Colorado NIL collective 5430 Alliance announces plans for 'Prime Time Elite' booster dinner

Colorado football is going all out to drum up NIL dollars.

The 5430 Alliance NIL collective announced plans Tuesday for its “Prime Time Elite Dinner,” which is scheduled for the weekend of the Buff’s Black and Gold game later this month. This past September long-time donor and Colorado alumnus Eric Belcher and a group of fellow donors created the 5430 Foundation, which recently re-launched as the 5430 Alliance, combining the Buffs4Life and foundation’s efforts.

As part of the collective’s new efforts, the Prime Time dinner, slated for Friday, April 26, will serve as the official launch party. Colorado coach Deion Sanders will serve as the host and athletes and staff are expected to attend.

The most expensive tier – the VIP Prime Table – for admission to the event has already sold at $20,543. Donors will be able to sit at the same table as Sanders. An individual ticket to the dinner costs $1,053.40. Fans who cannot attend can sponsor a plate for $250. Here are the other tiers for donors to choose from:

• Prime Table: With a $17,543 price, boosters will be seated at a VIP table in Sanders’ section. All Prime Tables will get a group photo. Ten tickets are included with the purchase.
• Elite Table: A table with two Colorado athletes. Eight tickets for $17,543.
• Black & Gold Table: Seated at a table with two Colorado coaches or athletes. Eight tickets for $12,543.
• Buffs Table: For 10 donors to attend the event and a table costs $7,543.

Booster gatherings featuring coaches and athlete appearances have been going on for years. The opportunity for athletic departments to raise needed funds is an age-old tradition in college athletics. But because athletes are able to monetize their name, image and likeness, donor dinners now raise dollars for collectives to pay athletes.

“NIL is a critical component of our athletics programs as we support our student-athletes and compete for national championships,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said last month. “5430 Alliance ushers in a new chapter of NIL at Colorado and allows all our fans and alumni to support our student-athletes through one avenue.”

Colorado football needs to ‘exceed the bar’

Already a member of The Collective Association – the trade association consisting of more than 35 NIL entities – the immediate focus for the 5430 Alliance is to make sure the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs are competitive in NIL ahead of the jump to the Big 12.

In the current college football landscape, donor-driven collectives have become crucial in attracting and retaining talent. The top NIL organizations are operating with an eight-figure budget strictly for football. Sine realizes that, working with a share of collectives in the Big Ten and SEC.

The NIL collective management company Blueprint Sports is servicing the day-to-day functions of the organization. The company currently works with collectives at Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, NC State, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA and Utah. CEO Rob Sine told On3 that the 5430 Alliance will be one of the biggest staffs under the Blueprint umbrella. The collective plans to hire an executive director, director of operations and development and sales manager.

Making sure Deion Sanders has all the NIL tools he needs to find success in Boulder is crucial. The Colorado head coach has already publicly backed the collective since it consolidated last month.

“How do you begin to really monetize the activities and really engage fanbases around the country,” Sine previously told On3. “Football really has to double its NIL budget from last year to this year. Get basketball in a place where it’s competitive, especially in the Big 12. Those are the paramount benchmarks we’re going to have for the rest of the year.

“The going rate is somewhere $6 to $10 million, but a program like this needs to be $8 million and above. The goal here is to exceed the bar.”