PeoplesBank, Storrs Central announce official NIL partnership

(August 2, 2024) — PeoplesBank, a mutual bank with a strong Hartford-area presence and over $4B in assets, and Storrs Central have announced a multifaceted, multiyear NIL partnership.

The partnership will include being designated as the Official Bank of Storrs Central, student-athlete appearances at several planned Grand Opening events scheduled for new PeoplesBank locations in Avon, Glastonbury and Hartford; sponsorship of a youth basketball clinic at the Hartford Boys & Girls Club supporting the Ryan Martin Foundation on August 4; and sponsorship of the 2024 Men’s Basketball Repeat Championship Dinner via Bleeding Blue for Good.

“Over the past several years, we have expanded our presence in Connecticut, and in the Hartford area in particular, fairly dramatically,” said Brian Canina, President of PeoplesBank.  “Our support of Connecticut’s favorite student-athletes, via contributing to their NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) fund through Storrs Central, is a natural way to support one of the state’s most recognizable products – Championships.”

“As college athletics continue to evolve, our job is to keep UConn at the forefront of the NIL space,” said Jared Thomas, Executive Director of Storrs Central. “Through Storrs Central, we now have the ability to pair UConn student-athletes with reputable corporate partners. PeoplesBank gets to unleash the phenomenal marketing power of our student-athletes. Storrs Central gets to help UConn maintain a championship standard.”