PLYMOUTH, Minn.–TruStone Financial Credit Union said it has entered into the first known name, image, likeness (NIL) deal with a high school athlete in the state.
The credit union has entered into the agreement with Bayliss Flynn, a soccer goalkeeper who plays for both Edina High School and Minnesota Aurora FC, the state’s first pre-professional women’s team.
TruStone Financial is a founding partner of Minnesota Aurora FC.
The agreement was signed at a special ceremony at TruStone one day after Flynn’s 17th birthday. Joining Flynn at the signing were TruStone Financial President/CEO Dale Turner; Flynn’s mother, Mary Lahammer’; the president of Minnesota Aurora FCU, Andrea Yoch, and Edina High School Women’s Soccer Coach Katie Aafedt.
Terms of the deal were not released.
In announcing the signing, the credit union noted that on June 7 the Minnesota State High School League passed language allowing NIL deals for prep athletes.
‘Aid in Mission’
TruStone Financial said Bayliss will aid in its mission to “engage, educate and inspire our members to achieve lifelong financial well-being.” Among other services, Bayliss will endorse the Aurora-branded debit card, available exclusively at TruStone.
Minnesota Aurora FC is the state’s first pre-professional women’s soccer team and is women-led and community-owned. As a founding partner, the TruStone brand is part of the Aurora uniform kit, featured on the sleeve of all jerseys.
TruStone also offers Aurora-branded credit and debit cards.
How Parties Met
“Representatives of TruStone first met Bayliss Flynn at the Aurora Kit Reveal Event at the Mall of America,” TruStone Financial said. “Immediately struck by the young athlete’s poise and maturity, the TruStone marketing team discussed Bayliss as a possible candidate for future endorsements, unaware at the time that she was 16 years old and still in high school.”
Flynn earned All State, All Metro, and All Conference honors while setting a record with four goalkeeper assists and allowing the fewest goals in the state. She has also earned All State Academic honors three times, All Conference honors six times and has eight varsity letters as a multi-sport athlete with a 4.0 GPA.
The $4-billion TruStone Financial has 22 branches across Minnesota and Wisconsin.