The AHEAD initiative, which is housed within the student-athlete welfare and development program, is designed to assist GVSU student-athletes build their brands and take advantage of marketing and other opportunities made available by the NIL legislation expected to go into effect in the State of Michigan on July 1, 2021.
"Our AHEAD program incorporates multiple new elements to assist our student-athletes with navigation of these opportunities—We are here to serve our student-athletes in every area--academics, athletics, success after graduation, nutrition, mental health--and building their personal brands is definitely one of them," says GVSU director of athletics Keri Becker. "We are invested in helping them become outstanding alumni by developing their brands, and giving them the best student-athlete experience we can provide while we have them as students on campus."
In the ever-evolving college sports landscape, student-athletes are more interested than ever in advancing their personal brand and setting themselves up for a successful future. GVSU Athletics is well-equipped to offer its student-athletes that opportunity. It is uniquely located just a few miles from Grand Rapids, one of the nation's top-ranked cities to live and work. With the announcement of NIL, companies are bursting onto the scene, offering an array of NIL-centric products and services to athletes. GVSU will provide guidance for choosing the right marketplaces for student-athletes to maximize their NIL goals while staying within NCAA guidelines.
The AHEAD program will focus on three main components including Personal Branding and Brand Management, Opportunity Management and Education, and Personal Development.
