Out of the 330 teams in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), the exclusive nation-wide league for girls club soccer, only five percent of the teams are coached by women. 

 

It breaks down to just 18 teams. 

 

At other youth levels, the numbers are not that different. 

 

In AYSO, one of the leading recreational soccer organizations in the country, the number is estimated to be in the teens. One famous study by USC professor Michael Messner that focused on teams in California put the number at 13.4 percent.

 

Given the amount of women who have played soccer at a collegiate level or above, the lack of return from those players back to the game is eye-opening. There are many theories for the phenomenon.

 

“A lot of players who excel to the elite level get burnt out,” said former national team star and current FC Bucks U16 ECNL head coach Christie Welsh. “I think some want to move on to other things.” 

 

Welsh stuck with the game because she “just loves it.” 

 

“I was very fortunate to have a female coach growing up,” said Welsh who gave a lot of credit to that coach, Sue Ryan, for encouraging her to try the profession. 

 

Ryan was the only female coach that Welsh had during her youth soccer days. When asked to compare her experiences with male and female head coaches, Welsh said it is the personality of the individual that makes the difference in terms of coaching, not the gender. 

 

She did suggest that it would be beneficial to have more females in the coaching profession, so young players could relate to those who have been there before. 

 

“I think that the big thing is having female role models,” said the former national team star. “You want the girls to have someone to aspire to be like.”

 

On the opposite coast, Real So Cal coach Kristy Walker holds the designation as the only female in the ECNL who handles two teams. 

 

“I got into coaching because I love soccer and I love kids,” said Walker. “And I wanted to give back to the game that gave me so much.”

 

Walker was a star at Westmont, where she was an All-American and set the scoring record for the school. She also had a female coach there by the name of Jill Wolf. 

 

“She was inspiring because she knew how to relate to us,” said Walker. “Her expectation for us was to be the best we can be, and she led by example. She worked hard as a coach for us, and it made you, as a player, want to work hard for her.”

 

Walker has enjoyed success as a coach; she led her Real So Cal U16, now U17, to the ECNL National Championship last season. 

 

But she is also on a deserted island when it comes to female coaches, as the only one in any age among Southern California’s ECNL teams. 

 

“I just don’t think about it,” said Walker about never seeing another woman coaching on the sideline. “It never dawned on me. Really, I am just focused on the game, my players, and how I can best coach my team.”

 

Walker does believe there will be an influx of female coaches in the coming years as one generation moves to another and female players with professional experience look to stay in the game. 

 

The ECNL is hoping to convince those former professionals that it is the place for them to return to the game. 

 

“It is up to us to encourage our clubs to create opportunities for former players who want to give back to the game,” said ECNL Commissioner Sarah Kate Noftsinger. “We need to make an environment that provides the right resources for former players to become great coaches.”

 

Noftsinger added that there is a plan in place to attract more former players back to the game via coaching, “Everything is a very slow process, but we are working on it.”

 

She said that the ECNL has been working at recent national events with notable stars like Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Brandi Chastain. 

 

“They aren’t just coming back to talk, they are actually out there to do a training session,” said Noftsinger. “You want to get these players back and show the kids you can aspire to be a coach too.”

 

Noftsinger did state that the ECNL is aware of the disparity in head coaching positions between men and women, and indicated that the ECNL is in it to find the best coaches for the players, regardless of gender. 

 

She also recognized that there are “outstanding” female coaches in college soccer, and hopes to create an atmosphere to entice potential coaches to also consider the ECNL in the future.

 

Welsh, Walker, and the other 15 women currently leading ECNL teams are, perhaps, the unspoken guiding light for those potential new coaches. They have enjoyed success at this level, but much of it has come in the shadows.