# Varsity Spirit

> Varsity Spirit is the dominant force in cheerleading and dance, a Memphis-based company that designs and manufactures team uniforms and apparel, runs training camps and clinics, and produces the sport's biggest competitions. Founded in 1974 by Jeff Webb, it grew from a summer camp operation into a vertically integrated business - apparel, camps, competitions, and governing-body partnerships - that touches more than a million athletes each year. It operates as a division of Varsity Brands, owned by KKR.

- **Founded:** 1974
- **Headquarters:** Memphis, Tennessee, United States
- **Founders:** Jeff Webb (Founder (Universal Cheerleaders Association / Varsity Spirit))
- **Team size:** ~1,800 employees
- **Products:** Cheer & Dance Uniforms and Apparel, Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA), Universal Dance Association (UDA), National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) & NDA, Competitions & Championships
- **Notable:** Credited with creating modern competitive cheerleading (partner stunts, pyramids, tumbling and music)., Produced the first nationally televised cheerleading competition on ESPN in 1981., Trains more than 180,000 cheerleaders each summer across 3,200+ camp sessions.

## Products & services

- **Cheer & Dance Uniforms and Apparel** — Design and manufacture of custom cheerleading and dance team uniforms, warmups, campwear, activewear and costumes using performance fabrics.
- **Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA)** — Summer training camps and clinics that train more than 180,000 cheerleaders each summer across thousands of sessions nationwide.
- **Universal Dance Association (UDA)** — Dance team camps, choreography and training, the sister program to UCA.
- **National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) & NDA** — Camps and championship events including the NCA All-Star National Championship, one of the largest cheer events in the world.
- **Competitions & Championships** — Regional, national and international cheer and dance competitions, including nationally televised championships that draw tens of thousands of athletes.
- **Varsity Shop (D2C / e-commerce)** — Direct-to-consumer retail of cheer shoes, poms, bows, accessories, jewelry and camp gear.
- **Varsity Pro / Pro Cheer** — Professional cheer division launched to extend the sport beyond the scholastic and all-star levels.

## Achievements

- Credited with creating modern competitive cheerleading (partner stunts, pyramids, tumbling and music).
- Produced the first nationally televised cheerleading competition on ESPN in 1981.
- Trains more than 180,000 cheerleaders each summer across 3,200+ camp sessions.
- NCA All-Star Nationals grew to 28,000+ athletes, 1,500+ teams and 100,000+ spectators.
- Impacts more than one million athletes annually.
- Grew into the anchor division of Varsity Brands, valued at ~$4.5B in the 2024 KKR deal.

## Latest updates

- **2024-06** — KKR completed its acquisition of parent Varsity Brands from Bain Capital and Charlesbank in a deal valued at ~$4.5 billion.
- **2024-11** — A federal court granted final approval to an $82.5 million antitrust settlement resolving claims over cheer competition, camp and apparel pricing.
- **2025** — Launched a professional cheer initiative (Pro Cheer) to extend the sport beyond scholastic and all-star levels.
- **2026-03** — Founder Jeff Webb died at age 76 following an accident; tributes across the sport called him the architect of modern cheerleading.

## Links

- Website: https://varsity.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/varsity-spirit
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/varsityspirit
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/varsityspirit
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsityspirit
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/varsitycheer
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@varsityspirit

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/varsity-spirit
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-25