Gainesville, Florida, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OpenLocker, Inc, a subsidiary of OpenLocker Holdings Inc., (“OpenLocker” or the “Company” OTCQB: OLKR) is pleased to announce the release of a collection of innovative collectibles featuring the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) of University of Florida (UF) student-athletes including Colin Castleton of the men’s basketball and Trinity Thomas, a member of the Gators gymnastics team which is currently ranked #2 in the nation. Gataverse is an exclusive community for UF fans offering virtual and real world utility connected to local merchants via a digital access pass that fans can claim for free on the OpenLocker platform. To fulfill its mission of putting the athletes first in this new era of NIL, OpenLocker pays them a majority of the revenue generated from sales of their collectibles enabling fans to directly support their favorite student-athletes.
In addition to Castleton, members of the men’s basketball team that are included in the first series are Denzel Aberdeen, Trey Bonham, CJ Felder, Alex Fudge, Jason Jitoboh, Myreon Jones, Alex Klatsky, Kyle Lofton and Jack May. The women’s gymnasts in the collection are Sloane Blakely, Lori Brubach, Lean Clapper, Kayla DiCello, Bri Edwards, Ellie Lazzari, Alex Magee, Savannah Schoenherr, Halley Taylor and Trinity Thomas. Purchase of a gymnastics athlete’s autographed physical collectible grants access to an exclusive Gatoverse Gymnastics Clinic presented by the team at Balance 180 Gymnastics and Sports Academy in Gainesville on March 25, 2023 or a virtual clinic. Fans who buy a basketball athlete’s physical collectible will be able to attend a basketball training clinic with the athletes in April.
The Gataverse has also announced its application of a UF alumni basketball team in the 2023 The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TBT is a high stakes, single elimination tournament airing on ESPN that brings together 64 teams from around the country each summer and awards a $1 million winner-takes-all prize to the champions. Roster announcements and information about exclusive events with the Gataverse TBT team and exhibition game during training camp in Gainesville in July will be available on the Gataverse TBT website.
As the official hospitality partner of the Gataverse, StayGainesville will offer complimentary accommodations to the TBT team during training camp and discounted rates on its 60+ rental properties for Gataverse members, UF student-athletes and their families. StayGainesville properties are conveniently located near stadiums and event venues.
Brian Klatsky, President and Founder of OpenLocker said, “We look forward to offering fans access to their favorite Gators student-athletes and the ability to directly support them on the OpenLocker platform. Our goal is to work with athletes in all sports and a range of local businesses to build the next level of fan engagement and advance fully-compliant NIL opportunities.”
“We are excited to connect with our amazing fans through the Gataverse. This innovative approach will allow student-athletes like myself to engage with our fans with cool collectibles and fun events, such as our team-directed fan clinic with the Gataverse community,” said Trinity Thomas, #2 ranked gymnast in the nation.
Colin Castleton, Florida’s leading scorer and rebounder said, “The Gataverse opens doors for us to build a stronger relationship with the fans and add in creative rewards for the fans with local merchants like StayGainesville.”
OpenLocker has launched several fan communities including Bone Yard Huskyz Club at the University of Connecticut, Lionz Club at Penn State University and Rowdy Redz at Radford University. The Company has also positioned itself outside of college sports with its OpenStable platform to engage the next generation of thoroughbred racing fans and plans to expand to additional verticals in 2023. Visit openlocker.io to learn more about the company’s collectibles and communities.
Visit the Gataverse community for more information.
About OpenLocker Holdings, Inc.
Openlocker Holdings, Inc.’s subsidiary OpenLocker operates a technology platform for athletes and brands to redefine and unlock consumer and fan value. OpenLocker builds highly engaged fan communities on the Blockchain primarily for colleges and universities using student-athletes Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), opening the door to countless revenue opportunities that previously did not exist. OpenLocker increases engagement among fans, athletes and brands through digital and physical collectibles and provides unique user utility, perks and experiences. Openlocker is delivering digital loyalty and spearheading the future of marketing.
OPENLOCKER is a registered trademark, and LOCKERMANIA, BONE YARD HUSKYZ CLUB, ROWDY REDZ, PROWLERZ CLUB, GATAVERSE and MADDY BADDYZ are trademarks of, Openlocker Holdings, Inc.
