UNC Coach Erin Matson Discusses NIL

The Highway to NIL Podcast analyzes the legal landscape concerning college athletics and the regulation of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights of student athletes. The podcast provides key insights into the current state of affairs, focusing on the NIL guidance and policies coming directly from the NCAA; the various passed and amended state NIL laws; and NIL enforcement, including how the NCAA, state attorneys general, and other regulators may investigate and punish schools for NIL violations.

In this installment, Troutman Pepper litigator Mia Marko interviews University of North Carolina’s new Women’s Head Field Hockey Coach Erin Matson about her perspectives and experiences related to NIL as both a player and a new head coach.

As one of the most decorated athletes in UNC history, Matson won five ACC titles and four NCAA championships in her five seasons at UNC. She received the Honda Sports Award three times, and the ACC recognized her as the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year every season she played at UNC. Matson finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in both ACC history and NCAA tournament play, and she was recently named as one of the top 10 female athletes in ACC conference history. In addition to her impressive career as a field hockey player, Matson now serves as one of the youngest head coaches in the county and one of the only coaches with personal experience navigating NIL deals as a player.

Specific topics discussed in her interview include:

• Matson’s experience as one of the top high school players in the county, navigating the recruiting process pre-NIL (3:30);
• Matson’s insight on navigating NIL deals as a player and teammate (9:20);
• Matson’s perspective on how NIL opportunities benefit female athletes and female athletics more broadly (16:25); and
• Matson’s outlook on navigating NIL as a new head coach (27:27).