Director Holmes Jones introduced Athletes Unlimited (AU) at the Sports Authority meeting and turned the spotlight over to Ali Kleva of AU, who said the league’s success in Nashville stemmed from close collaboration with local organizations and existing professional teams.

“The secret sauce is working with a lot of the organizations that are represented in this room and beyond,” Ali Kleva said, describing an organizing committee assembled by the Nashville Sports Council’s Women in Sports Committee to connect AU to civic and private partners. Kleva said AU did not want to be “a traveling property” that simply “plops in and plops out,” but to build an “authentic experience” tied to Nashville’s history with women’s basketball.

Why it matters: AU’s four-week event filled a gap in Nashville’s women’s professional-sports calendar and, organizers said, generated measurable audience and commercial growth in a short period. Kleva reported a 96% increase in viewership, roughly an 86%–89% increase in attendance, 151% growth in merchandise sales and a 116% rise in social engagement across platforms during the Nashville run.

Kleva said the league’s athlete-driven model — including athletes on AU’s board and player executive committees that help govern league decisions — helped produce both on-court intensity and community engagement. “You see players getting signed to training camps out of AU,” Kleva said, adding that WNBA general managers and coaches attended AU games and scouts actively used the event to evaluate players.

Holmes Jones and other Sports Authority members noted AU’s emphasis on community activation — appearances, a community day of giving and partnerships with local teams and venues — and said AU’s return for two more seasons gives the city time to plan larger entertainment and partnership elements for future events.

Kleva said AU is planning strategy work for 2026 and 2027 with the Nashville organizing committee and asked local partners to continue coordinating on marketing, hospitality and community programming as the league expands its presence.

The spotlight segment closed with the authority expressing support for deeper collaboration between AU and local sports and tourism stakeholders as AU prepares to extend its Nashville schedule.