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Jacksonville University

Fans and Boosters

Representative of Athletics Interests

(a.k.a. boosters. The NCAA also considers a NIL collective to be a booster.)
A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual, independent agency, corporate entity (e.g., apparel or equipment manufacturer) or other organization who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to: 

  1. Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program; 
  2. Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution; 
  3. Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospects; 
  4. Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or 
  5. Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.
  • Some examples of representative of athletics interests are: fans, undergraduate students, graduate students, all university faculty, staff and other employees and alumni. (This is not an exhaustive list.) Once identified as a booster, the individual or business retains that identity for life. 

Employment of JU Student-Athletes

  • If you are going to employ a JU student-athlete please know the following:

  • Student-athletes must have prior approval from the Compliance office before they begin any job, regardless of the type of employment including Name, Image and Likeness;

  • Student-athletes should go through the same hiring process as all other employees; 

  • Student-athletes should be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services; 

  • Student-athletes should be provided only those benefits, like free uniforms or meals during work hours, that are provided to all employees; 

  • Student-athletes should be treated as the employer would any employee doing similar work when it comes to things like, time off, breaks, scheduling, etc. 

  • Student-athletes may not receive transportation from their employers (for work or otherwise) unless the employer provides it for all of their employees.

Name, Image and Likeness 

  • In most circumstances, student-athletes are now able to partner with commercial entities for Name, Image and Likeness purposes. 
  • Jacksonville University and the student-athlete must ensure that JU policy and Florida legislation are followed
  • If you are interested in a partnership with a student-athlete please contact the Compliance Office
 NIL collectives are considered boosters to schools of involved student-athletes and are bound to all the same guidelines for purposes of NIL activities. The main points of the NCAA's NIL guidelines are:
  • A booster, collective, or other NIL entity cannot communicate, for purposes of recruiting or enrollment purposes, in any form, with a prospective student-athlete or anyone affiliated with that prospective student-athlete.
  • An NIL deal cannot be contingent on enrollment at JU or any other specific institution. 
  • JU institutional staff and coaches cannot facilitate NIL conversations or arrangements. 
  • JU institutional staff and coaches cannot communicate with a prospect on behalf of a booster. 
  • NIL deals cannot be based on performance or achievement. 

Recruiting

Representatives of athletics interest are prohibited from recruiting prospective student-athletes on behalf of the University. A few helpful notes have been listed below:

  • NO on- or off-campus in-person contact with a prospect or his/her parents, coach,or any other individual associated with the prospect to assist in the recruitment of a prospect;

  • NO contact at the prospect's high school or junior college is permitted;

  • Boosters may NOT pick up videos or transcripts of prospects for coaches;

  • Boosters may NOT provide/pay a prospect's transportation/camp expenses to attend a JU athletic camp or clinic.

Extra Benefits

An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a booster to provide a student-athlete, or his/her friends or relatives, a benefit not authorized by the NCAA. The benefits a student-athlete may NOT receive include, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

  • money;

  • special discounts; 

  • payment arrangement or credit on a purchase (airline ticket, clothes) or service (laundry, typing); 

  • free or reduced-cost professional services not available on the same basis to the general student body; 

  • use of a telephone, pager or credit card for personal reasons without charge or at a reduced rate; 

  • entertainment services (movie tickets, dinners, use of car) from commercial agencies (theaters, restaurants, car dealers) without charge or at reduced rates, or free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics contests from professional sports organizations, unless such services are available to the student body in general; 

  • guarantee of bond; 

  • signing or cosigning a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan; 

  • preferential treatment, benefits or services based on his/her athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a future professional; 

  • free or reduced-cost athletics equipment, supplies or clothing directly from a manufacturer or commercial enterprise; 

  • free or reduced cost room and/or board; 

  • payment or other compensation for work not performed or at unreasonable levels for the work performed; 

  • employment arrangements for a student-athlete or prospect's relatives or friends; 

  • payment of registration fees or other expenses to attend JU sports camp or clinic; 

  • use of personal property (boats, summer homes, cars, computers, stereos); 

  • holiday or birthday presents; 

  • promise of employment after college graduation; 

  • purchase of items or services from a prospect/student-athlete or their relatives at inflated prices; and 

  • payment or arrangements for payment of transportation costs incurred by a student-athlete or prospect's relatives or friends; or 

  • anything given because an individual is a student-athlete.

Occasional Meals

NCAA rules permit the institution, and in some cases boosters, to provide student-athletes meals over and above what we are normally permitted to provide on an occasional basis. These "occasional meals" are subject to certain restrictions and must be approved by the Compliance office in advance of the meal. A team might use an occasional meal to have a holiday party or to go out to celebrate a team member's birthday. 

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