Pitch to Pro
Pitch to Pro is the official podcast of Ozark United FC. This will be our platform to tell our story about the club and the special place that we call home, Northwest Arkansas. This is a journey. We want to bring you along for the ride. We'll share what's going on behind the curtain, help educate the community at large about soccer, Our league, and give updates on the progress of the club along the way.
Together, we'll explore and unpack our journey to professional soccer, the magic that is NWA, our community, and talk all things soccer from on the pitch to behind the scenes, telling the story of our club.
Pitch to Pro
Ep. 41 - Her Game Too: Fighting for Equality in Soccer - Part 2
When Jenn Ramczyk was questioned about her soccer knowledge in a Chicago pub, she didn't just walk away – she challenged the skeptics loudly enough for others to hear. This moment exemplifies the mission behind Her Game Too USA, an initiative she co-founded with Natasha Brand and Amy Kate Sokoll to create safe spaces for women in soccer.
The grassroots movement, which began in the UK in 2021 before launching stateside in 2022, addresses uniquely American challenges in women's soccer. Beyond combating sexism, Her Game Too USA tackles the alarming dropout rate of girls around age 10, when recreational opportunities diminish and competitive pathways narrow. This critical juncture often determines whether young female players continue their soccer journey or abandon it entirely.
Despite limited resources, the organization has secured partnerships with clubs across the country – from DeKalb County United in Illinois to USL teams like Flatirons Rush and Louisville FC. Most impressively, on the UK side, they've landed a partnership with EA Sports, allowing gamers to select Her Game Too jerseys in-game. The organization has also earned an endorsement from soccer legend Hope Solo.
Looking toward 2025, the co-founders emphasize education as their primary focus – teaching boys and girls alike that soccer belongs to everyone. This mission extends beyond players to developing more female coaches, an area where representation profoundly impacts young girls' relationship with the sport. Ramczyk noted, "If you coach with passion for the game, regardless of your skill level, that's going to rub off on the children."
For those inspired by Her Game Too's mission, involvement opportunities abound – becoming club ambassadors, partnering as organizations, or volunteering specialized skills like blog writing. With women's sports experiencing unprecedented attention, Her Game Too USA stands ready to ensure this moment becomes a movement that transforms how women experience soccer at every level.
Ready to support women in soccer? Visit hergametoo.com to learn how you can join this vital movement transforming the beautiful game for everyone.
Pitch to Pro is the official podcast of Ozark United FC. This will be our platform to tell our story about the club and the special place that we call home, northwest Arkansas. This is a journey we want to bring you along for the ride. We'll share what's going on behind the curtain, help educate the community at large about soccer, our league, and give updates on the progress of the club along the way. Together, we'll explore and unpack our journey to professional soccer, the magic that is NWA, our community, and talk all things soccer from on the pitch to behind the scenes, telling the story of our club. Pitch to Pro podcast is proudly sponsored by PodcastVideoscom. Podcastvideoscom is Northwest Arkansas' premier podcast recording studio, equipped with industry-leading equipment. The recording studio and services save you time, money and hassle. They are dedicated to helping you create, record and publish high-quality podcasts for your audience. Be sure to check them out today at podcastvideoscom.
Speaker 1:Hello everybody, welcome back to the Pitch to Pro podcast. I'm your host, wes Harris, managing Director for Ozark United FC, northwest Arkansas' professional soccer club, playing in the United Soccer League. Today I am excited to welcome back Ms Jen Ramsek and Natasha Brand, co-founders of Her Game 2 USA, an initiative focused on the advancement of women in soccer and sport. So welcome back, ladies. Thank you again for joining me for round two here. Let's just give everybody a little bit of a refresher. Who maybe just you know they didn't see part one but uh, her game two. Talk about it. Uh, and what's? What's the initiative? What should people know?
Speaker 2:so briefly. It started in the uk in 2021, throughout the states in 2022, but they've been a launch, um, and it's about just the equality in the game and letting women know that this is a safe space for them. They are allowed to watch and love the sport of soccer and be a part of it in any way, shape or form, resting, coaching, whatever they want to be and how they want to be involved in the game. This is a safe space for them to be involved.
Speaker 1:I think that's such a good shout to you. You sort of mentioned all the different ways. There's so many different ways that people can be involved in the sport. You don't just have to be a player or a coach or a fan. You know there's referees, there's people that work in the front office of clubs or behind the scenes, and initiatives like this right, or brands that you know are involved in the game and partner in those ways too. So I love that and I always tell people there's so many different ways that you can be involved.
