Big South Conference Partners With Game Plan to Create League-Wide Career Network for Student-Athletes

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 14, 2016 -- The Big South Conference (www.BigSouthSports.com) announced today an innovative new partnership with Game Plan that creates the first of its kind league-wide student-athlete career network.  Through this arrangement, the Big South will provide Game Plan’s innovative student-athlete development software to its member institutions to greatly enhance each campus’ current resources, which include Game Plan’s eLearning courses, assessment instruments, and the Game Plan Career Marketplace.

With Big South member institution’s Winter Commencement ceremonies approaching, as well as the conference graduating at least 84 percent of its student-athletes for three consecutive years, a key aspect to this partnership is each institution’s ability to incorporate Game Plan uniquely into their athletic department culture and student-athlete experience.  The Big South will use Game Plan’s Career Marketplace to incorporate current and future sponsors.  By connecting sponsorship with recruiting, the Big South enhances the value of its partnerships while bringing new career opportunities to its student-athletes.  Current Big South partner Sharp Business Systems will be a presenting sponsor of the new initiative.      

“A key focus of the Big South Strategic Plan is the student-athlete experience, and what we have heard loud and clear from our student-athletes, in addition to an outstanding athletic experience, is the enhanced opportunity for career placement upon graduation,” stated Big South Commissioner Kyle Kallander.  “That is why we are so excited about this partnership with Game Plan.  The supplemental resources Game Plan will provide each of our members supports our goal of preparing student-athletes for life, and gives corporations exposure to wonderful leaders that are graduating from Big South institutions.”

“The partnership with the Big South to invest into student-athlete development illustrates the shift to the new norm of genuinely caring about the student-athlete experience as well as how investment into this student-athlete experience can have a positive impact at both a conference and athletic department level,” said Vin McCaffrey, Founder and CEO of Game Plan.  “A better student-athlete experience should not run contrary to a better economic model for the conference or athletic department.”

For more information on Game Plan and its Career Marketplace, please visit: www.wearegameplan.com.

ABOUT GAME PLAN
Game Plan is a unified student-athlete development platform, bringing together all the components for a rich student athlete experience by connecting conferences, athletic departments, student-athletes, and employers to improve outcomes for all. Leaders in college athletics look to Game Plan to be the foundation for their student-athlete development program by using a comprehensive approach based on engagement and a student’s personality and interests. Game Plan works with college athletic departments at all NCAA division schools and partners with companies all over the country. For more information, please visit www.wearegameplan.com and connect on Facebook (Game Plan), Twitter @gameplanworks), and LinkedIn (Game Plan by Game Theory Group).

ABOUT THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE (www.BigSouthSports.com)
Founded in 1983, the Big South Conference has matured into a competitive leader in college athletics, actively pursuing excellence on the field of play and in the classroom.  For more than 30 years, the league’s growing presence as an NCAA Division I athletic conference is evident by athletic accomplishments on the national stage, innovative marketing and media partnerships, increased television packages and quality athletic competition while intentionally fostering the academic, personal, social, athletic and leadership development of its student-athletes.  Comprised of 10 member institutions sharing a common geographic region and similar academic values and purposes, the Big South Conference’s institutions -- Campbell University, Charleston Southern University, Gardner-Webb University, High Point University, Liberty University, Longwood University, Presbyterian College, Radford University, UNC Asheville and Winthrop University -- have a remarkable history of achievement through the league’s 19 championship sports in addition to the academic success of its more than 4,200 student-athletes.  The Big South Conference: Developing Leaders Through Athletics.

-BigSouthSports.com-

Contact: 

Mark Simpson
704-341-7990  
[email protected]

Erica Cenci
402-889-2674
[email protected]