Marc Garneau’s Athletics Association announced the sale of their new hoodies on 23 October via Facebook. SAC’s first line of apparel, designed by Mohammed Walizada, features a cougar logo with the words “MGCI Athletics 2016-2017” below it.
To purchase the thirty dollar hoodies, students contacted SAC’s Athletic Convenor, Ali Khan, or Zainab Bokhari through social media or at school; sales began on 31 October and payments were due by 11 November. The Athletic Committee ordered the apparel from the sweater-printing company Doobgear.
The logo printed on MGCI’s Athletic Committee hoodies was designed by Mohammed Walizada, an MGCI student.
The hoodies were offered in nineteen colours but black, white, light pink, maroon and navy blue were the most popular. Students also had the option of either black or white writing; the two different designs were both posted in the MGCI Updates Facebook group. The hoodies were promoted on SAC’s Facebook page, the MGCI Athletics Facebook page, and MGCI Updates Facebook group. Athletic Committee members also asked physical education teachers to advertize on their behalf.
The Athletic Committee originally intended for the hoodies to be exclusive to committee members. However, interest from students outside of the club encouraged Ali to open sales up to the school. Committee members were allowed to have their name and position printed on the back, while the general student population would only have their names. The sales became an effective fundraising initiative for the committee and increased Garneau’s recognition of the school’s athletics.
One concern about the sale of the hoodies was its impact on SAC sweater sales; it is likely that students would only purchase one out of the two pieces of apparel. When asked to comment on the concern, Zainab replied, “I’m not sure whether that will affect it negatively or positively. Regardless, the hoodies are an individual project and not combined with SAC.”
Overall, the hoodies were a successful initiative undertaken by the Athletics Committee; a total of thirty eight were sold. It was the first time hoodies unique to the athletics department have been offered to the school, and the committee was pleased with the amount of interest they garnered. Zainab confirmed that the popularity of the hoodies was expected, and mentioned that the committee added a second round of orders after the design was released to satisfy demand.