Speaker 1:So well, that's, I love that. Thank you for that background. You guys have been at this, as you said, since 2022. And we talked a little bit on the last episode about how you know. Sometimes you may think that it's slow progress and slow going, but it's a big mouthful to chew and the US is so much broader and more space to cover and different challenges, as you guys mentioned in the prior episode, than what your counterparts in the UK were experiencing as well. Can you talk a little bit for people about the progress you've made? Like, what have you guys been working on so far in the US?
Speaker 2:So our first goal was just to bring awareness, let people know we exist here in the States, which it was in the social medias and trying to post on it more regularly than what we do, and there was always room for improvement on that end, and now we're really. Now this year we have three directors and we're really wanting to push the education side this year and really focus on education of what the sport is and who's involved and how you can be involved and grassroots and young girls falling in love with the game and staying in love with the game, as we talked about previously. It's not about just loving the game. You gotta stay in love and be pushed along that way and not discouraged. So that's kind of where we've been going love that.
Speaker 1:Well, you mentioned discouraged, so that's kind of where we've been going. Love that. Well, you mentioned off camera that you've had or maybe in the last episode I think you hit it that you had some clubs that were on board that you've started to partner with. So can you name some of those clubs? Will we know any of them for our listeners out there?
Speaker 2:You may not know some of them, but you may know some because of where you're located, depending on where you're watching from. So our first club to abercarp was decal county united. They're in a suburb of chicago. They're about an hour outside of chicago. They were the very first club to sponsor or partner with us, but full disclosure.
Speaker 2:I worked for them as well I'm their graphic designer, so kind of had it in with that club, but still they partnered with us. Um. Then we have in eau claire, wisconsin bateau fc. Um, and they actually happened to reach out to me. Like they saw the campaign and reached out to me.
Speaker 2:Not I had to go to that which yeah, that doesn't happen every day and nor is I expect that to really happen ever again, but it's great that we have that um. And then there's nj14 uh in new jersey dot soccer, state line south I mean state line sc for soccer club, which confuses me. And then we have Flatirons Rush. They're a USL team in Colorado and a big shout out to them. They last year had a dedicated fixture for us at her game too.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:I flew to Colorado was at the game, for the game and then flew home, like literally just flew to Colorado for the game, then flew home like nobody, just flew, probably around before the game and flew home. That's my dedication for her game too. Um. And then we have junction fc, the women's game, uh, which they're in actually they're not that far from here, they're, they're closer than I am um, they're in the bloomington area of ill, illinois.
Speaker 2:And then we have Dynamo FC. We have Louisville FC in Louisville, kentucky, or Louisville, tennessee, and again that's a USL team and that's the women and men's the women's recommitted to be a partner with us in the States. The men haven't let me know that they would like me to do that. They did partner with the UK group. So me to do that, they did partner with the uk group. So in a sense they did partner with us, yeah, um. And then the last one I want to mention is it's not a partnership but it's a huge endorsement is hope, solo, endorsing her game too, and our met, our campaign and what we stand for.
Speaker 1:So I, I love that, I love that. So, you know, starting to continue to educate and make people aware, you're starting to find, you know, some support with clubs, whether it be youth, whether it be in the pro space. You know, are there any other partners that you guys that we would know of that are starting to pick up on the Her Game 2 movement?
Speaker 3:That's a great local partner. So Ozark Hellbenders, our Ozark United FC supporters group. I love that stepped up to be our first Arkansas partnership, oh wow. And obviously I have an in because I'm on the starting 11, the leadership, so maybe I guilted them into it, you know. But that's really great for Arkansas because I think that sets the stage for the teams and the grassroots teams around to pick up.
Speaker 3:And we've been talking to several referee associations, state associations for the refs. So I think that is something that we're looking at next and then, leading on from that is our website has a reporting system so you can log on if you have experienced abuse in any shape or form.
Speaker 3:You know whether you're a referee, a fan, at any level of game, and it will come to us as the lead team, and one of our background things that is taking time is there is not many of us on our lead team to deal with the report, so we would mediate the clubs and organizations if this happened.
Speaker 3:So, for example, if a referee had put in a report that they didn't they didn't feel comfortable going to the state association with we could then mediate for them between them and the state association. So that's the other thing. Um, in tandem with the education part, that we're really working on is the reporting system and being there to support women that are of encountered abuse that's.
Speaker 1:That's great.
Speaker 2:Um did I see an ea partnership announced recently yes, yes, so EA Sports, if you play the game, if you play FIFA, you can actually choose her game 2 jersey and actually the billboard going around says her game 2. Actually, we've had requests, or I've had requests. I don't know if they have it in the UK yet, but I'm working on bringing it live. So the jersey they're wearing in the uk yet, but I'm working on bringing it live. Um, so the jersey they're wearing in the game, if you've ever played the game. A lot of people have asked can we get that jersey?
