Shannon MacMillan on the Sports Envoy program

Soccer News: MacMillan and Noonan Return Home From Sports Envoys in Guatemala

U.S. Women’s National Team players Shannon MacMillan and Tracy Noonan (née Ducar) traveled to Guatemala earlier this month to hold clinics across the country for schoolchildren, internationals and coaches. U.S. Soccer, in partnership with U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, reached more than 800 children in three cities during the five-day trip.

Just back, having arrived at home on Sunday night, Shannon MacMillan is tired and exhausted but says the trip was well worth it and refers to it as an amazing adventure. SoccerNation News caught up with her to get a brief recap of her adventure in Guatemala with the U.S. Sports Envoys.

SNN: How was the trip?

Shannon MacMillan: Very successful. I would love to do another envoy in the future. 

We had a very busy program while we were in Guatemala with three to four clinics per day and several talks at the various schools we visited.  Travel became complicated because of the intense rain. The roads were closed because of mud slides,  the roads were washed out everywhere, a three hour drive for a clinic in a remote area took eight hours in the car.

SNN: Did you meet with the Ambassador?

Shannon MacMillan: Of course. On our last night in Guatemala, we had a dinner at the Ambassador's house with some kids from a neighborhood orphanage. We shared a pizza party.  

SNN: What was one of the most memorable experiences?

Shannon MacMillan:  We did a clinic with Champions  in Action for orphans. Champions in Action is a terrific organization and I plan to continue to work with them and help do an equipment drive.  

Half the kids down there were walking around with cleats with flat bottoms...anything we can do to help these kids would be great. 

SNN: What did you learn while you were away?

Shannon MacMillan:  The trip was a good refresher how much soccer can open doors and give opportunities to kids. The day to day of club soccer in USA, it tends to be about recruiting and the losses. For the kids in Guatemala, talking to us and getting a bottle of water and a granola bar made their year.  These children just do not have not opportunities that our kids do. 

SNN: Sounds like a reminder, a wake up call.  How does soccer unite the world? 

Shannon MacMillan:  We had a translator when we talked to the kids at schools and clinics, but when we got on the field, we were able to show our soccer moves and teach.  Soccer overcomes language barriers.

SNN: Did you meet with the Guatemala National Team?

Shannon MacMillan:  Yes, Guatemala also has a Women’s National Team, but it is hard for the coaches to recruit players outside of the main city.  The coaches are restricted to what they see in the city,  There are no ID programs and most of the families do not have the money to let their kids travel to Guatemala City for soccer.

Our trip was really focused on talking about keeping your body healthy and the value of life lessons learned through soccer. 

I wish I could send some of our families down there to see what is going on there. It is life altering.

It definitely made me squeeze my son Braden when I got back and remember how fortunate we all are. I asked myself, “Are we really setting up our kids in America to really succeed? 

The focus has to be not on the success of the team or the club but on the kids.  Are they getting the life lessons they need to go after their dreams?

Ambassador and Mrs. Chacon with Soccer Envoys Tracy Noonan and Shannon MacMillan	US Embassy Guatemala, Soccer stars Tracy Noonan and Shannon MacMillan give out autographed photos

Playing sports brings people together regardless of background, language, or other barriers. Sports like soccer give women and girls self confidence, make them physically healthier and stronger, and give them a team, which acts as a great support.

More on the Sports Envoy trip:

WEATHER: The severe weather in Guatemala during the Sports Envoy trip caused a number of problems. The team was forced to remain in Quetzaltenango for an extra day and a half due to flooding and mudslides. While in that city, the players and staff donated bottled water and snacks to the relief efforts in the region, where many people were living in temporary shelters. When they were finally able to leave, the trip to Guatemala City took eight hours instead of the normal three and a half, even with a police escort. There were a number of delays because of flooding and blocked roads.

 In Guatemala City the training clinic with Champions in Action turned into a scouting session for coaches from the women's national team. All of the girls who were involved in the clinic were from the zonas rojas, the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the capital city.

The coaches told the Sports Envoy team that they would never have gone into these areas to scout because of the danger.

The clinic allowed 60 girls who would never have had the opportunity to be scouted by their national team, and several of them were invited to try out for the U17 team.

The group's final day in Guatemala included a reception for youth and staff from Champions in Action, as well as members of the Guatemalan Soccer Federation. At the event the Ambassador and Sports Envoys presented the children with autographed postcards, soccer balls and jerseys.

"Over the course of one week in Guatemala, Shannon and Tracy spoke to and worked with over 800 youth, coaches, and teachers," said Sam Rotenberg, Outreach Coordinator for the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City.

