NIL Club has taken another step in shaping the way athletes can benefit from their name, image, and likeness. Built by Atlanta-based YOKE, the platform has added a feature called brand deals that lets athletes work directly with companies inside the app. It is a natural extension of what the platform has offered since its launch, giving players a chance to earn money by sharing their stories and building connections with fans.
For most athletes, NIL Club has been about subscriptions. Fans sign up to receive updates, videos, and personal moments, providing steady support for the players they follow. Brand deals bring in another layer. Athletes can now see opportunities listed in the app, choose the ones that fit their interests, and begin building partnerships without relying on an agent or middleman.
Some of these partnerships are already underway. SoFi has used the platform to reach student athletes with financial literacy programs. LoveShackFancy, a fashion label, has launched collaborations that draw on the cultural influence of young athletes and their communities. These examples show the range of possibilities, from education campaigns to apparel promotions, and suggest how wide the appeal of NIL Club could become for brands.
The introduction of brand deals also highlights the question of compliance, an area that continues to shape every NIL conversation. According to NIL Club’s website, state bylaws and regulations are reviewed with legal experts before students are allowed to join in a given state.
This matters especially for high school athletes, who are subject to stricter rules and oversight. The company also outlines how compensation works. Students are not paid until they post content for their subscribers, and payments are tied to content creation and promotional services, not to athletic performance or membership on a team. The platform makes clear that there are no incentives for school enrollment or for remaining enrolled.
What this framework does is set guardrails while keeping the focus on storytelling. NIL Club remains centered on athlete-driven content. The brand deals tab simply broadens what that content can achieve by allowing companies to step into the picture. For athletes, it creates opportunities to earn in ways that match their personal interests. Brands get access to the elusive Gen Z sports audience.
The addition of brand deals reflects a larger shift in NIL. The first wave of deals was dominated by high-profile stars at major programs. Later, collectives emerged to spread resources across teams. Platforms like NIL Club are pointing toward a third stage, one where everyday athletes, from high school runners to college linemen, can participate in direct and authentic partnerships.
For fans, the core of NIL Club has not changed. They still receive the candid videos, personal reflections, and behind-the-scenes moments that made the platform appealing in the first place.
The difference now is that some of those stories may include a brand partnership opportunity woven in. The challenge will be to keep the balance so that authenticity remains at the heart of the exchange.
The brand deals feature doesn’t transform NIL Club overnight, but it shows how YOKE keeps adding to the platform. Athlete-led clubs are still the foundation, and this update gives them another way to grow while keeping fans involved. What’s clear is that YOKE has been rolling out updates at a steady pace. Subscriptions came first, now partnerships, and each addition makes the app more useful without replacing what people already liked about it.
For athletes, this means another chance to take ownership of their NIL opportunities. For brands, it is a direct line into loyal communities that are already engaged. And for YOKE, it is another step in showing that NIL Club is more than a one-off experiment. The app continues to move forward, and with each update the idea of athlete-led clubs looks less like a novelty and more like part of the future of NIL.
