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University of Texas Women's Beach Volleyball Team Debuts booster 'Franchise Mode'

NIL platform directly connects newest Texas Longhorns squad to fans and donors.

Michael Ehrlich

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; A view of the stadium and the fans and the logo before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; A view of the stadium and the fans and the logo before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As the University of Texas' newest team - and first addition in 27 years - the Longhorns' women's beach volleyball squad is certainly a trailblazer in the sand.

Now, as they are set to join the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) this season, the team has also onboarded onto NIL platform booster to connect directly with fans and donors through the subscription-based social platform.

Texas fans can now directly engage with the No. 15 team in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Preseason Poll via booster, the only content marketplace exclusively for student-athletes and their fans.

Through the recently launched "Franchise Mode," entire teams are now able to fundraise easily.

Each participating athlete has their own profile for personalized interactions, but teams can now benefit from a collective page to unify their NIL fundraising efforts.

"As being the newest UT sports team in 27 years we are so excited to have the opportunity to create a beach volleyball community for Longhorn fans," Texas junior Presley Wright shared with Sports Illustrated. "With the help of booster, our team will be able to connect with fans and give inside sneak peeks into what all goes on with the Texas Beach Volleyball team from practice to matches to our everyday lives in between. The new Franchise Mode will help fans get to know each of the players and the team as a whole and we are so excited for this opportunity."

This new feature simplifies team fundraising and provides a central hub for fans and donors to contribute to a team as a whole. Fans can still subscribe directly to individual athletes, in addition to leveraging Franchise Mode to support an entire squad to unlock exclusive team content.

"The way that our team plans on leveraging the booster platform and Longhorn support to help the entire team is by giving the fans exclusive content about our team that won't be found anywhere else besides the booster webpage," added Chloe Charles, a fellow junior and former Florida State player. "This exclusive content will include weekly and monthly updates on the team, individual players posts, and fun team videos to help the fans connect with the team."

"Franchise Mode is a game-changing solution that gives teams a platform to fundraise collectively, create content together, and earn in ways that didn’t exist before," shared Ryan Simkin, Co-Founder and COO of booster. "It’s a powerful step toward leveling the playing field and making NIL work for more student-athletes. We’re incredibly excited to partner with Texas Beach to launch this endeavor."

The Longhorns kick off their season on Feb. 22 against McNeese in the Third Coast College Classic in Houston.

This tournament is the start of a new era for Texas as they begin their first season in the CCSA and the roster does not feature any players from the Longhorns' indoor volleyball team. 

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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