The Catawba College Athletic Department announced the release of its own mobile application in early October. The app is available free of charge for Kindle and Android devices through the Google Play store. An Apple version is still under review and should be released by the end of October.
StepLeader Inc., a Raleigh-based company, developed the application for Catawba and is working to release it through all three platforms. “StepLeader began building mobile apps for local Fox News channels across the country. Their background is getting news and information out to the public quickly and effectively and that was exactly our goal,” said David McDowell, the assistant sports information director at Catawba.
The development process began in June and was completed in late September. The application includes headline news, team specific news, schedules, rosters, live stats and video, social media, photo sharing and more. McDowell added that the application will continually evolve, with the addition of updates and improvements. Improvements already in the forecast include the addition of season stats, easier viewing of the team schedules, and the addition of a link to the newest athletics social media page, Pinterest.
The new mobile application will provide worldwide exposure for Catawba athletics and allow supporters to give back to the school just by using the app. Each download and page viewed by users creates revenue for Catawba at no cost to the user. The application displays a small ad at the bottom of each page and when each page is viewed, Catawba is credited for displaying the advertising. Generated revenue from the app’s advertising will be shared between Catawba and StepLeader.
While generating revenue to reinvest in Catawba athletics and its student-athletes is an added benefit, McDowell said, the most important aspect of the new app is that Catawba fans and alumni now have a simple and easy method to keep up with various teams no matter their distance from campus.