Pilot Enrollment Now Open

The Trust Standard for College Athletics

Great Place to Play™ is the independent certification authority that verifies athlete experience, development quality, and program culture — giving recruits, transfers, and partners the signal they need to make confident decisions.

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87%
Recruits Trust
Peer Reviews
3.4×
Retention Rate
Certified vs. Not
$2B+
NIL Market
Influenced
Certification
Gold™
Sample University — Football
Power Four Conference · 2024–2025 Certification Cycle
Overall Trust Score
84.7
Verified: Jan 2025
Active Certification
Certification Tiers

Earned. Not Bought.
Never Subjective.

Three certification tiers based solely on verified athlete survey data, longitudinal tracking, and independent audit findings. No pay-to-play. No bias.

● Bronze
Recognized
Trust Score: 65–74 / 100
Programs demonstrating measurable commitment to athlete experience with active improvement trajectories and basic safeguards in place.
  • ✓ Annual athlete survey (minimum 60% participation)
  • ✓ Culture Brief submission
  • ✓ Certification badge (12-month validity)
  • ✓ Benchmark comparison report
  • ✓ Improvement roadmap consultation
$15K – $35K
Initial · $8K–$18K annual renewal
● Silver
Certified
Trust Score: 75–84 / 100
Programs delivering consistently positive athlete experiences, verified across cohorts, departments, and competitive seasons.
  • ✓ All Bronze inclusions
  • ✓ Semi-annual pulse surveys
  • ✓ Anonymous exit interview program
  • ✓ Transfer portal retention analytics
  • ✓ Recruiting intelligence badge placement
  • ✓ Crisis monitoring (basic)
  • ✓ Conference dashboard access
$35K – $55K
Initial · $18K–$28K annual renewal
★ Gold
Elite™
Trust Score: 85+ / 100
The highest independent recognition in college athletics. Programs that set the benchmark for athlete-first culture — verified by third-party audit, longitudinal data, and outcome tracking.
  • ✓ All Silver inclusions
  • ✓ Quarterly athlete sentiment monitoring
  • ✓ Independent third-party audit (annual)
  • ✓ 24/7 crisis intelligence dashboard
  • ✓ NIL partner validation reports
  • ✓ "Best Places to Play™" list consideration
  • ✓ Longitudinal outcome tracking (5-year)
  • ✓ Sub-certification modules included
$55K – $75K
Initial · $28K–$40K annual renewal
Compounding Advantage

The Certification
Flywheel

Trust Compounds VERIFY CERTIFY RECRUIT RETAIN INVEST IMPROVE
01
Verify Athlete Voice
Independent, anonymous surveys across all athlete cohorts. Third-party audit of culture, coaching environment, academic support, and mental health infrastructure. Anti-gaming weighted inputs prevent optimization of any single metric.
02
Issue Defensible Certification
Tiered Bronze/Silver/Gold certification backed by verified data, published methodology, and transparent criteria. Certification is time-bound, independently audited, and subject to adverse-event recalculation.
03
Recruit with Signal Advantage
Certified programs gain verified differentiation in recruiting conversations. Recruits and families access real data — not brochures. Certification status appears in recruiting profiles, portal listings, and agent tools.
04
Retain Athletes Longer
Early warning sentiment monitoring flags at-risk athletes before they enter the portal. Certified programs see measurably lower transfer rates. Retention improvement drives recruiting reputation — the flywheel accelerates.
05
Attract Investment & NIL
Certified programs command premium NIL collective placement. Boosters use certification data for capital campaign materials. Brands validate athlete partnerships using certified program alignment reports.
Measurement Framework

Eight Dimensions.
One Score.

The GPTP Trust Index™ synthesizes athlete-reported experience across eight independently weighted dimensions, scored by verified surveys, behavioral indicators, and third-party audit findings. No single metric can game the system.

