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Sports and the Community
The strong athletics program at UAlbany provides many opportunities for community involvement, whether through students in athletic teams volunteering their time in the community, the annual New York Giants summer training camp hosted by the University, or the exciting sporting events that are open to the public throughout the academic year.
New York Giants Training Camp
 Since 1996, UAlbany has hosted the New York Giants for their annual summer training camp and the relationship is highly valued by the University, the team, and the community. In 2008, the camp drew approximately 44,000 visitors, the second highest attendance on record since the partnership started. The camp attracts visitors who might not have otherwise come to the campus and allows the University to invest in relationships with the greater community by providing an opportunity for fans to meet the team and see them up close, in action. Fans come from all across the country and contribute to the overall economic vitality of the region when they spend time in the Albany area during their trip. The quality of the food, accommodations, and the fields provides the Giants with the boost they need to train for another tough season, while the University benefits through positive exposure and the Giants' participation in special events that raise scholarship funds. For more information, visit the University's training camp website.
Sporting Events
 UAlbany sports teams provide tremendous family entertainment to tens of thousands of Capital Region sports fans at reasonable prices all year round. The fall features our championship football and volleyball teams and our nationally ranked field hockey team. Basketball season is always exciting as the Great Danes have been in the thick of March Madness two out of the last three years. The spring semester warms up with UAlbany’s nationally ranked lacrosse team and our perennial champion softball team. Visit www.ualbanysports.com for more information.
Volunteering
All of UAlbany's 450 student-athletes give back to the community through service. Many teams have their own projects but all student-athletes participate in community service through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In 2007-08, student-athletes donated approximately 1,700 hours towards activities ranging from helping in soup kitchens to fund-raising walks.
Some of the community service projects that individual teams participate in include: the Ronald McDonald House, the Cystic Fibrosis Stair Climb, Juvenile Diabetes Walk, Breast Cancer Walks, St. Patrick's Soup Kitchen, Education Day at the SEFCU Arena, Relay for Life, among many others. The community service projects that the Department of Athletics and Recreation as a whole participates in through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee have been: the Adopt-A-Family Christmas program, clothing drives and raising money for donations to Project Strive and the Regional Foodbank of Northeastern New York. Giving back to the community is part of UAlbany’s student-athlete enrichment program to help build tomorrow’s leaders. Contact: Carl Anderson
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