Northeast Conference & FanWord to Partner On NIL Education & Compliance Platform for Student-Athletes - NEC Skip To Main Content
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Northeast Conference & FanWord to Partner On NIL Education & Compliance Platform for Student-Athletes

8/25/2021


Somerset, NJ -- With student-athletes now empowered to capitalize on their own Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), Northeast Conference (NEC) Commissioner Noreen Morris today announced a new partnership with FanWord, a leader in the NIL space. The agreement provides the NEC with a wide assortment of online NIL educational resources along with a comprehensive disclosure and monitoring platform.

The agreement positions the NEC as the first NCAA DI conference to partner with FanWord as an NIL solution provider.

Through FanWord Coach, the NEC's 5,000+ students-athletes will be provided with strategic guidance furnished with the knowledge, tools and services to succeed in the new NIL era. Student-athletes will benefit from a vast array of online courses, live workshops and protective resources, covering the following topics:
  • Personal Branding
  • Podcasting
  • Financial Literacy Basics
  • Tax Implications
  • Legal Matters (contracts, legislation, business formation)
  • Esports/Gaming
  • Merchandising
  • Storytelling
  • LinkedIn
  • Social Media
  • Entrepreneurship Basics
  • NIL Platforms
"I'm thrilled with the opportunity for the NEC to partner with FanWord and step up as a leader in this new era of collegiate athletics," said Morris. "Our approach with NIL is to position student-athletes for long-term success in the same way we do in both the academic and athletic realms. This partnership will equip student-athletes with a host of extremely powerful tools and educational programming resources to enable them to maximize their opportunities and thrive in this uncharted environment."

"We couldn't be more excited about our partnership with the Northeast Conference and all of their member institutions," said FanWord CEO & Founder Christopher Aumueller. "From the get-go, the NEC showed great leadership and was committed to helping their student-athletes navigate this space safely and maximize their NIL value. We're excited to empower these college athletes with the right tools and services to build, protect, and monetize their personal brands."

The NCAA recently adopted a uniform interim policy suspending NCAA Name, Image and Likeness rules for incoming and current student-athletes in all sports starting on July 1. The temporary policy will remain in place until federal legislation or new NCAA rules are adopted. With the NIL interim policy, schools and conferences may choose to adopt their own additional policies.

The policy provides the following guidance to college athletes, recruits, their families and member schools:
  • Individuals can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the law of the state where the school is located. Colleges and universities may be a resource for state law questions.
  • College athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law can engage in this type of activity without violating NCAA rules related to name, image and likeness.
  • Individuals can use a professional services provider for NIL activities.
  • Student-athletes should report NIL activities consistent with state law or school and conference requirements to their school.
About FanWord
More than 30 athletic departments trust in FanWord to help their student-athletes maximize their NIL value and tell their stories. FanWord offers multiple solutions that empower student-athletes to build, protect, and monetize their personal brands.

About FanWord Coach
FanWord Coach is a unique NIL education and compliance solution for athletic departments and conferences. Student-athletes get to learn from 10+ industry experts through online courses and workshops about important NIL-related topics such as tax implications, financial literacy, personal branding, social media, podcasting, and much more. In addition to that, FanWord Coach offers an innovative and intuitive disclosure tool to reduce compliance risks, simplify the workflow, and save time. Last but not least, student-athletes can access the NIL directory to learn more about vetted marketplaces, merchandise platforms, and other apps they can leverage for monetization. For more information about FanWord Coach, click here.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.