🤝
Coach Trust & Safety
Weight: 22%
Psychological safety, abuse-free environment, open communication channels, and coach accountability structures.
📈
Athletic Development
Weight: 18%
Training quality, position coaching depth, strength & conditioning access, injury rehabilitation standards.
🎓
Academic Integration
Weight: 14%
Class attendance flexibility, tutoring quality, major choice freedom, graduation support, and career placement.
🧠
Mental Health Environment
Weight: 14%
Counseling access, stigma reduction culture, crisis protocols, and mental health resource availability.
💰
NIL & Financial Fairness
Weight: 12%
NIL opportunity equity, financial literacy support, collective transparency, and equitable resource allocation.
🏥
Health & Safety Systems
Weight: 10%
Concussion protocols, nutrition programs, injury rehabilitation quality, and return-to-play processes.
🌐
Inclusion & Belonging
Weight: 6%
Demographic equity across race, gender, religion, and identity. Fairness of opportunity and institutional responsiveness.
🚀
Post-Eligibility Support
Weight: 4%
Alumni career services, graduate degree funding access, networking infrastructure, and life-after-sport preparation.
Platform Modules

Revenue Architecture
Across Every Stakeholder

Seven integrated product lines serve programs, athletes, families, NIL collectives, insurers, and media — each compounding platform value.

🏆
Certification Engine
Full-stack certification workflow: intake, survey deployment, audit coordination, scoring, badge issuance, and annual recertification management. Anti-gaming architecture with weighted multi-dimensional scoring.
$15K–$75K initial · $8K–$40K/yr
📊
Institutional Dashboard
Real-time athlete sentiment scoring, retention risk alerts, dimension breakdowns, and improvement action plans. Tracks score trajectory over time to surface regressions before they become crises.
$2K–$12K/month SaaS
🛡️
Crisis Intelligence
24/7 sentiment monitoring during crises. Adverse-event triggers auto-initiate recertification review. Whistleblower channel with arbitration services. Real-time alert stack for AD and legal teams.
$50K–$200K/year
📋
Sub-Certifications
Modular sub-badges: Mental Health Environment™, Academic Integration™, Life Skills™, Health & Safety™, and Post-Eligibility Support™. Each independently audited and tiered.
$15K–$75K each
🔍
Gap Analysis Consulting
Pre-certification diagnostic engagement identifying specific improvement areas, benchmarked against certified peer programs. Includes structured 90-day improvement roadmap and coaching.
$50K–$500K engagement
🏷️
Badge Licensing
Annual license to use certified marks in recruiting materials, facility signage, merchandise, and digital media. Includes brand usage guide, approved graphics, and co-marketing support.
$5K–$25K/year
⚡
Transfer Decision Intelligence
Free basic program comparison tool. Premium tier ($9.99–$29.99/month) provides deep certification analytics, dimension breakdowns, and real athlete review data to inform transfer portal decisions. Athletes see program trust scores, retention rates, and coaching stability metrics before committing.
Free / $9.99–$29.99/month premium
🎤
Verified Exit Interviews
Athletes leaving programs submit verified, anonymous exit interviews. Data aggregated into program intelligence — recruiting families and agents pay for access. Athletes receive compensation for participation ($500–$2,500).
Revenue share with athletes
🤝
Athlete Advisory Board
Current/former athletes hold a 5–10% equity stake in the platform, creating authentic advocacy. Advisory board shapes methodology, ensures athlete voice stays central, and provides recruiting testimonials.
Equity + compensation
📚
Career Readiness Credential
Programs certified on career development earn the "Great Place to Develop™" sub-badge. Athletes gain a verifiable credential indicating their program invested in post-eligibility skills — valuable to employers.
Included with certified programs
👨‍👩‍👧
Family Intelligence Hub
$99–$499/year subscription for recruiting families. Access certification tier data, safety metrics, anonymous athlete reviews, mental health environment scores, and academic integration ratings before making commitments.
$99–$499/year
🌟
Parent Ambassador Network
Certified programs gain access to verified parent testimonial networks for recruiting weekends. Parents submit verified reviews after their athlete's experience — added to program trust scores.
Included in Silver/Gold tier
🚨
Emergency Response Validation
Sub-certification verifying program family crisis response protocols: emergency travel funding, family communication standards, incident notification timelines. Critical purchase driver for parents in high-stakes recruitment decisions.
$10K–$30K program certification
🏦
NIL Collective Certification
Collectives pay $25K–$100K annually for "Certified Athlete-First Collective™" status — rated on athlete support quality, payment transparency, equity across sports, and graduation commitment. Brands use collective scores to validate athlete partnership alignment. Collectives that game athlete relationships face public decertification.
$25K–$100K/year + $10K–$50K setup
🔒
Insurance Risk Products
Partner with carriers to offer premium discounts for certified programs. Lower certification scores = higher premiums. Actuarial models using GPTP data to price athlete welfare risk, litigation exposure, and retention liability.
Revenue share with insurers
⚖️
Legal & Compliance Suite
Title IX audit services using athlete experience data beyond participation numbers. Litigation risk scores for legal counsel. Workers' compensation / athlete employment status defense documentation for certified programs.
$75K–$500K engagement
📡
Conference Commissioner Tools
Aggregate conference health metrics, competitive intelligence across member programs, and early intervention triggers when member programs show sentiment deterioration. Data informs conference expansion evaluation and coaching hire decisions.
$5K–$25K/month
💎
Donor & Booster Intelligence
$10K–$50K/year for major donors to access impact metrics — ROI on facility investments correlated to certification scores, athlete satisfaction tied to contributions, and fundraising amplification data.
$10K–$50K/year
🤖
Predictive Analytics API
Scandal prediction models for conferences. Decommitment risk alerts. Coaching turnover impact forecasting. Injury correlation data for insurers. Performance outcome predictions for agents and media. Licensed data infrastructure for research partnerships.
$8K–$30K/month
📰
Annual "Best Places to Play™" Report
The flagship media property. Annual publication ranking certified programs by sport, conference, and dimension. Sponsorship packages at $100K–$1M+. Exclusive media partnership for publication. Comparable in market influence to Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For" — every program will want to appear. Recruits and agents use it as the go-to reference.
$100K–$1M+ sponsorships
🎬
Documentary Series
"Inside Great Places to Play™" — streaming series documenting the certification journey, athlete stories, and culture transformation at real programs. Streaming deal + sponsor integrations. Gives certified programs powerful earned media.
Streaming deal + sponsorship
🎙️
Athlete Testimonial Library
Anonymized and verified athlete testimonials licensed for certified programs' marketing use. Pre-cleared for recruiting materials, facility videos, and NIL campaigns. Programs pay for access to curated testimonial packages.
$15K–$50K/year license
Stakeholder Architecture

