CUSTOM solutions THAT DRIVE revenue growth
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES helps you drive revenue generation across channels, and next-level your athletic department's success. We know what best-in-class is, and can get you and your team there.
We undertake a holistic review of your gameday presentation and guest experience, and equip you with the tools to reach your potential. We custom-tailor every experience to fit your needs.
Why
Revenue sharing. Negative economic trends. Financial uncertainties from government policy changes impacting your university. These and other factors ratchet up the existing pressures on revenue growth.
Executing gameday at a high level provides the best foundation for athletics revenue growth across all channels. Those channels converge every gameday, through ticket sales, activations for your corporate partners, stewardship for athletic advancement, and delivering a great guest experience.
In this rapidly evolving landscape, you can't afford not to get the details right.
What We Do
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES can benchmark your gameday activities, identify the gaps, and outline a methodology to close the gaps.
- We customize each engagement to fit your needs and the unique aspects of your athletic department
- We develop a game plan to elevate your gameday experience to a higher level
- Whether you need a top to bottom review of all your gameday functions, or a targeted look into specific aspects of your operations, we’ve got you covered
Our Services
One Size Does NOT Fit All
We recognize that every situation is different, and every client has different needs. GAMEDAY STRATEGIES offers you a bespoke engagement tailored to fit your specific needs and budget. Our work for you may encompass some or all of the following services.
Diagnostic Assessment
We review all aspects of your gameday operations, focusing on resource allocation, procedures, internal collaboration & coordination, and identifying specific operational improvements and efficiencies.
Our model is built on our expert assessment, and one-on-one interviews with everyone involved in gameday, from the AD to front-line staff. Interviewees are granted anonymity, allowing them to speak freely without attribution. This promotes greater staff buy-in to operational improvements, and individual sessions help with any aversion to speaking out in meetings.
The Summary Report
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES gives you a clear, concise written report summarizing the results of the diagnostic review. The report identifies areas of strength, key challenges, untapped efficiencies and synergies, and suggests short-, medium-, and long-term improvements.
Action Planning
We guide you in developing a roadmap of gameday operational improvements, including implementation plans, metrics and KPIs, timelines, manuals, and other training materials.
Change Management
We help implement your operational improvements by delivering training, facilitating staff engagement, attending games to review progress, and advising the managers leading change.
Check-ins & reviews
We undertake interim assessments of your operational changes and help reshape your action plan as needed.
About Us
Matt Eliot is our Founder/Principal.
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES combines his years of professional experience with his passion for athletics - a passion fueled by the energy and excitement of gameday.
Matt is an excellent communicator, a lifelong learner, and has an incredibly sharp eye for detail. He has spent his career in progressively responsible roles leading and working with diverse teams.
Matt spent more than 7 years with George Washington's athletic department, where he was a member of the senior management team and the revenue generation working group.
Matt built and managed GW's guest experience program, and collaborated across functional teams on all aspects of gameday operations. In addition to managing the guest experience team, Matt led pregame managers meetings, wrote the gameday information sheet, and designed, wrote, and circulated graphic-rich preview and postgame marketing emails.
During his time at GW, Matt also managed GW's athletic trademark licensing program, which delivered record royalty revenues in each year under his management. Matt also served as GW's equipment manager, handling apparel, footwear and equipment needs for GW's 20 varsity teams and managing the relationship with adidas and other vendors.
Matt came to GW following a distinguished career in international development finance with International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank group. Much of his work involved assessments of portfolio companies around the world, and developing and implementing turnaround and exit strategies for IFC's investments. Matt's IFC tenure included extended postings in Thailand, Turkey, Hong Kong, and India.
A graduate of Yale University, Matt was the head student manager of the football team under Hall of Fame coach Carm Cozza.
Matt and his wife reside in Washington, DC, and are the proud parents of two adult children. In his spare time, Matt volunteers at DC's Humane Rescue Alliance, and is a dedicated coffee nerd.
Ken Kavanagh is our Executive Consultant.
Hall of Fame Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh joins GAMEDAY STRATEGIES after over four decades as a highly decorated and respected intercollegiate athletics administrator.
Ken most recently served as Director of Athletics for 15 years at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Kavanagh guided the Eagles through their transition to Division I, where FGCU achieved unprecedented success, securing 97 conference titles – 61 regular season and 36 tournament – and 49 combined NCAA Tournament appearances across 10 sports.
During his tenure at FGCU, eight of the programs achieved at least one NCAA Tournament victory, including the men’s basketball team’s historic run as the first No. 15 seed to make a Sweet 16 appearance with their 2013 "Dunk City" squad, and a record three first round wins as a twelfth-seed by women’s basketball. Eleven of the 15 programs also earned first-ever national rankings.
In addition to achievements in competition, Ken oversaw significant facility enhancements, record attendance marks, and academic accomplishments, with FGCU student-athletes achieving record GPAs and earning prestigious scholar-athlete distinctions.
Kavanagh's commitment to community service was also remarkable, with FGCU contributing nearly 80,000 hours of service over the course of his tenure. This dedication to service earned FGCU recognition as a finalist for national community service awards.
Prior to his time at FGCU, Ken served as director of athletics at Bradley University for 13 years, where he oversaw notable achievements in both athletics and academics, including the Braves men's basketball team Sweet 16 appearance in 2006 (he is the only AD to have hired two separate first-time, mid-major coaches to lead their program to the Sweet 16) and an Elite 8 appearance for men’s soccer in 2007.
Kavanagh played a pivotal role in elevating Bradley's athletics facilities, recording home game attendance, and establishing student-athlete development programs.
Prior to his time at Bradley, Ken was a senior administrator at Bowling Green State University, rising from Assistant Athletics Director to Senior Associate AD for Facilities & Operations. In addition to overseeing all aspects of Bowling Green's athletics venues, home game management, and team travel, Kavanagh was the primary administrator for the Falcons' football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey programs. He also had oversight of financial affairs, sports medicine, and athletic equipment in support of BGSU’s nineteen sports. Ken was honored with the 1991 Doyt L.Perry Award for meritorious service to Bowling Green football.
Kavanagh began his career at Yale University, finishing his time with the Elis as Director of Contests & Team Travel after initially serving the 33-sport program as Assistant Manager of Contests & Promotions. His tenure included oversight of game operations for the sold out 100th edition of The Game vs Harvard at the then-75,000 seat Yale Bowl.
The college athletics industry has bestowed its highest honors on Ken for his many years of service and achievement. He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2025 Hall of Fame Class, and received the DI-AAA Athletic Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Kavanagh was honored three times as NACDA Athletic Director of the Year (2007-08, 2012-13 and 2018-19).
Ken founded the DI-AAA ADA in 2001, and was the group’s President in 2011-12. He served on the NACDA Executive Committee from 2015-19.
A graduate of Boston College, with a Bachelors degree in finance, Ken earned his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame with concentrations in marketing and human resources. Ken and his bride Mary have been married for more than 37 years and reside in Fort Myers, FL. They are the proud parents of five children, the late Megan, Rose, Mitch, Jack, and Quinn, who is Assistant AD for Development at Ole Miss.
Contact Us
We'd love to talk with you about how GAMEDAY STRATEGIES can help drive your success
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES LLC