Speaker 2:oh, wow um, so I would love to produce that jersey and sell it and then on one thing about for a non-profit. So if we could do that and sell it, that money would go right back to grassroots Buying them cleats if they need it, helping with club fees that they need it, whatever, you know that's where. So one day we would love to get there. We're really supporting the grassroots, not just bringing awareness and helping them through it, but actually physically spot showing them. Hey, here you are that's so cool.
Speaker 1:I mean it's the most played, I think one of the most played video games. I don't want to speak out of turn. One of the most played video games is uh, formerly, you know fifa, whatever the year is yeah now they. They removed the fifa tag, didn they, I think?
Speaker 2:it's EA 25, something like that big video game person, but it's exposure.
Speaker 1:I've only recently rediscovered with kids, but it's been a while, but there were times I would play. That actually used to be a way for me to connect with friends that I no longer lived in the same area with. We were at different schools or different areas and at a minute and we'd text each other FIFA 10 minutes, like play a 10 minute game, and then you'd talk through the headset.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, game connects in a lot of ways. Yeah, yeah, so you started to hit on some of your you know and we talked about this last time too like the issues that are, you know, a little bit different than what they were experiencing in the UK, but in the same vein, still part of the same movement and the ultimate goal of what you know you guys are trying to work towards, which is advancement of women in sport. Yes, and what are some of those things in the US that maybe are kind of the most common that you guys run into or see or experience?
Speaker 2:So we can both speak on this. But from my side it's the questioning whether I know the game. It's asking me questions to prove that I know the game. So the number one question is well, you got to explain off sides before I under trust that you know the game. So me being a little sassy sometimes.
Speaker 1:As you should be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I turned and asked them do I need to explain it? You don't understand it.
Speaker 3:Oh, that showed up pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:And then I was that was at a pub in Chicago, and pretty much after that nobody questioned why I was sitting there to watch my games. I love that, but I said it kind of loudly too, so that people looked at them.
Speaker 1:I wanted to embarrass them to be honest.
Speaker 2:But so that's, I think, for me and that was part of why I wanted to bring it, because I was talking to other people and they were having those same experiences it's the questioning whether we know it or questioning why would you like it? Like, is it just for the boys to watch the boys today, or to get the boys to look at you, kind of thing, and it has nothing to do with that. Like, that's not why we go into that. Now there might be a handful who do go into it for that they're always going to be, but for the majority, most girls are watching the sport because they love the sport, not for who they're looking at.
Speaker 3:I think to that end in the UK, like we said, it started very much about the sexism and the fans and slowly rolled into equality across the board for girls getting into the game and then then we'd, like we said, the staff, the players, refs, fans, parents, dads of girls uh, we've got a couple of grassroots um players, dads, um male coaches of girls teams.
Speaker 3:They're really getting involved on this and I think. But the important thing as well here is the dropout rate of I mean, I know that is not just girls but ending rec and not having anything in the junior high level, particularly in this area it varies across the states. But keeping girls involved through high school if there's not opportunities for club in the area, but really keeping them involved past 10 or so when they get out from that rec, what have we got to them? What is there for them to move into? And I know you've spoke before on the podcast about this that next level. And so we want to be there, we want to be Hug M2 USA to be that support for equality for the girls. So I think it's more now for us in the US, less about the sexism side it's still there included but much more about opportunities for girls and supporting them across the board, and that is, like we said, education, getting resources and information into school, the reporting system for referees and players there's.
Speaker 3:there's a lot that we want to do here, and so it's overwhelming at some point there's you know, there's like there's too much just a small job too much to do and I think you know there's there's so many if you're a dad of a girl, if you've experienced abuse as a fan or you know in a pub. There's so many angles to it and so much growth for it, and so you know we are such a big country. We really need more people on board with Her Game 2. And I feel fans as well, more female fans, coming together to support Creative activity, even if you're not the same city state.
Speaker 2:you know, hey, I can watch. Watched this game with my friend who was in three states over, but we're texting each other while the game's going on. That camaraderie needs to happen as well because, yeah, I don't know many women my age who watch soccer. I, I think I'm a rarity in my area, my hometown, which is a low town. It's me and my dad, that's all I know of, is soccer fans. So it is trying to get the community for women to feel like, hey, this is for me.