Built on
Existential Fear.

Every stakeholder in college athletics has something to lose. Certification converts existential anxiety into platform dependency — and platform value into compounding dominance.

🏟️
Athletic Programs
Core Fear
Losing recruits to certified competitors. Transfer portal hemorrhage. Scandal exposure without early warning. NIL collective disorganization.
Platform Value
Verified differentiation in recruiting. Retention risk monitoring. Crisis intelligence. NIL collective validation. Sunk cost escalation creates lock-in.
🏃
Athletes
Core Fear
Choosing a program that exploits them. No recourse when coaches betray trust. Transferring blind into unknown program cultures.
Platform Value
Verified program intelligence before committing. Anonymous voice amplification. Exit interview compensation. Transfer decision support tool. Equity stake in platform advocacy.
👨‍👩‍👧
Families
Core Fear
Their child's safety, mental health, and development being sacrificed for athletic performance. No independent information source beyond brochures.
Platform Value
Independent verified program data. Mental health environment scores. Emergency response certification. Parent Ambassador Networks. Family Intelligence Hub subscriptions.
🏦
NIL Collectives
Core Fear
Legal liability from athlete exploitation claims. Brand partner withdrawal. Program scandals destroying collective investment. Competition from more organized rivals.
Platform Value
Certified Athlete-First Collective™ status. Verified athlete support data for brand partners. Compliance defense documentation. Premium brand placement for certified status.
🏛️
Conferences & NCAA
Core Fear
Member program scandals destroying brand equity. Athlete welfare liability exposure. Federal legislation without a compliance framework. Expansion decisions made on incomplete data.
Platform Value
Aggregate conference health dashboards. Early warning intervention triggers. Expansion candidate evaluation data. De facto compliance standard for athlete welfare reforms.
⚖️
Brands & Insurers
Core Fear
Athlete endorsement deals linked to exploitative programs destroying brand equity. Insurance pricing without athlete welfare data. Regulatory exposure without compliance validation.
Platform Value
Certified program alignment reports before endorsement deals. Actuarial data for risk-adjusted premiums. Official Partner of Great Place to Play™ status. Co-branding in recruitment materials.
Methodological Integrity

Engineered to Be
Ungameable.

