This year, I felt, was a tough combination of informative and repetitive sessions or classes that could have been more diverse. It is also inevitable that there is an hour where you want to attend five different sessions and then another hour where there is nothing of interest. I wish I could clone myself to soak in all of the classes! 

I focused my attention on classes around ‘The Women’s Game’. Some of the sessions were a stretch to fit under the category but then there were some incredible sessions. One of my favorites was called ‘Taking Pride in Defending’ coached by Margueritte Aozasa, partially because I love focusing on the defensive side of the game but also because of her incredible knowledge and delivery (Margueritte also made history as the first rookie coach and first woman of color to ever win the NCAA Division I Women’s soccer championship). I also had the pleasure of taking a class called ‘Developing a Goal Scoring Mentality’ coached by Yolanda Thomas (currently an assistant coach for the Orlando Pride and founding member of the ‘Moms Who Coach’ group). 

One of the most informative sessions (that I have already used in several training sessions) was coached by Marcia ‘Tafa’ Tafarel. Tafa is a former player for the Brazilian Women’s National Soccer team and is the first coach of the U.S. Women’s National Futsal team. She had brilliant insight on the growth of futsal in the U.S. and some wonderfully focused drills that can be used on both the futsal court and soccer field. I was lucky enough to have dinner with Tafa, among many other incredible women/coaches from Girls Unite in CA.  They are such a diverse group of humans and getting to talk through the game and life was a highlight of my trip!

The best part of the trip was meeting some incredible delegates from Africa. These coaches came over as a part of the mentorship program and truly made the convention. I got to listen to many of them stand up for each other in classes and stand up for different groups with coaches communities. To see all of the boundaries they are breaking all while going through some tough rules, was truly mind blowing. The bravery these coaches showed but also the joy they brought: the joy of celebration, of feeling free, of finding a community of support – to put it lightly, I am beyond inspired to keep working to make the sport of soccer accessible for all!

Aside from learning some great new drills and learning different ways to help our athletes work through some mental pieces of the game, reconnecting with the coaches communities brought so much inspiration and excitement for what is to come in the sport. I also have a new adventure in front of me as I was asked to help form the Education and Resources committee within the LGBTQ+ and Allies group. I was also privileged enough to get to take a semi-private tour of the convention floor with a delegation from Japan, Fiona Ma, the State Treasurer of CA, Khaim Morton, the Deputy Treasurer and other VIPs. 

Overall the trip was amazing and just as last year, came at the perfect time to inspire and refocus between seasons and similarly, I am excited to head to Chicago next January for the next one. I hope to bring some more detailed articles to NEF-She over the year outlining some of the things I learned in greater detail.