SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara Athletics announced on Thursday the official launch of The Mission NIL Collective. This collective has been created in a strong effort to support all Santa Clara athletes' Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities. The Mission NIL Collective is powered by Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL), an agency that runs collective support for a variety of collegiate athletics departments, including Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and others.
"This is an amazing day for Santa Clara Athletics," Director of Athletics Renee Baumgartner said. "Providing a top-notch platform for our student-athletes to access NIL opportunities has been a major priority for all of us here at Santa Clara ever since the use of NIL became permissible in July 2021, and I am so thrilled to finally be able to unveil The Mission NIL Collective to them. Our student-athletes always come first, and being able to support them in their NIL endeavors is and always will be among the biggest priorities for this department."
The Mission NIL was created with one goal in mind – to empower Santa Clara student-athletes to achieve their greatest potential in the classroom, on the playing field, and in life. With the passing of legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, The Mission NIL leverages the collective power of the alumni and fans to equip student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary for them to excel both during and beyond their time in Santa Clara. More importantly, we seek to help student-athletes to use NIL to maximize its impact on the community, and to do so the right way without ever compromising the values of the university and the legacy of all those who have worn the red and white in the past.
"Student-athletes now have the opportunity to leverage their name, image and likeness to maximize their entrepreneurial endeavors," says Jason Belzer, CEO of SANIL. "It should only be natural then, that Santa Clara University - located in the heart of Silicon Valley - can provide their student-athletes with nearly limitless opportunities to make the most of their NIL while competing in intercollegiate athletics. We're excited to launch The Mission NIL and help empower Bronco student-athletes to achieve their goals off the field and court."
The collective is already off to a great start as the entire Santa Clara men's basketball roster has already signed NIL agreements through the collective.
The Mission NIL Collective is not affiliated in any way with Santa Clara University. It is a third party created to work with Santa Clara student-athletes.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE MISSION NIL COLLECTIVE
"In our ever-changing landscape of college athletics, being able to support our student-athletes' NIL opportunities is among our top priorities. This is a tremendous platform and an amazing opportunity for all of our student-athletes." – Herb Sendek, Santa Clara Men's Basketball Head Coach
"This is a fantastic day for all of Santa Clara Athletics. We are so grateful to have this opportunity to provide a platform to support all of our-student athletes and their NIL endeavors." – Jerry Smith, Santa Clara Women's Soccer Head Coach
For more information about The Mission NIL Collective, check out the website here. For those interested in supporting Santa Clara Student-Athletes, we encourage you to subscribe by clicking here.
ABOUT SANIL
Student Athlete NIL (SANIL) is dedicated to helping brands and individuals navigate Name, Image and Likeness. SANIL's goal is to ensure that brand partners are on the winning side of the investment equation. By bringing to bear decades of experience in collegiate sports marketing, combined with ownership of key industry communication assets and a second-to-none understanding of the regulatory environment, our partners can rest assured that they will enter the NIL space equipped with the knowledge, data and insights necessary to take full advantage of one of the greatest arbitrage opportunities in marketing history. SANIL's university program specializes in evaluating and managing incoming NIL requests from brands, individuals and other entities, and then identifying partnerships with the school's student-athletes that best align with the goals of the requested activation. SANIL negotiates each partnership, including defining deliverable and timing responsibilities for each student-athlete, while ensuring that each NIL agreement remains in compliance with university and NCAA rules, as well as state and federal law. SANIL also provides disclosure and escrow services to guarantee proper and timely compensation of student-athletes for any NIL engagements, while also ensuring that they remain in compliance with all IRS regulations.
