Why we need the WPS on SoccerNationNews Soccer News

Dr. Dina Gentile

Youth Soccer Insight: Why we need the WPS

Can this really be happening? No more WPS for the 2012 season? Did I miss something?

Weren’t we all glued to our televisions during the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup? Didn’t we all get chills when Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe combined for the most amazing goal ever? Didn’t we jump up and down when Alex Morgan finished off a great run with a goal? I know I did not miss all of that, and I know what young fans felt when they watched the athleticism and strength of soccer players on their screens.

The Women’s Professional Soccer league has suspended operations for the 2012 season, even as teams were actively selling tickets and fans were gearing up to watch their favorite players dazzle them on the field. This suspension has ripple effects that will impact soccer and the youth game.

How do we all feel today? It is a sad day to think a league with the best soccer players in the world will not be in operation. It is unbelievable that soccer fans will not see the Alexes and Abbys of the world compete on some of the most soccer-friendly fields in the country. What will we do all spring and summer? What will our children hang on their walls? Who will they ask for (and get) an autograph from before or after a game? The rug has been swept out from under us, and it is simply not fair.

For those who have never attended a Women’s Professional Soccer game, you will now have to wait one more season. I have had the privilege of working for the Boston Breakers as the Volunteer Coordinator (during the pre-WPS days) and then became a season ticket holder when they entered the WPS. Even though I have walked on the playing field right by those professional players or shared a meeting with them, the excitement and respect I feel for those athletes has never waned.

For those of us who competed in college without the hopes of playing professionally (because those leagues did not exist), we are tired of hearing that “someday” women can play professionally. Well, that “someday” was today. We made it on ESPN last summer; we watched Hope Solo enter mainstream media on Dancing with the Stars….we arrived. The anticipation for me was so great since the attention was finally on women’s soccer.

Soccer has been a positive catalyst in my life, and as my career in the sport (from collegiate player, to college coach, to camp owner, to parent-coach) has evolved, I knew one thing needed to stay constant. That was my support of the women’s game from an emotional (fan) perspective and financial perspective as a season ticket holder. Season ticket holders were (can still be) the measuring stick proving that women’s soccer deserves a home in the U.S. sports marketplace.

If you have ever watched a game in a room filled with 110 young soccer players, you would understand why it is so important for the WPS to have a season and to have a presence in the lives of our children.

Abby Wambach of team USA celebrates with Megan Rapinoe (C) and Alex Morgan (r) during the FIFA Women's World Cup at the FIFA Stadium in Moenchengladbach, Germany on July 13th, 2011. Photo Credit ISI Photos

The U.S. Women’s National Team played France during my camp week this past summer, and our campers watched the match while they ate lunch. I thought we may just watch the first half, but the players lobbied to watch more and more. Needless to say, the game was thrilling, dynamic, and showcased to me that girls (ages 5-16) love their heroes and love their sport.

When cheers of U-S-A echoed throughout the facility, I realized that these campers felt the significance of watching female players perform on the biggest stage. At the end of camp that week, I urged the parents to watch the World Cup games with their daughters. I also asked that parents consider buying season tickets to the Boston Breakers. Why? We need to keep the WPS around so our daughters will have role models to emulate.

I have been fortunate to have Breakers players come to my camp as guest speakers and the youth players get autographs and photos with the professional players – memories that will last a lifetime. This summer camp will go on, but we will not have a Boston Breakers player in attendance. Something will be missing when I cannot give out tickets to WPS games when a player answers a trivia question correctly, or earns points as a reward for accomplishing a skill, or for the best camp teammate in attendance.

These girls need the WPS, they need to see the game played at the highest level, and they need to see females that look like them playing the game they love. We need to fill that gap now. I am so glad the 2012 Olympic Games can serve to keep our children’s interest in their heroes. While I cannot give my campers a face to face experience with female professional soccer players, I will try to share my experiences with them. And perhaps we can start a rally to get ready for the 2013 WPS season, which we need so our daughters can dream big and desire to be that “player” in that “league” by working hard and envisioning that they can!

Today, I scanned the front pages of the newspaper for an article on the WPS cancellation. What I found was a paragraph of the news. One paragraph to summarize the ending of a league that was ours. How can such a blow to women’s sports, and soccer in general, get allocated such little attention from our news services?

This truly was the fans’ league because we could talk to the players in the fan zones and autograph alley. The players were approachable and kind and willing to high five any fan. My daughter got the signed cleats of Kelly Smith just because she waved at her and said good luck. That is a memory of a lifetime, and now I need to tell my little girl that Kelly Smith and her team will not be playing this season.

The movie A League of Their Own has always struck a chord with me. No matter how many times I watch it, I still cry at the end. Women came together because of a sport and dazzled the crowds. Then it ended. It is remarkable to me that this is happening again in a time when more people than ever before across the globe watch and support women’s soccer. This is a devastating time for sports, not just for women in sports.

SoccerNation News is proud to welcome Dr. Dina Gentile as our newest contributing writer. Dr. Gentile is a Professor of Sport Management at Endicott College. A volunteer youth coach herself, Dr. Gentile understands from both practical and theorectical experience what happens on the soccer field.

Gentile has also coached the Endicott College Soccer Team for 11 years. Gentile is the owner/director of Precision Soccer, LLC, which operates camps, clinics, and coach education training throughout the year. She is a former All-American and Academic All-American at Adelphi University. Gentile has been inducted into the Adelphi University and Endicott College Halls of Fame. She is the Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten Coordinator for Beverly Youth Soccer Association. This season she is the proud coach of her daughters 1st Grade team in the Wilmington Youth Soccer Association. Gentile is also a Soccer Ambassador for Korrio.