Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Athletic Department has partnered with Opendorse to enable Blugold student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). UWEC is among over 100 programs nationwide to provide a single marketplace for supporters to access student-athletes and offer compliant opportunities. It is the first school in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) to do so.

"As the Director of Athletics at UW-Eau Claire, I am absolutely thrilled to announce our dynamic partnership with Opendorse," said UWEC AD Jason Verdugo. "This collaboration is a game changer for our student-athletes, opening up incredible opportunities for them to shine in the NIL landscape. We are beyond excited to join forces with Opendorse, empowering our Blugold athletes to maximize their potential and achieve unparalleled excellence."

Through an online hub and mobile app, Opendorse provides technology and services covering compliance, content, and educational tools that will be used in the developing NIL landscape. The partnership will ensure student-athlete eligibility by enabling them to disclose any NIL deals with the UW-Eau Claire Athletic compliance office.

"We're thrilled to team up with UW-Eau Claire as our first partner in the WIAC," said Opendorse President of College Operations Blake Lawrence. "It's exciting to expand our footprint at the D-III level; there is real opportunity for athletes to achieve NIL success at all levels of college sports, and we're proud to support UWEC in their pursuit of excellence."

Opendorse is a leading athlete marketplace and NIL company providing technology and services for athlete endorsements. More than 130,000 athletes use Opendorse to build and monetize their name, image, and likeness with support from colleges, brands, fans, donors, and partners including Team USA, LEARFIELD, Keller Williams, among others. The platform maximizes NIL opportunities while delivering security and simplicity for all involved parties.

The Opendorse-powered marketplace is built on a decade of athlete marketing technology and experience. It has facilitated hundreds of thousands of NIL deals and endorsements across various sports levels. Over 130,000 athletes use the marketplace daily for managing deals from pitch to payment.

In addition to industry-leading NIL content, compliance, and education solutions provided by Opendorse, every UW-Eau Claire athlete will receive a customizable profile they can promote on personal social media channels. Athletes can review opportunities, receive deals, accept compensation, and disclose NIL activities within the app.

As part of this partnership, UW-Eau Claire will have a branded marketplace where fans, brands sponsors can browse book pitch pay any Blugold student-athlete for NIL activities in one compliant platform designed specifically for athletes' needs. This aims mobilize fan base local organizations best-support its student-athletes.