BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University athletic department has announced a partnership with Game Plan, the most widely used education and student-athlete development platform for high school, collegiate, and professional athletics departments, as foundational support of “Protect Our Pack” and the entire student-athlete population.
For the first year, a grant from It’s On Us PA, and the Women’s Resource Center on Bloomsburg’s campus will fund Game Plan. It’s On Us PA is a statewide campaign that invites everyone to play a role in ending sexual assault and has awarded grants to more than 80 postsecondary institutions across the state – including public and private two-year and four-year colleges and universities. The institutions use grant funds to implement strategies on their campuses to address goals of It’s On Us PA.
Through this partnership, every student-athlete at Bloomsburg will have access to over 60 innovative eLearning and personality assessments explicitly designed for the modern athlete. The eLearning courses will provide education and information on relevant topics around academic success, career and professional development, brand-building, diet and wellness, financial literacy, healthy relationships, social justice, and more. The interactive modules will help student-athletes, coaches, and administrators develop awareness and resources in the ever-changing environment of college athletics.
Bryce Evans, a senior on the men’s soccer team, initially brought Game Plan to the attention of Dr. Michael McFarland, athletic director, and the executive board of Protect Our Pack. Evans was instrumental in the initial meeting with Game Plan and eventual partnership.
“Game Plan will be a valuable tool moving forward for Bloomsburg athletics and the Bloomsburg community as a whole,” remarked Evans. “The program has a broad spectrum of education courses covering Mental Health, LGBTQ, Diversity, Sexual Violence Prevention, Career Mentorship, and much more. This program will allow us to educate ourselves and others while creating a more inclusive environment at Bloomsburg.”
“In the middle of September, I received an email from Bryce Evans, a student-athlete at Bloomsburg asking for a demo on Game Plan,” said Vin McCaffery, founder, and CEO of Game Plan. The demo must have gone well as Bryce then took it upon himself to talk with his administration about Game Plan, and just a few short months later, Bloomsburg Athletics was a Game Plan customer. In the best of ways, Bryce showed he is an uncommon student-athlete. What’s more, the administration showed an amazing amount of support for Bryce and his student-athlete peers. They found funding, even during COVID, for a program the student-athletes felt so passionately about. It’s been an amazing process to be part of, and the best is yet to come.”
“We are excited to partner with Game Plan and bring new educational programs to all of our student-athletes,” added Dr. Michael McFarland. “Game Plan provides an opportunity for our student-athletes to experience an interactive way of learning about relevant and important topics. ‘Protect Our Pack’ came as a response to needs that student-athletes expressed to our administration and me about important issues. I am thrilled to be able to provide them a service, partnering with our Women’s Resource Center, that will help address those very issues.”
With recent updates to the curriculum, Game Plan also offers courses in partnership with RISE around Social Justice and Race Relations as well as Sexual Violence Prevention with the OneLove Foundation. Game Plan recently developed curriculum focusing on Voter Education and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) this fall.
Game Plan, based in Greenville, N.C., is a software platform that helps athletics organizations deliver online education, mentorship, and career services to support their athletes through every step of their developmental journey. Game Plan currently partners with organizations such as the NBA, NFL, Big 12, Kansas City Royal, and USA Basketball.
