NIL Club
Athlete Advocacy and Athlete Platforms
College athletes were traditionally not permitted to benefit financially from their personal brand. Following pressure to address competitive imbalances, eliminate hindrances to fair market practices, and litigation in 2021, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) revised its rules to permit student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, commonly referred to as NIL In 2025, the NCAA made additional changes, including lifting the ban on athletes negotiating NIL deals before enrolling at a university
In the meantime, in 2020, two college athletes and a die-hard sports fan were ahead of the curve, founding YOKE, the technology that supports the NIL Club ecosystem The founders recognized that college athletes had an opportunity to leverage their NIL from the bottom up, namely from their biggest supporters, their fans. They believed that every student should have the ability to benefit from NIL and further engage with fans on a much more personal level They built an app to bring together fans and student-athletes while empowering the athletes to optimize their name, image, and likeness
The NIL Club app is the culmination of working with hundreds of thousands of student-athletes.
About NIL Clubs: Supporting Athletes through Membership
NIL Club is a trustworthy platform that empowers college and high school student-athletes to earn money through their name, image, and likeness Athletes can connect with fans, build their personal brands, and generate recurring income, all within a structured and transparent environment The platform is designed with compliance and student well-being in mind, making it a respected choice across both collegiate and high school levels.
Today, there are more than 20,000 groups and teams, with 250,000 participating students, and over $16 million earned by student-athletes.
How a NIL Club Works
When fans subscribe to a NIL Club (for example, supporting members of the Alabama Football team or members of the USC Women’s Basketball team), they gain membership and exclusive access to content all year round. At the same time, fans provide financial support through their membership fees to participating NIL Club athletes The fan subscription is a monthly fee that can be cancelled at any time.
YOKE builds the software behind the NIL Clubs, enabling student-athletes to earn additional income through fan subscriptions. This doesn’t interfere with the athlete’s academic or athletic commitments Moreover, the technology is driven by what is best for the team, paramount to its success off the field
Athletes sign up to participate in an NIL Club and can also start their own club for any sport, activity, or school
How Student-Athletes Are Paid
NIL Club is a direct-to-athlete, fan-driven monetization platform. Student-athletes are compensated by the club for the use of their name and image on club materials, through the provision of promotional services to drive traffic to the club, and for the licensing, contribution, and publication of content for members Proceeds generated from memberships are pooled and
distributed equally among all active and participating athletes on that team’s NIL Club This model ensures fairness and rewards team-wide engagement, regardless of individual star power
The NIL Club roster is self-governed by the participants themselves, ensuring transparency. They can manage their team’s membership, including removing non-participating teammates, through the NIL Club App.
Fans Get Access to Exclusive Content
As a member of an NIL Club, fans get access to content from their favorite student-athletes that they can’t get anywhere else This includes an authentic behind-the-scenes look at the athletes’ lives, both on and off the field. Content also includes warm-up routines, post-game reactions or recaps, campus life, hobbies, downtime activities, training, and meal preparation routines Athletes can also post personalized thank-you messages to fans, as well as holiday or birthday greetings.
The NIL Club content is generally less filtered and more personal than what student-athletes post on public social media Fans feel a closeness and are truly invested in the athlete’s journey, while also providing them with a sustainable way to monetize their brand
NIL Club for High Schoolers
With the success of college NIL Clubs, high school students are also embracing this model. NIL Clubs are being rolled out to high school athletes one state at a time Legal experts review each state's bylaws and rules before allowing any students to sign up for an NIL Club in that state
Parents and guardians play a crucial role in supporting their teens’ NIL Club experience by staying engaged, encouraging responsible online behavior, and emphasizing the importance of commitment and effort. They are also responsible for assisting users under the age of 18 with managing withdrawals from the NIL Club platform High school NIL Clubs are available to all high school students, not just athletes. Students from various social groups and activities (e.g., band, theater, robotics) are already using the platform, empowering them to start their entrepreneurial journey and gain financial literacy experience The high school version of the NIL Club app also has guardrails in place to ensure students are not compensated for athletic achievements or participation
Brands on NIL Club
While fan engagement was originally the only way student-athletes monetized their NIL through the NIL Club app, brand partnerships have gained significant popularity on the app since June 2025 Brands have the opportunity to engage with the hundreds of thousands of student-athletes through the NIL Club. For example, LoveShackFancy has partnered with NIL
Club athletes to create content and run marketing campaigns Financial services company SoFi has partnered with NIL Club to bring thousands of new college athletes to their platform.