A commercial space, added to ground floor of the Cal Johnson Building at 301 State Street (a block off Gay Street behind Chivo) has been used by The Vol Club, the UT NIL collective operated by Spyre Sports, as storage for their shirts, hats, tailgate supplies, and other paraphernalia is now being used by the group as a part-time popup. The group had business popping last Friday with an in-store appearance and signing with popular UT baseball coach Tony Vitello and players from the team.
I spoke with Brandon Spurlock, Vice-President of Spyre Sports Group and a partner in the Vol Club about the idea behind opening the space up for retail. He said the group was brought into existence in 2021 to compensate University of Tennessee Athletes for the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness. He said they have evolved as time has passed, getting a huge bump in support when the UT baseball team won a national championship last spring. “We shattered our e-commerce goals, made a lot of shirts and rode that wave.”
As a result of their surge in inventory, which is also available online at the link above, the group decided to “open a retail shop” with a “cool gameday vibe.” The obvious choice for a location was the one they were already using. By moving the stored merchandize to the rear of the large space, they could open up the front to feature merchandize and hold events like the one they held last Friday. Not necessarily coincidentally, the adjacent building is where most Volunteer merchandize (particularly apparel) is manufactured.
For now, the group is experimenting with the idea. Word of the event and the business hours was spread via their extensive e-mail database (you can sign up) and their club membership base (requires a monthly donation to the NIL group). He said you can bank on them being open on home game weekends and they may extend to other times as they schedule events. It’s the kind of events in which athletes are paid to participate. They are technically not paid to play the sport.
The merchandize includes some vintage UT pieces, as well as the kinds of things you might find other places, but it also includes some shirts and other items you won’t necessarily find elsewhere. “We’ve created a lot of unique merchandize that people have grown to love, so this is the first time we’ve got a storefront to get it to them.”
He said the NIL program started with donors, then they expanded to the member program in which they have over 4,200 members, “people who give as little as $5 a month up to infinity.” They also do “athlete marketing deals. We did the recent one with Nico where he distributed headphones to the entire team . . . and we we’ve got a new app.” The app is the Volunteer Club app. The app is where you’d get tickets for the tailgate and members get free benefits like food and drink at the tailgate.
I wondered how so many people got the word for the packed event. “We announce it to our members, we announce it to our email newsletter, and our email mailing list of about 45 to 50,000 people.” They promoted that Tony would be there and that was all it took. As for the merchandize, he said, “We can push the envelope a little bit on things.” About seventy-five percent of the merchandize is only available through their online shop and their events. It’s not sold at other UT outlets. He mentioned a shirt commemorating last season’s football victory over Alabama, which features the famous cigars as an example. “It’s fun things like that where we capture a moment.”
The store isn’t the core focus of the group, but it’s another way to generate revenue to compensate the University of Tennessee athletes you love to enjoy. Download the app so you’ll know when the events are up and running. That said, if you catch word of an event, you are welcome to join in. No membership is required to shop and get the signed goods.