"In spite of the weather, they were able to have several clinics and talk with people in three different departments (or states) of Guatemala – Sololá, Quetzaltenango and Guatemala City."

Among the groups MacMillan and Noonan worked with were English Access Microscholarship Students, top U17 girls soccer team Club Xelaju, and NGOs Champions in Action and Soccer Without Borders.

More on Champions in Action

Champions in Action is operated by volunteers in the United States and currently employees a small team in Guatemala. Therefore, all donations are used to support the establishment of premier sports camps in Guatemala. The approximate cost to sponsor one youth to go to a camp in 2010 is $200. This cost covers room and board, transportation, meals, camp gear, and equipment. All online donations are secure and can be performed through Google Checkout. For more information, email founder, Jonathan Jabukowski.

If you would like to donate by mail, checks can be sent to:

Champions In Action
PO Box 49
Bowling Green, OH 43402

About the Sports Envoy Program

The goals of the Sports Envoy program include sparking dialogue with children around the world, helping to improve health and fitness among children and showing the connection between sports and higher education, particularly for girls.

U.S. Soccer is partnered with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the effort to reach children around the world on the sports field. The Sports Envoy program is a part of SportsUnited, a Bureau sports exchange program that sends athletes and coaches from a variety of sports overseas to work with children in other countries. The program hopes to influence children on the importance of education, positive health practices and respect for diversity. MacMillan and Noonan were the latest top athletes and coaches to participate in the program.

MacMillan came to national attention as the winner of the 1995 Hermann Trophy for best collegiate female soccer player when she was at the University of Portland. She played on the U.S. Women’s Olympic teams that took the gold medal in Atlanta in 1996 and the silver medal in Sydney in 2000. MacMillan was also a member of the US WNT that won the 1999 Women’s World Cup. 

For her efforts, she was named U.S. Soccer’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2002 and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. She was one of the founding players of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and played for the San Diego Spirit for three seasons. MacMillan is currently the Director of the Competitive Program for the Del Mar/Carmel Valley Sharks Soccer Club.

Noonan also came to national attention at the Atlanta Olympics, where she joined MacMillan and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill teammate Mia Hamm. She was also on the 1999 World Cup team, although she did not have playing time. In college, Noonan helped lead the Tar Heels to three NCAA championships and was another founding member of the WUSA, playing with the Boston Breakers. Noonan went on to coach at UNC-Greensboro and Greensboro College.

DETAILS: The Sports Envoy program is part of SportsUnited’s Empowering Women and Girls through Sport Initiative. Research shows that there is a strong connection between girls’ participation in sports and pursuing a higher level of education, which then leads to more women in leadership roles. Through the international program, U.S. Soccer seeks to promote sports and spark dialogue with children from around the world.

In June, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton launched the Women's World Cup Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through Sports, with an event at the Department of State for members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, female youth soccer players from around the world, Olympic medalists, professional athletes, and other leaders from the world of sports. In addition to soccer, the Department has engaged girls throughout the world this year through a host of international sports exchanges, including basketball, hockey, martial arts, snowboarding, softball, and volleyball.

Click here to learn more about the Department’s efforts to empower women and girls through sports.

Sports Envoys are current and retired professional athletes and coaches that travel overseas to conduct drills and team building activities, as well as engage youth in a dialogue on the importance of education, positive health practices and respect for diversity.

SportsUnited is the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ premier sports exchange program at the U.S. Department of State. Athletes and coaches from a range of sports are chosen to conduct clinics, visit schools, and engage with youth overseas in a dialogue on the importance of an education, positive health practices, and respect for diversity. Since 2003, SportsUnited has brought more than 600 athletes from 44 countries to the U.S. to participate in Sport Visitor programs. Since 2005, SportsUnited has sent more than 100 U.S. athletes to 40 countries to participate in Sport Envoy programs.

Ambassador Chacon and Sports Envoys Shannon MacMillan and Tracy Noonan present a jersey to a Champions in Action member.

U.S. Soccer has been involved with Sports Envoy since 2006. Former players and coaches have traveled to South Africa, Bahrain, Uganda, Nigeria and Morocco, to name a few. Just this year, Linda Hamilton, Tiffany Roberts, Amanda Cromwell and Briana Scurry held clinics in Brazil and Germany. More past participants include Juergen Sumner, Cindy Parlow, Jeff Pill, Marcelo Balboa and Jay Miller.

For more information on Champions in Action visit their website. To donate directly click here or send checks to Champions in Action, PO Box 49, Bowling Green, OH, 43402.

Related Article: MacMillan Joins Envoy