CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Raycom Sports announced today that Food Lion has renewed as an Atlantic Coast Conference Official Corporate Champion. Food Lion is the longest continuous sponsor of the ACC, as its partnership began in 1985. Raycom Sports manages the ACC Official Corporate Champion program.

“We are pleased that Food Lion will continue to be an ACC Official Corporate Champion,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The relationship between the ACC and Food Lion is over 30 years strong, and we appreciate their ongoing support of the conference."

As the Official Grocery Store of the ACC, Food Lion will continue to receive benefits that include extensive television and marketing tie-ins with ACC Basketball and Football, as well as all of the Conference's Championship events. Assets include on-site marketing, promotional opportunities, brand exposure, licensing rights, and integration on all official ACC digital platforms.

“We are very proud to continue our longstanding relationship with Food Lion as an ACC Official Corporate Champion,” said Bill Lancaster, Vice President of Sales for Raycom Sports. “The Food Lion brand has deep roots as a dedicated partner of Raycom Sports and the ACC and we look forward to building on that for years to come.”

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, North Carolina, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and employs more than 63,000 associates. The grocer has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. 

"Food Lion has stores in many ACC school markets and we are extremely pleased to continue our longstanding partnership as the official grocery sponsor," said Evan Harding, Director of Marketing for Food Lion. "We look forward to bringing an easy, fresh and affordable grocery shopping experience to fans and cheering on all of our favorite teams this season."

Based in Salisbury, North Carolina since 1957, Food Lion has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has committed to provide 500 million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020. Food Lion is a company of Delhaize America, a U.S. division of Zaandam-based Royal Ahold Delhaize Group. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 65th year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 27 NCAA sports – 14 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).

Charlotte-based Raycom Sports is a leading independent sports sales & marketing, syndication, event management and production firm. Raycom is the current syndicated television rightsholder of ACC men’s basketball and football telecasts through 2027. In a partnership with ESPN and the ACC, Raycom operates the ACC Network, which distributes ACC content through live television broadcasting, original programming via digital technologies, historical archives, mobile applications, social media, ACC Championship events and the official ACC website. Raycom Sports’ parent company Raycom Media, located in Montgomery, Alabama, owns or operates 65 television stations covering over 16 percent of the United States across 20 states.