US women’s soccer struggles to overcome past lack of diversity

PORTLAND, Oregon. Crystal Dunn was often the only black girl in her youth football clubs, and even when she finally made it to the national team, she did her own hair and makeup for photo shoots because “nobody set it up for me.”

While the US national team has steadily become more representative, Dunn says there is still more to be done. It starts with young women of color feeling included right down to the youth level.

“I had very supportive parents who explained to me: “It’s okay, you are still welcome in this sport. And just because there aren’t many people like you, it’s still your game,” Dunn said. This encouragement was key to her success “because honestly it’s pretty lonely at the end of the day to feel like you’re the only one in this space and not feel like you belong.”

Women’s football in the United States has long faced a diversification issue: the pay-per-play model of play means it’s expensive, especially at higher levels. Club teams and away teams can cost thousands of dollars in some cases. Almost from the start, players without financial resources, including many from marginalized communities, were left behind.

Even U.S. Football President Cindy Parlow Cone has lamented that American football is seen as “a sport for rich white kids.”

Dunn first played for the national team in 2013 and was on the team that won the 2019 World Cup in France. The job also included off-pitch duties such as taking part in professional photo shoots and public appearances.

Such events often included hair and makeup assistance for white players, but there was no guarantee that the stylists would know how to work with black skin or black hair.

“These are things that a lot of people never had to think about because there weren’t that many of us,” Dunn said.

She was among five of the 23 colored players on the team that won the World Cup. On the contrary, in France there were 12.

The latest American roster includes 10 women of color, including young stars Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma and Mallory (Pugh) Swanson, as the team prepares for the World Cup this summer. The United States will play New Zealand twice next week as the teams prepare for a tournament to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

“Representation matters,” said Sophia Smith, who scored 11 goals for Team USA last year and won the American Football Player of the Year award. “And I think young girls can look at a screen or come to a game and see a lot of people who look different, which is great.”

The growing representation helped diversify the team, which had fewer than a dozen black players until 2012.

The pool of players talented enough for each of the highest levels in America – the national team and the National Women’s Football League – is already small. The exclusive nature of youth football makes it even smaller.

The pay structure “really leaves a lot of marginalized minorities stranded” because of the high costs, Dunn said. “And if I didn’t have parents who could give away three, four or five grand a year, I don’t know if I can sit here and say that I would continue in this sport.”

Parlow Cone said at a youth sports panel last year that the US federation was looking into access to the game.

“A lot of it comes down to how our sport is perceived, to marketing, and how we can shift that mindset from being a sport for rich white kids to a sport that is played in literally every country in the world.” she said. “And as here in the US, the most diverse country in the world, how do we shift the focus to making every child feel welcome in our game?”

Ed Foster-Simeon, CEO of the Football Foundation USA, is one of those who are trying to make football more accessible to communities that have not traditionally been involved in it.

The Football for Success Foundation program has worked with more than 400,000 children, 90% of them from communities of color, since 2008. The program is expected to reach over 100,000 children this year.

The foundation says more than 121,000 girls from low-income communities have benefited from its programs over the past three years, as part of its United For Girls initiative launched after the 2019 FIFA World Cup. In addition, during this period, the foundation hired 5,475 coaches who identify as women or non-binary individuals.

The goal of the foundation, he says, is not to develop elite talent, but to bring the game to more children, especially in communities with fewer resources.

According to Foster-Simeon, over the past few years, “clearer and clearer paths” have emerged for talented young people. “But I think our biggest problem by far is that we’re only scratching the surface in terms of participation. We are not reaching enough children.”

Indeed, much of the work with girls is done at the grassroots level.

Shannon Box, who last year was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame, played for the national team from 2003 to 2015. She is on the board of directors for Bridge City Soccer in Portland, which aims to get girls involved in the game.

She remembers moments on the national team when she noticed that she was the only black person present.

“For me, it was just a lot of weight that I wanted to have, but I remember feeling like, ‘OK, when we’re signing autographs, I’m looking for those kids who are of color, because I want them to know that they are can do it,” she said. “And I may be the only one right now, but it won’t be the same in the future.”

Shauna Gordon, a former professional who played for Sky Blue (now Gotham FC) in the Women’s National Football League, founded Football For Her, a non-profit organization in Southern California to mentor young players on and off the field, regardless of socioeconomic status. Football For Her takes a personal approach, focusing on nutrition and mental health, in addition to playing skills.

“Playing with strong players is a challenge because they are all talented in their own way. And for me, it helps me understand why,” said Amber Ramirez, 13, who attended Soccer For Her Friday night. program last fall.

There is evidence that these efforts can work. Ten years ago, only 24% of First Division female players were of color. Last season, this figure rose to 34%.

But many believe that temporary measures are not an option. They want to rethink the pay-to-play model.

The paid model is “totally tied to the problems we’re having, so how do we try to correct it?” said Kate Markgraf, general manager of the United States Women’s Organization. “I think we’ve finally reached the point where we’re ready – not as US Soccer, but I think as a society – our eyes are open in a way they’ve never been.”

Dunn is hopeful. When she first joined the national team, there were far fewer women of color in the sport and even fewer who played at the highest level.

It’s important to celebrate progress, she says, “but it’s also important to keep pushing and pushing for more and getting more women of color to have access to sports.”

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