WARRENSBURG, Mo. – University of Central Missouri Athletics has expanded its existing partnership with Opendorse to launch the first no fee NIL Marketplace in all of NCAA Division II, it was announced Wednesday, May 8.

With this expansion to the partnership, UCM is the only school in NCAA Division II MIAA Conference with access to any of the Opendorse live education services (webinars, custom zooms & on-campus), in addition to being the only NCAA Division II school with the no fee marketplace.

"This innovative partnership propels UCM Athletics to top of NCAA D-II in the NIL space," UCM Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Matt Howdeshell said. "We are excited to elevate our investment for our student-athletes to build and maximize their brand. We encourage all our supporters to give to the Cardinal & Black Fund, but the UCM Athletics Marketplace allows community members to connect with student-athletes, enhancing their NIL opportunities."

The partnership provides UCM student-athletes with full access to the company's all-in-one NIL platform.

• Providing student-athletes and staff with Opendorse's best-in-class compliance, content, and education tools.
• Compliance: upon completing NIL deals, athletes can automatically disclose activity details to their institution to ensure eligibility.
• Content: athletes receive on-demand access to share photos and videos from games, practice and more. Athletes can also receive content suggestions from their teams, encouraging fan engagement, fundraising initiatives, ticket sales and more.
• Education: athletes receive in-person and on-demand virtual education sessions from industry leaders at companies including Meta, Overtime, Players' Tribune, Opendorse and more.

"The NIL market in Division II continues to grow, and the MIAA is committed to being the destination for all prospective student-athletes wanting to maximize their NIL opportunities while competing for NCAA national championships," MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy said. "Today's announcement by UCM is an innovative and groundbreaking NIL advancement in both NCAA D2 and the MIAA."

In addition to industry-leading NIL content, compliance and education solutions, every UCM student-athlete will receive an Opendorse profile, which they can customize and promote to fans on their personal social media channels. Student-athletes are also able to review opportunities, receive deals, accept compensation, and disclose NIL activities to their institution, all within the Opendorse app and website.

As part of the partnership, Central Missouri will receive a branded marketplace. Mules & Jennies fans, brands, sponsors, and donors will be able to browse, book, pitch and pay any UCM student-athlete for NIL activities in one compliant platform, built specifically for the athletes' needs. 

The marketplace promises to mobilize the Mules and Jennies fan base and local organizations to best-support its student-athletes.

About Opendorse:

• Opendorse is the leading athlete marketplace and NIL company, providing technology and services to the athlete endorsement industry. More than 130,000 athletes use Opendorse to build and monetize their name, image, and likeness with support from the world's top brands, colleges, NIL collectives, and partners including Team USA, Keller Williams Real Estate, and more.
• Opendorse maximizes NIL opportunities for student-athletes, while delivering security and simplicity for all involved parties.
• The Opendorse-powered marketplace is built on a decade of athlete marketing technology and experience. Opendorse has facilitated hundreds of thousands of NIL deals and endorsements with athletes at every level of sports. The marketplace is used by over 130,000 athletes to manage deals from pitch to payment, and even tax prep, every day.