- High school NIL
- Permitted with conditions
- High school authority
- Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA)
- High school rule
- 14 DE Admin. Code 1030, Student Athlete Eligibility: Amateur Status (Name, Image, and Likeness)
- High school effective
- October 11, 2024. The DIAA board passed the proposal 8 to 6 in April 2024; the State Board of Education approved Regulation 1030 in the fall.
- College NIL
- Permitted
- College law
- Delaware House Bill 199 (2021)
- College effective
- Effective September 1, 2021, operative for the 2021-22 academic year.
- Paperwork
- If you hire an agent, report the agent agreement to the school as the regulation requires
- Penalty
- Forfeiture of amateur status and DIAA eligibility.
Where high school NIL stands in Delaware.
Delaware allowed high school NIL on October 11, 2024, when Regulation 1030 took effect after a close 8 to 6 DIAA board vote and State Board of Education approval. The regulation defines name, image, and likeness and lets student-athletes earn compensation from it, with one firm rule: the athlete may in no way include images of or references to the member school they attend.
The DIAA published FAQs alongside the regulation. One unusual feature: an athlete who hires an agent must report the agent agreement to the school, but does not need to report each NIL deal entered through the agent. Delaware's college law, by contrast, requires prior disclosure of every deal.
Effective: October 11, 2024. The DIAA board passed the proposal 8 to 6 in April 2024; the State Board of Education approved Regulation 1030 in the fall.
What a high school athlete can and can't do.
Allowed
- ✓Endorsements, sponsorships, and paid content as an individual
- ✓Appearances, autographs, camps, and merchandise in the athlete's own name
- ✓Hiring an agent, with the agent agreement reported to the school
Not allowed
- ×Any image of or reference to the member school in NIL activity
- ×Compensation tied to athletic performance or offered as an enrollment inducement
- ×Involvement by the school or its staff
- ×Remuneration for competition itself, which remains barred by the amateur rule
The high school checklist.
- →Read Regulation 1030 and the DIAA NIL FAQs
- →Keep every image and reference to the school out of NIL content
- →If you hire an agent, report the agent agreement to the school as the regulation requires
Agents and advisors
Regulation 1030 expressly contemplates agents and requires the agent agreement, not each deal, to be reported to the school. Delaware regulates athlete agents by statute. MSG works with Delaware high school athletes on NIL and brand within the regulation and handles the agent-agreement report.
Penalties
Forfeiture of amateur status and DIAA eligibility.
College NIL in Delaware.
Delaware's college NIL law, HB 199, took effect September 1, 2021. Athletes may earn NIL compensation and hire agents, and scholarships are protected. The law includes a specific list of prohibited categories and requires prior disclosure to the institution.
Athletes may not use school marks in personal NIL activity, while team contracts may use athlete NIL for marketing without additional compensation. Contracts may not conflict with team or institutional contracts, and violations may result in scholarship loss. Since July 2025, Delaware schools that opted into the House settlement may pay athletes directly.
Effective: Effective September 1, 2021, operative for the 2021-22 academic year.
Delaware law: key points
- ✓NIL compensation and agent representation permitted since September 1, 2021
- ✓Prior disclosure to the institution required
- ✓Prohibited categories: adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, controlled dangerous substances, and weapons
- ✓No school marks in personal NIL activity; contracts may not conflict with team contracts
- ✓Direct school payments permitted under the House settlement for opted-in schools
National framework (House settlement)
Since July 1, 2025, college NIL runs on two tracks. Third-party deals with brands and businesses remain open, and the House v. NCAA settlement now lets Division I schools that opted in pay athletes directly, capped at roughly $20.5 million per school in the first year and rising annually. State law sits on top of that framework and can add rules, but cannot take the federal settlement terms away.
- →Third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be reported through the NIL Go clearinghouse, generally within five business days, and are reviewed for fair market value
- →Direct payments from a school count against that school's revenue-sharing cap; third-party deals do not
- →The College Sports Commission handles enforcement tied to settlement rules; the NCAA still governs eligibility
- →Every school also has its own NIL policy on disclosure, prohibited categories, and use of school marks, and it applies alongside state law
- →Federal NIL legislation has been proposed repeatedly and remains unresolved
Major Sports Group
What this means for a Delaware athlete.
Delaware sits between the Philadelphia and Baltimore markets and opened in late 2024. The regulation is short and clear, and the agent-reporting rule is the only unusual step.
MSG files the agent agreement with the school for every Delaware athlete and keeps all school references out of content.
Delaware NIL FAQ.
Can high school athletes in Delaware do NIL deals?
Yes, since October 11, 2024, under DIAA Regulation 1030. Athletes may earn compensation from their name, image, and likeness as long as they in no way include images of or references to the member school they attend.
Do Delaware high school athletes have to report NIL deals?
Not each deal. Under Regulation 1030, an athlete who hires an agent must report the agent agreement to the school, but does not need to report individual deals entered through the agent.
Can a Delaware high school athlete reference their school in a sponsored post?
No. The regulation bars any image of or reference to the member school in NIL activity.
What is Delaware's college NIL law?
House Bill 199, effective September 1, 2021. It permits NIL compensation and agents, requires prior disclosure to the institution, lists prohibited categories, and bars use of school marks in personal NIL activity.
Can the University of Delaware pay athletes directly?
Yes, for schools that opted into the House settlement, since July 1, 2025, within the revenue-sharing cap.
- DIAA NIL FAQs, Regulation 1030 (October 2024)
- 14 DE Admin. Code 1030, Student Athlete Eligibility: Amateur Status
- DIAA approves NIL deals for Delaware high school athletes (WDEL, October 2024)
- NIL laws by state, Delaware HB 199 (Athlete Agent Labs)
- NIL Rules in 2026: updated guide (Sportsepreneur, June 2026)
Rules change, sometimes mid-season. This page reflects the sources above as of August 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current position of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association, your college\u2019s NIL policy, and your school before signing anything.