As athletes, every season counts. At Meta, we created our own season, designed to help bridge the gap between being a college athlete and a creator. And that season is now.

The NCAA x Meta NIL Empower cohort returns on September 10th, this time, investing in a total of 100 women's sports' athletes over the course of two semesters (previously 30) who are ready to learn how Meta and its community can help them grow their audience, build brand partnerships, maintain connections that will last long past their playing careers, and put money in their pockets during and after college.

Led by the Meta Sports Partnerships team, the program continues to focus on women athletes, striving to provide equity and level the playing field for women in the NIL era.

A Closer Look at the 2024 Empower Creators

Selected based on an application submission as well as external factors like marketability, diversity, and potential, this years’ cohort is the biggest its’ been so far and has created a space for women athletes to accomplish their goals, both on and off the field.

From Reels to Threads, participants will receive education and tools to help them create high quality content that tells a story, engages their audience and highlights their brand and personalities while they're at it.

Learn more about the 50 participants named to the Fall cohort and be sure to follow them to stay up-to-date on their content and experiences during the cohort and beyond.

The Game Plan

Just like a sport, it takes patience and practice to learn how to be the best you can be on Instagram.

The program will have both a Fall and Spring Cohort including 50 athletes each, consisting of three sessions over the duration of three months.

Session topics include:

• Branding & Social Strategy
• Reels & Threads 101
• Do’s & Don’t of Branded Content
• Understanding Monetization
• Creating with Purpose
• Financial Literacy

In an effort to create “actionable education”, each session will feature a challenge or activity focused around core Meta products, allowing the participants to receive a more in-depth experience while also creating and sharing content that is uniquely theirs.

For example, athletes will be challenged to create a Content Franchise - an episodic piece of content that fans can look forward to tuning into. This challenge led 2023 Empower participant, @laney.higgins - to create a content franchise called "Walking & Talking", a video series where she interviews fellow female student-athletes about their NIL journeys. She has since created over 35 episodes and even received an NIL deal from Lululemon who has since sponsored the series.

As a result, this experience will provide all the athletes with the tools, experience and opportunities to succeed, while inspiring others to accomplish their goals both as an athlete, and as a creator.

Looking Back at the 2023 NCAA x Meta Empower Cohort

As our athletes warm up for this years’ program, here are just a few results coming out of last years’ participants.

• The average follower growth rate for the overall group was 19% on Instagram.
• Five women from this cohort participated in a fundraising challenge using Meta’s social tools to drive $6,000 in donations for the “Extra Yards For Teachers” foundation.
• A number of athletes secured amplification partnerships with media companies Togethxr , Wave Sports and Entertainment, and ESPN who committed to amplifying cohort athletes through reel collabs, Reels, and social media takeovers.
• Penn State Basketball player, Anna Camden grew 113.54%, +21,000 followers during the program and Laney Higgins, a Volleyball superstar from Oglethorpe University, received an NIL partnership with Lululemon.
• 100% of athletes received an NIL deal

Join the Action

Stay up-to-date with the NCAA x Meta Empower Cohort. Be sure to follow your favorites to see the content they create and don’t forget to engage and support along the way!

If you or someone you know is a current female student-athlete and would be interested in joining the Spring Empower Cohort, stay tuned for the application, which will be going live in February 2025.