GALESBURG, IL – Knox College athletics unveiled a new look today, launching the department’s new Web site at PrairieFire.Knox.edu.
Knox partnered with SIDEARM Sports to development the new site, which provides the College with a more dynamic and graphically attractive presence on the Web. Knox is the second school (Illinois College) in the Midwest Conference to partner with SIDEARM for web solutions. The Midwest Conference Web site is also powered by SIDEARM.
The new PrairieFire.Knox.edu was developed by SIDEARM’s designers, in concert with the Knox athletic external relations team. The new site replaces the previous athletics site, which was developed in 2009, and provides Knox more flexibility in using the department’s vast photographic and video inventory.
“The new site offers a cutting edge Web presence for Knox athletics,” said Prairie Fire director of athletics Chad Eisele. “It provides a high level of user friendliness and amenities. The Web site will greatly enhance our ability to connect with our fans and potential student-athletes. The Web site reflects the direction that Knox athletics is going.”
In addition to the new color scheme and graphics, visitors to PrairieFire.Knox.edu will immediately notice the enhanced photos and video. Large action photos greet visitors on the new home page and each sport’s home page, and user friendly photo galleries connect to each sport’s home page. A video player allows fans to see highlights from athletic contests and what is going on around the department. Additional video content will continue to be housed on the Knox College YouTube site.
For smart phone users, a mobile version of the site is accessible for easy access to Prairie Fire scores and stories.
“We have been blessed with a wealth of great photos of our athletes over the year, and more recently video footage, but until now we were limited on its use online,” said Knox assistant athletic director for external relations Harold Watson. “Adding those critical pieces will allow us better tell the story of our teams and student-athletes. It also provides our coaches with a much more dynamic piece by which to connect with prospective student-athletes.”
Other new enhancements to the site include an easier to read schedule of events for all sports, enhanced advertising capabilities and an easier to use interface for sports information staff to update the site. Fans can also sign-up for text alerts to receive scores the second the game ends, right in the palm of their hands. Additional items, including biographies on the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, will be added in the coming weeks.
While many things with the new Web site will bring about changes, many things will stay the same. Fans will continue to find detailed game stories, statistics, season previews and recaps, player biographies, and features on the site.
ABOUT SIDEARM SPORTS: Founded in 1996 by Jeff Rubin, SIDEARM Sports provide athletics web solutions for over 500 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada at every level of the college game. Knox is the second school in the Midwest Conference to partner with SIDEARM for web solutions. In addition to the Midwest Conference website, SIDEARM also powers Illinois College athletics and will soon be the home for Grinnell College athletics. To learn more about SIDEARM Sports, visit www.sidearmsports.com.