Speaker 3:I can watch this sport and it's different across the country. It's very different what we experienced in Arkansas. We're very lucky in our little pocket of Arkansas where we've got quite a lot of soccer opportunities. Now it wasn't always that way for the girls We've had, like. One of the things I think to talk about with the education side is we had points over the last five years where we couldn't form an age group team for the girls and that makes things really difficult and that is that's adding to the attrition rate and the dropout rate before they get to junior high, because if they're having to scrape around trying to find girls from other teams combining teams, combining age groups that's hard, that they're going to stop getting despondent and then not want to play. So I feel I feel education and just getting more interest in the game that's as important as the sexist. Yeah, honestly.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Falling in love with the game. Yeah, that's what we want. We want them to love it as much as we do. And so, yeah, getting more ambassadors across the country and also people willing to help with all these the wheels and cogs. In the background there's a lot and there is, yeah, hoping for visibility and more like-minded people out there to really get this message and hit the grassroots teams, make these girls feel valued yeah.
Speaker 1:So what's? You started talking about it a little bit, but as you look forward, you know there's there's so much to chew off and and and and chew on. I should say to you know you bite off more than you chew, whatever the saying is, but there's so much to be done and at some level that's a little bit disheartening but also speaks to the need to the work and, on the positive side, the opportunities of completing that work and bringing the culture and the populace to a better place collectively. But what are you guys looking for? You know what's next, what's on the immediate horizon for you guys.
Speaker 2:So in 2025, we actually had our meeting with very, you know, high level people, people and a few of our ambassadors who have been on the call, and our goal for 2025 is going to be education, education, education, because we believe that's where it starts. We've got to start educating and trying to get into the schools and get the young ones and it's not just educating the girls, it's educating the boys as well, educating them that this game is for everyone. Because a little side note story, but it's relevant is a eight-year-old girl was told by an eight-year-old boy that she wasn't allowed to play the game. Now, that should not happen at that age, and that's where education is going to come in. That she wasn't allowed to play the game, now, that should not happen at that age, and that's where education is going to come in. Like I said, not just for the girls, for the boys to realize this is for everybody.
Speaker 2:So that's our number one focus is education. I think the number two focus is getting that funding. However, we may need to get that In the next couple months, we're going to be having a funding page right on our website so people can fund, to write to us and now we can help the grassroots, because that's where it starts, that's where the kid falls in love with the game, and just for the love of the game and not anything else. So that's for me, that's. What we mainly talked about was those two things grassroots education.
Speaker 3:And then I think, thirdly, on that is more this podcast, for example, getting visibility out there to hoping that some of these clubs will see and they'll want to stand alongside us. So a partnership we have a club partnership packet that we can get out. We can talk to um club owners and explain to them, like, what that means for the club to stand by her game too and, uh, be aligned with us. So that's no money to be, it costs no money. It's as expensive or cheap as the club wants it to, as you want want it to be. So it's manageable for a grassroots club, it's manageable for a rec league, it's manageable for a state association, a USL team, it doesn't matter. An academy you can buy stuff to use, you don't have to.
Speaker 3:But just having a girls team being able to have our badge, the Her Game 2 patch, on their jerseys, have dedicated fixtures for their games, when a club aligns with her game 2, that it's, it's important, and it starts at those grassroots, yeah, ages and I think um, and you guys would be able to speak more to this too there's and you'll probably just say yes, there's so much to do, and that's one of them, um is more female coaches and opportunities absolutely when there are coaches, they're not questioned about the coaching ability as of their sex, Because even in our video if you've watched our video one of them is I don't want my child coached by a girl.
Speaker 2:That is one of the comments. So you're right, that is another.
Speaker 1:Because I think too and I think that this is a general statement around coaching, education in the youth game today that there's so much opportunity there, um, and it's. It's not necessarily because, yeah, people don't know what they're doing per se and they want to just jump out there and help and like that's great, um, so bringing some level of consistency as to what are the main tenets of the game that we're trying to get across and do. But I think the other piece of it is when kids have a good experience with their coach and that coach. It's much more for me, especially at the grassroots level, less about teaching the game the right way, but more around providing an environment where kids can fall in love with each other yeah.
Speaker 1:And they're much more likely to do that when they have a role model coach. That is, oh, I see myself in that. Yeah Right, representation matters so much, and so that is something just in general. But then, even more important, on the girl's side, within the attrition and the participation rates and all of those things that I think you guys can be a big advocate for and I know you are already but one of the things that, again, as a father of daughters, I, you know I jumped in to help coach my daughter's team because, there wasn't enough coaches and I was actually hoping that, not because I don't want to coach my daughter, but I actually I was the opposite.
