Alison Martin
Alison Martin is a marketing and fan engagement leader currently serving as Senior Manager of Marketing & Fan Engagement for Orlando Pride in Orlando, Florida. With a strong background in experiential marketing and community activation, she is known for creating dynamic, fan-first experiences that deepen connections between sports organizations and their audiences. In her role, Alison leads strategic initiatives that drive brand growth, increase fan loyalty, and elevate the overall matchday and community experience for one of the premier clubs in women’s professional soccer.
Alison’s career path reflects both resilience and passion. After earning her Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law, she began her professional journey in the legal field before pivoting to pursue her true passion in sports and fitness. She gained leadership experience with lululemon and later co-founded UNBARD Coffee, where she led all marketing and brand development efforts from the ground up. Her entrepreneurial experience and hands-on approach to grassroots marketing ultimately led her to Orlando City Soccer Club and Orlando Pride, where she has grown into a key leader within the organization.
Since joining the club, Alison has played an integral role in shaping innovative fan experiences and community-driven campaigns, including large-scale activations and unique branded environments that bring supporters closer to the team. She manages cross-functional teams and oversees initiatives ranging from street team engagement to major event execution, all with a focus on authenticity and impact. Deeply passionate about women’s sports and community building, Alison is dedicated to pushing the game forward while creating meaningful, memorable connections that inspire fans and strengthen the culture of the sport.
• Barry University - Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
• University of Central Florida
• Downtown Orlando Partnership Award for National Championship Parade
• Community Champion Award from Orlando City Soccer Club for Most Volunteer Hours
• WISE (Women in Sports and Events)
• Experience Camps Southeast Region Advisory Board
• 5 years on Southeast Region Advisory Board
• Various community volunteer work in Orlando
• Camp Shriver
What do you attribute your success to?
I think it's a combination of things. I've been very fortunate to have incredible bosses that have really helped teach me and helped grow me along the way. I think that's something that I have been very fortunate with, and I know others might not be. But I also think that, truthfully, being an athlete in sports has helped grow me a lot and really given me that self-motivation to succeed and to always keep pushing for better. Those experiences as an athlete taught me resilience and the drive to never give up, which has carried through everything I do professionally.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I've received so much great advice, but the one thing that has always stuck with me is to control the controllables - you're only responsible for the way you react. I think that has helped ground me a lot, especially when things have gotten tough throughout my career and when I've gotten discouraged. It reminds me that I can only control my reactions and how I handle things, and I can only control so much sometimes. That's been number one for my personal growth. Another piece of advice I love and tell people all the time is: don't be afraid to introduce yourself and say hi. You never know where networking will take you, and make sure you're always on your best and being your true self when meeting other people, because you never know where it will lead.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and say hi. You never know where networking will take you, and make sure you're always on your best and being your true self when meeting other people, because you never know where it will lead. Put yourself out there, because that can open up doors for new possibilities. I think it's so important to build those relationships and not be intimidated by entering what can be a male-dominated industry. I know I belong here, and being a strong woman in this industry has really helped me grow and makes me really proud.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was really going into a male-dominated industry and not knowing where I would fit in. I was definitely intimidated by that - you always hear that sports is male-dominated, it's a man's game, which it really is. But I will say my club is incredible, and where I work is fantastic, and I've not really faced any issues at all being in that industry like a lot of my female coworkers around the leagues might have. Being able to be a strong woman in this industry has really helped me grow, and I know I belong there. It makes me really proud of being in this industry. It's been really cool over the past few years to see how much it has grown in terms of female employees - there's a really large majority in one section of our marketing team that is female now, which is really cool to see women taking over and making a stand in the sports industry. As for opportunities, I think there are so many. Soccer is a baby compared to all these other sports leagues, and there's so much room to grow in terms of fan engagement, making a really big stand, and gaining that fan base. In the marketing sense, we've just started scraping the surface. There's so much room for growth in that grassroots, being out there, being recognized as an NBA team is or an NFL team is. We're slowly getting there, but it's such a young sport that the sky's limitless - there's really no glass ceiling here.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of the most important values to me is relationship building, and that's for both personal and professional life. As a leader and as a mentor, one of the biggest things I love to reinforce is that you can't do this on your own. I think that both personally and professionally, you really need to lean into those relationships, because we're there for each other. That's what it's supposed to be, and that only makes relationships stronger. You have to really value those and not take them for granted. Communication is also huge - I very much believe that you can get through any situation with communication and really being able to talk things out. Those are probably my two biggest values. But outside of that, family is huge for me. Being able to spend time with family and with friends and your loved ones is so important, because I think the happier you are outside of work, the more it translates into your work life as well. It all goes hand-in-hand together.