Renamed were stadiums at Arcanum, Brookville, Butler, Greenville, Northmont, Piqua, Tippecanoe, Tri-County North, Trotwood-Madison and Wayne. Also, renamed was an academic program at Chaminade Julienne and Dixie’s athletic program.
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It’ll be on Premier to cover costs for the change.
“It’s labor intensive for Premier,” Butler athletic Director Jordan Shumaker said. “It has no (financial) impact on us other than the signs are changed.”
The renaming of area high school stadiums and athletic facilities ramped up about a decade ago as a result of generous donations to selected school districts by the competing Premier and Kettering health networks. Their namesakes are now highly visible signage at schools that have partnered.
The relatively new athletic facilities that were completed at Miamisburg High School following the debut of Holland Field for football in 2016 are referred to as the Kettering Health Network Wellness Complex.
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The medical interest in pursuing this kind of high-profile advertising was intended for families, students and communities to identify with – and frequent – those facilities. Those brands appear throughout each partnered school, especially at stadiums and gymnasiums.
“It’s everywhere,” Shumaker said. “It’s in the (Student Activity Center), it’s on the scoreboard in the (gym). We just built a new (football) scoreboard, so it’ll be on there and the press box. It’s everywhere.”
Contracts of varying duration are agreed upon between the medical networks and schools, in exchange for naming and athletic trainer rights. That caused a relatively recent shakeup of some longtime area school trainers who were not part of the medical network that aligned with a school.
“They provide us trainers at a reduced cost in exchange for naming rights and marketing,” said Shumaker.
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Many of these original stadium names – often celebrating graduates, coaches, influential community members or sponsors – were retained as new field identification.
Not all Premier-backed athletic facilities carried the Good Samaritan namesake. Springboro plays its home football games at CareFlight Field at Watkins Stadium. That’s a nod to Premier’s helicopter ambulance service.
Franklin, also in Warren County, plays football at Veterans Memorial Field at Atrium Stadium in Franklin Community Park. The Atrium Medical Center at nearby Middletown is a member of Premier Health Partners.
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Locale also is considered for the medical-related stadium names. Three of the renamed stadiums were rechristened in part to Miami Valley Hospital North, an expanding facility on North Main Street in Englewood that is destined to draw former Good Sam business.
This news outlet reached out to Premier Health Partners and Kettering Health Network for comment and more information.
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Here’s a listing of the renamed area stadiums:
Arcanum: Good Samaritan North Fields changes to Miami Valley Hospital North Fields.
Brookville: Good Samaritan Fields changes to Miami Valley Hospital Fields.
Butler: Good Samaritan Athletic Complex changes to Miami Valley Hospital Athletic Complex.
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Greenville: Good Samaritan Stadium / Harmon Field changes to Miami Valley Hospital North Stadium / Harmon Field.
Northmont: Good Samaritan Stadium changes to Premier Health Stadium.
Piqua: UVMC / Good Samaritan North Athletic Complex changes to Upper Valley Medical Center Athletic Complex.
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Tippecanoe: Good Samaritan North / UVMC Athletic Complex changes to Upper Valley Medical Center Sports Complex.
Tri-County North: Good Samaritan Field changes to Miami Valley Hospital North Field.
Trotwood-Madison: Good Samaritan Sports Plex changes to Miami Valley Hospital Sports Plex.
Wayne: Good Samaritan Field at Heidkamp Stadium changes to Premier Health Field at Heidkamp Stadium.
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In addition, CJ’s Biomedical Sciences Program funded in part by Good Samaritan Hospital changes to Chaminade Julienne Biomedical Sciences Program funded in part by Premier Health.
Also, the Dixie Athletic Program Supported by Good Samaritan Hospital is now known as the Dixie Athletic Program Supported by Miami Valley Hospital.
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