Podcast: Maine freshman Charlotte Belanger on signing her first NIL deal

Incoming Maine freshman Charlotte Belanger joined ‘The Goal.’ (Pliable Marketing)

The latest guests on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast are University of Maine incoming freshman forward/midfielder Charlotte Belanger and Founder and CEO of Pliable Marketing Greg Glynn.

Belanger (Ocean Park, Maine) recently signed with Pliable, a marketing company and NIL agency that helps high school, college and professional athletes build their athlete brand. She will have name, image, and likeness (NIL) representation and work with Pliable to develop her athlete brand to pursue her career in business.

Belanger, 18, excelled at Thornton Academy, where she received First Team All-Conference and All-State recognition, while earning a 3.9 GPA in the classroom and being a member of the National Honor Society. She also plays her club soccer with Seacoast United.

Belanger has already signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) partnership with Aroma Joe’s Development Office of Maine and New Hampshire, becoming the 10th community ambassador for the New England-based coffee shop. 

She and Glynn joined hosts Matt Langone and Matt Doherty to discuss her venture into the world of NIL, how it came about and her soccer journey to this point.

Watch/listen

Here are some highlights from our discussion:

On how it feels to have an NIL deal before even beginning her college career:

Belanger: “It’s great to have something like this already on the resume, because it’s a big deal and it’s a growing thing within college athletics.”

On why Belanger was a good fit for Pliable:

Glynn: “As I recruit, I’m looking for good athletes that are great people, and I had done my homework on Charlotte. Charlotte, actually, was even connected to a former Pliable athlete at the University of New Hampshire, and I heard great things about the family and everything like that. And I knew she was going to play at the University of Maine.”

On the pressure that comes with NIL deals:

Belanger: “I kind of see it as a motivator, because I want to be able to perform on the field.”

On what life skills you can take from navigating the NIL landscape:

Belanger: “I also signed with Pliable because I’m a business major as well. These skills will be something with my major, especially, and will be something I will need for the rest of my life and my future career. So, getting a lot of practice with it early I’d say is going to help me in the future as well.”

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