As a 450,000-square-foot sports and wellness hub, The St. James offers a variety of experiences for both children and adults alike, ranging from youth sports programming to personal training. And, as of last month, those experiences will be heightened due to the company’s first partnerships with two global athletic brands: TaylorMade and Tecnifibre, which specialize in manufacturing sporting equipment for golf and racket sports, respectively.
While golf and squash programs are already offered within the facility’s Squash and Golf House—consisting of eight squash courts and seven full-swing golf simulators—the new partnerships will bring additional technology, equipment and professional training to the space.
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“We are very focused on creating best-in-class experiences for the people we serve,” says The St. James co-founder Kendrick Ashton. “So, as we think about partners, it’s through that prism. Squash and golf are two of our most important sports and it’s more difficult to create visibility for them than some of our other sports.”
With these brand partnerships, according to Ashton, The St. James will be able to grow squash and golf to “the level of maturity” of the other sports served within the complex. For the squash community, athletes endorsed by Tecnifibre will host clinics and special events at The St. James, giving youth and adult members the chance to work first-hand with professionals. As for golf-enthusiasts, state-of-the-art, custom-fitting stations from TaylorMade are now available within the sports complex.
In addition, both TaylorMade and Tecnifibre will demo and release new products with athletes at The St. James.
According to Ashton, plans for larger, community-wide events in partnership with both brands are underway. The St. James also plans on partnering with other globally recognized brands in the near future, in an effort to increase its offerings.
“We are in significant, advance conversations with well-developed brands as we speak,” says Ashton. “There is a very clear understanding among brands that The St. James is an extraordinary way to authentically engage these athletes and to help the market understand the quality and value of their product and expertise.”