.

"We're very aware of how many alumni and friends we have in Indianapolis," said Dave Martin, IU associate athletic director and director of the Varsity Club. "I believe this will re-establish an interest and get the alumni and other fans to travel to Bloomington."

Colts sales and marketing officials are making an aggressive push toward group and, corporate ticket sales, an audience IU has difficulty marketing to en masse

"This is a unique partnership," Compton said. "A lot of times, professional and collegiate sports stay at arm's length. This is good for all of us. As time goes by, I think we can have two or three big college football games in the dome each year. I think there's room for that."

The deal makes solid business sense for all parties, sports industry insiders agree.

"With the Colts promoting this, they come up with more qualified leads and they're more likely to sell more tickets," said Matthew Friedman, editor of Team Marketing Report, a Chicago-based research firm and trade publication focusing on sports operations. "If they can get new fans to the dome, they'd be more likely to come back to see a Colts game for a parallel experience."

The game also is positive for the cityrun RCA Dome, which will receive $65,000 in rent from IU, plus a take on concessions and parking. If attendance goals are met, dome officials get another $ 10,000. Indiana and Penn State get a percentage of ticket sales.

Depending on NCAA rules, some IU-Colts ticket packages are likely, Compton said. Tickets for the IUPenn State game will be priced from $15 to $30. Children 14 and under will be admitted for $9.

Compton refused to divulge how the Colts will be compensated.

"We'll be financially involved, but only after [IU] comes out of the game healthy," he said.

Exposure for the Colts and dome sponsors is enhanced because the game is being televised nationally on ESPN2.

"The more events that take place at the dome, the better for RCA and other sponsors," Friedman said. "It's an added bang for their buck at no charge, plus they get to be put in front of a few million viewers on television."

Sports marketers said that while the Colts are on the cutting edge of this kind of promotion, it will become necessary for future economic viability.

"It's a self-promotional sports world out there," Poole said. "The name of the game for different sports franchises is to segment and conquer different fait bases. These cross-promotions are the wave of the future."