The rule
High school sports in Vermont are governed by the Vermont Principals' Association (VPA). The rule is Policy 9, the Vermont Name, Image and Likeness Policy, read with Policy 8, the Amateur Rule, in the VPA High School Policies, a live document titled 2025-2026 and linked from the association's athletic policies page as of October 13, 2026. Everything on this page is taken from the VPA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes; the policy gives no adoption date and covers commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media, advertisements and NFTs |
| Who must be told | No one; the policy is silent |
| School and VPA marks | No reference to a member school or the VPA; no team jersey or school marks; no NIL partner's apparel, logos or insignia during team activities |
| Banned categories | Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco, nicotine and vape products; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; casinos and gambling, including the Vermont State Lottery; weapons, firearms and ammunition |
| Pay-for-play and recruiting | The amateur rule bars pay for participation in a contest or as a prize; schools may not promise NIL to entice a transfer or enrollment |
| Schools and collectives | Schools may not form, direct or engage an NIL collective, or offer any grant, loan, gift or financial benefit related to a student's NIL |
| Agents | Families may engage or work with professional service providers such as agents and advisors; school employees, contractors and volunteers may not act as a representative or agent; a guardian who works for the school acts solely as guardian |
| Penalty | A violation may be a violation of the amateur rule; the student may be ineligible and waits 60 school days before reinstatement through the Activity Standards Committee; staff violations go through VPA penalty procedures |
What the rule says
- The principle. "Student-athletes must keep their NIL activities and participation in interscholastic athletics separate." The policy is issued as guidance so students may do NIL "and still remain eligible."
- What is permitted. Commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media, advertisements and NFTs.
- No school or VPA identity. "Making any reference to a VPA member school or the VPA when engaging in an NIL activity" is barred, as are the team jersey or school marks, and endorsing an NIL partner during team activities with third-party apparel, logos or insignia.
- Eight banned categories. Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco, nicotine and vape-related products; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; "Casinos and gambling, including the Vermont State Lottery"; weapons, firearms and ammunition.
- Agents and advisors. "Student-athletes and their families may engage or work with professional service providers, such as agents and advisors." School employees, contractors and volunteers may not act as a representative or agent; a guardian who is a school employee acts "solely as the legal guardian."
- Schools and collectives. Schools may not "Form, direct, or engage a NIL Collective," offer "any grant, loan, gift or financial benefit related to a student's NIL," or "Promise NIL opportunities to entice student-athletes to transfer or attend."
- No reporting. The policy sets none.
- The penalty. A violation "may be a violation of the VPA Amateur rule"; the student may be ineligible and "have to wait 60 school days before reinstatement," through the Activity Standards Committee. The document is edited in place and still carries the 2025-2026 title; the re-check is December 2026.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the VPA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers VPA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go, and prospects report from the first day of junior year. The NIL guide has the college windows and NIL Go has its own page.
- Agents. The state's athlete-agent law applies to high school athletes; can a high school athlete have an agent? and the state-by-state registration table cover it.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in Vermont
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in Vermont?
Yes. The VPA's Name, Image and Likeness Policy, issued as guidance alongside the amateur rule, permits commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media, advertisements and NFTs, provided NIL stays separate from school athletics and outside eight banned categories.
Do I have to report an NIL deal in Vermont?
The VPA policy sets no reporting requirement. A school or supervisory union can set its own policy.
Can a Vermont high school athlete have an agent?
Yes. The policy says students and families may engage or work with professional service providers such as agents and advisors. School employees, contractors and volunteers may not act as a student's representative or agent; a guardian who works for the school acts solely as the legal guardian. Vermont has no athlete-agent registration law; the federal SPARTA rules apply to anyone recruiting a student athlete.
What is the penalty in Vermont?
A violation may be a violation of the VPA Amateur Rule. The student may be ineligible and has to wait 60 school days before reinstatement, through the Activity Standards Committee; staff violations go through the VPA's penalty procedures.
Be your own agent. Leave.