New Volleyball Shoe Brand Avoli Signs Three College NIL Deals Ahead of Launch This Month
Avoli, the soon-to-launch volleyball shoe brand, has just announced its first-ever NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals with three college volleyball athletes: University of Texas Longhorns junior Reilly Heinrich, University of Nebraska Cornhuskers freshman Harper Murray and University of Virginia Cavaliers junior Ashley Le.
The three college athletes will don Avoli footwear, apparel and equipment while on the court in 2023 and will appear in social media campaigns, promotion and events. The deals represents the brand’s strategy to establish its presence among women’s high school and college volleyball clubs, teams and tournaments.
Avoli — pronounced “Ah Volley” — is a new athletic brand with footwear, apparel and equipment specifically designed for female volleyball players. The brand raised $1 million of a $1.5 million seed round and is slated to launch later this month.
“There are so many talented volleyball athletes that reflect the dynamic personality of the sport that it was challenging for us to decide with whom to partner to launch our brand,” said co-founder Rick Anguilla, a footwear industry veteran with volleyball-playing daughters of his own. “Harper, Ashley and Reilly represent the commitment to the sport we see across school and club teams and we’re thrilled to have them as our first brand ambassadors.”
In June 2021, the NCAA announced that an interim policy was adopted by all three divisions suspending name, image and likeness (NIL) rules, allowing college athletes to profit off of themselves. Since then, top athletes across all sports have signed endorsement deals with top brands, extending into the high school level.
Just this week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said that there is an “urgent need” for Congress to come out with a standard for NIL deal to resolve issues that exist in the space, such as unfulfilled offers and questionable deals in a largely unregulated market, according to ESPN.
Volleyball is just behind track and field for the number one participatory sport for high school girls, according to a 2021-2022 school year survey from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). It was also the only top 10 sport to increase participation from three years ago. Notably, brands like Asics and Mizuno have launched volleyball-specific shoes in the past to cater to this growing demographic.
Avoli shoes, which are manufactured in China, have a unique cushioning system designed for jumping, pivoting and diving and a ventilation system that releases moist air, something that is helpful for women playing at tournaments that can last for hours.
The brand goes live later this month with one volleyball court shoe in five colorways, with a $130 price point, a recovery slide ($50), knee pads ($35), sleeves, shorts, hoodies and graphic tees.