New UCF ‘Mission Control’ uses NIL to boost fan engagement

McKenzie Milton.

Knights fans can now meet their favorite players and snag exclusive merch with a new subscription service that puts money in players’ pockets.

Launched by Dreamfield, UCF’s “Mission Control” grans fans access to youth camps, team updates, online chats, NFTs, stickers and “intimate private small gatherings with your favorite UCF athletes from all sports.”

The membership packages, which all have space program-inspired names, start with the $10 a month “Pioneer” plan. The top-tier “Apollo” package costs $200 a month and includes access to exclusive events and grants VIP status to other events.

The company said it hopes to build fan engagement while helping athletes earn money off their  name, image and likeness (NIL). Dreamfield asserts higher engagement will benefit the university, too, through an improved community experience, higher ticket and merchandise sales and “an overall better full athlete experience.”

Mission Control held a soft launch last month with an event at BurgerU. The Jan. 9 event featured UCF football stars Isaiah Bowser, Sam Jackson, Anthony Montalvo and Alex Ward, who recently announced they would return to the squad next season.

The event was hosted by former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who co-founded Dreamfield. More than 250 people attended.

“As UCF prepares to enter the Big IX, we at Dreamfield, where most of us are UCF alumni, did not want to sit back and wait for others so we took matters into our own hands and created Mission Control,” Milton said.

“We want to start getting as many compliant deals through Mission Control in the hands of our current UCF athletes as possible, all while creating fun family-friendly fanfare. Our mission is to have UCF athletes use their name, image, and likeness to not just to promote commercial products, but to create something special for UCF fans.”

The first post-launch event will be held on March 1. Dreamfield said details will be announced soon.

Dreamfield CEO said Luis Pardillo said, “Mission Control is groundbreaking because it is wholly owned by Dreamfield, an experienced platform in compensating athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness, all while being supported by the UCF fanbase, not mega-donors. Our Dreamfield technology and expertise will make Mission Control the most efficient and compliant USO in the entire NCAA.”