East Wake Times

The North Carolina Courage has launched a new campaign, "The Place to BE," encouraging the community to make First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park their home. The campaign aims to foster a sense of belonging and belief, urging fans to be unapologetically themselves, bold, fearless, and exceptional.

Ralph Vuono, the Chief Operating Officer of the Courage, emphasized the importance of brand leadership: “To build an influential brand, we must lead with conviction — clearly defining who we are and communicating it with consistency and confidence.”

The club collaborated with marketing agencies Name & Number and Exactly for this campaign. After comprehensive research involving fans and club leadership interviews, they concluded that no single term could fully capture the identity of Courage Country. Instead, "The Place to BE" reflects the club's culture and on-field success.

Courage President Francie Gottsegen said: “We have multitudes. Our community and fans view us through that lens... It is the place for fans to be unapologetically loud... From a community perspective, it’s the place to belong.”

Svetlana Legetic from Exactly highlighted the visual aspect of the campaign: “Right now, you usually see physical prowess front and center... You see them as human beings... that combination of motion and emotion helps visually share that we contain multitudes.”

Kyle Sheldon from Name & Number added his excitement about public response: “I’m really excited to see how people respond to the visuals... They will stand out.”

Vuono noted this launch comes at a crucial time for women's sports: “The momentum behind women’s sports is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... We needed to define what our brand stands for."

Legetic pointed out that previous women's sports marketing lacked specific team identities: “Creating something unique and specific to the Courage identity was at the forefront..."

Both agencies had worked independently with Washington Spirit before joining forces for this project. Legetic reflected on their collaboration history: “We had a great time... It’s a partnership a decade and a half in the making."

Sheldon hopes this campaign will strengthen ties within The Triangle area: “There’s still a lot of opportunity in the market…this campaign can serve as a connection point.”

First Horizon Stadium is seen as an ideal venue blending intimidation with intimacy while reinforcing that North Carolina is indeed "The Place to BE."