🔄
Anonymous Audit Firm Rotation
External auditors rotate every 3 years to prevent capture. Auditor relationships are publicly disclosed. No auditor can certify a program they've personally consulted.
⚖️
Weighted Multi-Dimensional Scoring
Programs cannot buy certification with facility upgrades alone. Coach trust carries 22% weight and cannot be compensated by other dimensions. Single-metric gaming is architecturally blocked.
🚨
Adverse Event Triggers
Title IX violations, coaching misconduct findings, athlete suicides, and substantiated abuse allegations automatically trigger expedited recertification review. Certification can be suspended within 48 hours.
📢
Whistleblower Protection Fund
1–2% of certification revenue funds legal defense for athletes who report violations. Anonymous reporting channel with retaliation safeguards. Reports routed to independent arbitration, never to the certified program.
🎓
Academic Partnership Validation
Methodology developed and peer-reviewed in collaboration with top sports management programs. Published openly. Independent academic validation prevents capture by athletic department interests.
🏛️
Independent Board Governance
No active coaches, athletic directors, or NCAA employees in governing roles. Board composed of athlete advocates, legal scholars, public health experts, and former athletes — not the industry being certified.
Trust Index™ Scoring Model
Athlete Survey (Verified, Anonymous) 45% of final score
Third-Party Audit Findings 30% of final score
Behavioral / Outcome Indicators 15% of final score
Longitudinal Trend (YoY change) 10% of final score
Minimum participation required: 70% of eligible athletes must complete the survey for scores to be valid. Programs below threshold receive "Incomplete Data" status, not certification. This prevents athletic departments from gaming participation rates.

Scarcity maintenance: Certification is limited to the top 35–40% of programs by score within each division tier. Being "Certified" means something because most programs are not.
Go-to-Market

From Pilot to
Industry Standard

Three phases of deliberate category creation — from proof-of-concept to de facto NCAA compliance standard and eventual IPO or strategic acquisition at $500M–$2B valuation.

01
Months 1–18 · Phase 0 + Pilot
Stealth Foundation
Build credibility before the public launch. Sign advisory board. Publish peer-reviewed research. Secure pre-launch conference endorsements.
  • Recruit 20–30 athlete advisors (current + former stars)
  • Publish 3–5 peer-reviewed methodology studies
  • Quiet regulatory pre-positioning with NCAA, DOE
  • File international trademark, defensive domains
  • Certify 10–15 pre-committed flagship programs
  • Lock exclusive recruiting platform integrations (247Sports, On3)
KPI: 15 certified · 1 power conference endorsement
02
Months 18–36 · Category Creation
Market Dominance
Public launch with media blitz. Achieve critical mass for statistically significant benchmarks. Make certification the recruiting table stakes.
  • Public certification portal + Best Places to Play™ annual report
  • Sign 100+ programs across power and mid-major conferences
  • ESPN/Fox integration — certification badges in broadcast
  • Transfer portal intelligence product launch
  • NIL collective certification product go-live
  • Family Intelligence Hub consumer launch
KPI: 100+ certified · $15M ARR · ESPN integration
03
Years 3–5 · Infrastructure Standard
Inevitable
NCAA adopts framework into athlete welfare requirements. International expansion. Adjacent verticals launch. IPO or strategic acquisition at $500M–$2B.
  • NCAA certification framework integration (athlete welfare mandate)
  • International: Canadian U Sports, UK universities, EU club academies
  • Professional development league expansion (G League, MiLB, USL)
  • High school pathway program ("Great Place to Play Pathway™")
  • Athlete union positioning as neutral data authority
  • Exit: IPO, SPAC, or acquisition by Sportradar/ESPN/Genius Sports
KPI: 500+ certified · $75M+ ARR · $500M–$2B valuation
Pilot Program

Apply for
Pilot Certification

We're accepting 15 flagship programs across power conferences for our inaugural certification cohort. Pilot partners receive locked-in pricing, co-development influence, and first-mover certification advantage.

🔒
Locked Founding Partner Pricing
Pilot programs lock certification fees at initial rates — shielded from future price increases as the platform scales and demand grows.
🏅
First-Mover Recruiting Advantage
Certified programs gain signal differentiation before competitors enter the market. The most valuable moment to certify is before it becomes table stakes.
🔬
Methodology Co-Development
Pilot programs influence the final Trust Index™ scoring framework — contributing to a standard that works for your sport and division context.
📢
Launch Media Coverage
Pilot programs are featured in the inaugural Best Places to Play™ report, documentary series, and conference-facing press coverage at no additional cost.
Pilot Application
Complete this form to start your certification conversation. We'll respond within 48 hours.
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Program Context
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🏆
Application Received
Thank you for your interest in Great Place to Play™ Pilot Certification.

Our team will review your application and respond within 48 business hours to schedule your discovery call.

In the meantime, you'll receive a copy of our methodology white paper at the email provided.
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