Smithfield Foods joins PWBA Tour as a major sponsor

ARLINGTON, Texas – Smithfield Foods will sponsor the final event of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association season, the PWBA Tour Championship, set to take place in September with the finals on national television.

The Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship promoted by GoBowling.com will bring together the top 16 bowlers from the 2015 PWBA Tour season, including the winner of each tour stop, for the season-ending event starting Sept. 10 in Arlington, Texas. The stepladder finals will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network on Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. Eastern, with the winner presented with the Smithfield Cup.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to partner with the PWBA during its comeback season,” Bob Weber, Vice President of Corporate Marketing for Smithfield Foods, said. “The early tour events have drawn a good deal of interest and the PWBA Tour will be a great avenue for our brands to reach bowling fans.”

Smithfield Foods was founded in Smithfield, Virginia, in 1936 and has become the world’s largest producer of pork products. In addition to its Smithfield flagship brand, other notable brands produced by Smithfield Foods include Eckrich, Farmland, Armour, Cook’s Gwaltney, John Morrell and Nathan’s Famous.

The two-year partnership also makes Smithfield the Official Elite Title sponsor of the PWBA Tour.

The PWBA Tour re-launched earlier this year with a three-year funding commitment from the BPAA and the United States Bowling Congress. The season kicked off with the USBC Queens in May and has seen sold-out fields for its first three standard events.

“It’s always great to see when a company such as Smithfield Foods sees the value of marketing through our sport,” said Kelly Kulick, the spokesperson for the PWBA who could be featured in PWBA-themed ads for Smithfield. “The opportunity for women to compete as professional bowlers on a regular basis is possible because of the PWBA Tour and because of companies like Smithfield.”

The PWBA Tour has two more tour stops this season before the PWBA Tour Championship takes place at the International Training and Research Center.

Stefanie Johnson of Grand Prairie, Texas, who won the PWBA Wichita Open for her first career PWBA title, currently leads the points list followed by Diana Zavjalova of Latvia, and Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey.

Visit PWBA.com to learn more about the PWBA, including the season schedule, player information, points list and more.