Men’s soccer alums kick off NIL initiative with Lifetime Cardinal

Alex Kline ’80 has helped organize the annual reunion game for Stanford men’s soccer alumni for nearly 20 years. The game brings generations of alums together, from those who graduated several decades ago to recent graduates. 

Kline is now leveraging the relationships he’s formed for a larger purpose. Alongside Lifetime Cardinal, the name, image, likeness (NIL) collective associated with Stanford, Kline is helping fundraise NIL opportunities for the Stanford men’s soccer team to reduce tuition and living costs.

In an email sent out to around 900 men’s soccer alumni and obtained by The Daily, Kline wrote that the goal for the 2024 season is to raise $200,000 in order to effectively create 2.5 more scholarships for the team. The team currently has 9.9 scholarships for 29 players.

“Any school with a significant investment in their soccer program is gonna have to do this to be competitive,” Kline said. “Some schools will and if the other schools don’t, they’re gonna fall behind.”

This is the first time that Lifetime Cardinal has serviced the men’s soccer team.

“Gunn is extremely supportive [of the effort],” Kline said. “He wants all the help he can get to stay competitive. The guy is a brilliant coach and he’s had amazing success, but he knows the landscape of college soccer. He knows Stanford’s in a uniquely difficult situation because of the academic standards we have to uphold.”

Kline also told The Daily that donating money to Lifetime Cardinal is not the only way supporters can help out. Lifetime Cardinal is also seeking individuals to mentor players professionally and offer internships customized to the players schedules.

While Kline is optimistic that men’s soccer alumni will rally around the program, he’s under no illusions about the challenge he’s up against.

“The first calls I made were the guys from my era who either played professionally or played at a high-level in amateurs,” Kline said. “Several of them have donated [to the program] generously in the past. They have serious apprehensions about donating money in this environment.”

“It’s gonna be an uphill struggle, and you’re gonna have to get them used to the fact that if they want Stanford to be competitive, this is a necessity.”

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