KSU has successfully launched a redesigned, observable and interactive Owls Athletic website.
The KSU Athletic Department partnered with SideArm Sports, a highly regarded website building/ engineering group, that helped create the dynamic KSUOWLS.com. The new website offers various features that are appealing to students, fans and players alike.
KSU unveiled a new logo in June that aided in the evolution and further marketing of the school and the athletic program. These logos are proudly displayed on the homepage of the new website.
“When we redesigned the website our main focus was to emphasize Kennesaw State, the re-branding and new logos that have made us unique,” said Athletics Marketing Assistant, Lisa Cherry.
“We really wanted to make it more visually appealing. We have larger photos, and more video,” said Cherry.
The new website displays a slideshow on the homepage of correlating photos to headlining stories from the KSU athletic department. There are nine sub-sections listed at the top of the web page that make for easy navigation around the site. A few of these include: schedules, links for buying tickets online and a multimedia tab.
“Social media was a big part of redesign, we have Twitter feeds constantly running,” Cherry said. “We feel that the website is a great way to communicate information and whether it’s through social media or video we want to get the story of KSU athletics out to the community and student body and really showcase what our student athletes are doing.”
A great feature that the website offers allows students to hashtag on Twitter #goksuowls and upload pictures from KSU sporting events to Instagram. These photos are showcased on the website. Links to YouTube, Facebook and AsunTV (the official site of the Atlantic Sun Conference) offers easy and quick access to everything Owls including interviews, game recaps and highlight reels.
What else is new? The Owls of Excellence. This is an award that is being given to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. These athletes are showcased on the websites homepage for their contributions both at KSU and in the community. Cherry explained that KSU student-athletes are volunteering a lot of their time beyond the playing field. Offering attitudes that are committed to “community service, academic achievement and leadership.”
Cherry referenced Athletic Director Vaughn Williams vision for student-athletes who said, “This is more than just playing a sport, its about developing the person as an individual and giving them opportunities for growth.”
In light of support for KSU Athletics, the new website showcases The Owls Fund. This is the first of what will become an annual fund that helps to financially support athletics at KSU. Cherry mentioned the new Black and Gold Student Group, beginning this fall, which is apart of The Owls Fund. This group is reviewed on the Owls website with in-depth information. Further, accessibility by a link on the new Owls site makes it easy to buy KSU fan gear online. All of the items feature the new KSU logo.
The Owls website provides daily updates, both through press releases, news stories and twitter feeds. With 17 NCAA sports to cover at KSU and 250 participating student athletes there is a lot of information to be harvested.
“We are always looking for students to help, be it with the website, video board, or marketing opportunities, we are here to provide opportunities with the student body,” said Cherry. Director of Athletic Communications, Al Barba, encouraged students who are interested to get involved with the athletic department.
The new athletic website can be found at www.ksuowls.com. For more information on volunteering or being involved with the athletic department, click under the Athletic Department tab on the KSU OWLS homepage, and click Athletics Communication. There is a link listed on the page for student assistant application.
