UE soccer player partners with nonprofit organization in new NIL deal

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A Tri-State soccer player is giving back to the Evansville community.

Shoes are something we wear everywhere and something a lot of us probably take for granted.

Some kids in the Tri-State aren’t so lucky, which is why University of Evansville’s Paige Radel scored a deal with Samaritan’s Feet, a nonprofit to help give kids who need it a new pair of shoes.

Radel is from Metamora, Ohio and made her way to Evansville after signing in 2022 to play with the University of Evansville.

Now Radel’s going into her sophomore year at UE repping number 29.

“We found that we wanted to partner with really unique athletes that are kind of more servant, leadership minded that really wanted to give back to their community in a tangible way,” said Samaritan’s Feet Sports Initiative Manager, Kathy Slyder.

Samaritan’s Feet works to give kids around the world a new pair of shoes.

“When you were young and going to school and that back-to-school outfit, you want to fit in you don’t want to be looked at differently. We believe shoes provide that opportunity for a child to play, go to school, to not be singled out,” Slyder said.

Slyder said Radel is more than happy to be a part of their mission to help those in need.

“Her main goal is to serve others. So, what these kids do is they work to raise money that will purchase shoes to then give back to the community either where they go to school or where they’re from. That’s what Paige has chosen to do,” Slyder said.

14 News reached out to UE’s athletics department to interview Radel. They said they would need to go through compliance first.

Slyder said Radel’s goal is to raise over $25,000 and give 1,000 pairs of shoes to kids in Evansville within the next year.

Radel’s contract is for one year.

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