The Nebraska Alumni Association has a new partnership with AKRS Equipment Solutions to be the exclusive naming rights partner for the Nebraska Champions Club.

The newly-named AKRS Champions Club is the premier Nebraska football tailgating and private event space located across the street from Memorial Stadium. It is owned and operated by the Nebraska Alumni Association.

The agreement, which runs through the 2026 football season, partners the Nebraska Alumni Association, the organization representing more than 200,000 University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni, with AKRS Equipment Solutions, the Midwest’s premier John Deere dealership with 27 locations.

In addition to the naming rights partnership, AKRS President Kevin Clark, a 1993 Nebraska graduate and former student-athlete on the Husker cross country and track and field teams, indicated AKRS would make a commitment toward creating new opportunities for agriculture education by supporting scholarships for students across the University of Nebraska system.

“The partnership with the Nebraska Alumni Association to create the AKRS Champions Club aligns us with an institution with a shared commitment to success and excellence,” Clark said. “In addition, our scholarship program will deepen our relationships with the communities we serve and the University of Nebraska.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with an alumni-owned business, whose leadership and staff care about strengthening our university,” said Shelley Zaborowski, executive director of the Nebraska Alumni Association. “In looking for a partner for the Champions Club, it was important for us to find the right fit for our organization and the UNL community. It quickly became clear AKRS was the perfect fit. Kevin is a proud UNL alumnus, a Nebraska native and cares deeply about our alma mater.”

The AKRS Champions Club, which opened in 2001, is a private membership-based club owned and operated by the Nebraska Alumni Association. On game days, the Champions Club hosts between 4,000 and 7,000 fans with catered food and drink in the two-story facility, which also features more than 400 parking stalls for club members.

On non-gamedays, the AKRS Champions Club is available for the public to rent to host events such as wedding receptions, tradeshows, conferences, seminars and banquets. The Champions Club has hosted speakers such as Supreme Court justices, Super Bowl champions and Fortune 500 executives. On weekdays, the lot provides parking for students, faculty and staff.

AKRS Equipment Solutions, based in Lincoln with locations across the state, is the Midwest’s premier John Deere dealership with 27 locations. It formed in 2020 when Plains Equipment Group, Stutheit Implement and Greenline Equipment joined forces to create the most innovative and forward-thinking dealership in the Midwest.