Speaker 1:I would have preferred for her to have an amazing female coach and have that for her and be that her experience.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and then probably help her fall in love with it because she sees another girl or a lady through those. Because if you coach with passion of the game, regardless of your skill level game, if you're coaching with passion, that's going to rub off on the child or the children. So yeah.
Speaker 1:If my daughter ever sees this. I love you, baby, I love coaching your team. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. It's just that you know, like I said, I I know she'll get that eventually and she does get that at practice every day. Shout out to coach Leslie Platts Phenomenal, phenomenal coach, who runs their age group training sessions. I get them on Saturdays for game day, so, but I just I think what you guys are doing is so important and I'm really glad that you mentioned kind of the ways that that's what I wanted to focus on now is ways that people can get involved, whether that's I mean, you guys talked about it but whether that's as a partner, as a behind the scenes volunteer. You know how, how do you encourage people in different ways that they can get involved?
Speaker 2:So, yeah, they can get. On our website, the herdium2.com. There is a page and it's you fill out a form about being involved that you want to get involved in what involved that you want to get involved and what level do you want to get involved? Do you want to be an ambassador? So like an ambassador, just quickly, ambassador is someone who they support that club. So like for me, I'm a Liverpool fan and this is just hypothetical because obviously I'm not in the UK.
Speaker 2:There was like a Liverpool FC here that lived near me and I was going to all the games I can apply to be and I say apply, but it's just because you're filling out an application, kind of thing. But you say, hey, I would love to be an ambassador for Liverpool. And then us as a lead team look at it. We talk to the person, see their commitment level and everything, and then we go, okay, here the ambassador, um, and then the ambassador is our lifeline to the club. So that now we've extended and it's not just the team, the directors who are look, trying to get that team to partner it's that ambassador's role to be that person to talk to the club. So they look and find who's the right person to talk to and all that um, and there's some teams that have two ambassadors, one for the club, the one for the supporter club. Just because they're two entities and you want to keep them separate, this move so, uh, so that there's that way, there's the ambassador. Yes, you do to be a part of this.
Speaker 2:So a club can go online and say, hey, I'm xyz club and I really support this message and would really like to partner. And then I usually have a conversation with them of, okay, you want to do this, but do you have somebody that can be your ambassador? Because we want somebody. Like if someone reports something, if there's an ambassador, then that ambassador gets to take it up with the club and that it relieves the pressure from the directors of having to do all the work. So you've got that and, like we said, the partnership is as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. Like we have a form and we list out possibilities of what you can do as a partner and you can take all of them. You can do one Like DeKalb County United. They just have a graphic banner that says DKCU plus her game two and that's it, and it's at the ground where they play, so everybody sees it. And they make sure they put it right at the entrance, so literally everybody sees it, which I'm totally good because that's again exposure.
Speaker 2:So you have those two ways. And then we actually had a girl reach out and she wanted to be a part of it, but she had no club and she wanted to know how she could be involved. And I'm like, well, what do you like doing? How she could be involved. And I'm like, well, what do you like doing? And so we talked to him about that and then figure out, okay, what is your avenue? Because there are. I mean, I would love for our website to have a blog every two weeks or something.
Speaker 2:So if somebody is a great writer and can write on their experiences in the game, come on board, do that. You know you don't have to experiences in the game. Come on board, do that. You know you don't have to be in the public eye, or you don't have to be going to a club and try to convince them to be a partner. There's other behind-the-scenes things they can do. They just have to reach out to us and our website and say here's my skill set, I'd really like to be involved, I love what you guys are doing. And then we as, uh, the three directors will go oh, okay, let's have a conversation with them. Let's see what where this takes us yeah with the size of the country.
Speaker 3:We need visibility for the campaign and we need a podcast and a blog. There's there's only so much there's so much you can. And we don't have the skill set for all of us, and so that's a great way to be involved. Contact the amount of clubs we have in the US.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:It's just we are only able to. You know, we're trying to concentrate on our local areas this year and build out, and we need the visibility for people to see this and hop on board.
Speaker 1:So we just keep adding more.
Speaker 3:Don't we?
Speaker 1:yes, we do but I I mean, one of the things that I'm really excited about is the launch of the usl super league and the continued uh, you know work that that league is doing and, god willing, we're able to you that to Northwest Arkansas as well, and we have. I think there's almost 40,000 women, female college soccer players across the whole league D1, d2, d3, juco and up until the start of the USL Super League, there were 12, 14 NWSL teams that maybe needed three roster positions every year for the. You know, you can do math, yeah, like that's just, you hit an absolute wall after playing college. And how do we continue to provide those opportunities and it's not just professionally, but especially grassroots and get them involved and in love with the game, but also then allow them to pursue their dream and passion no different than they can on the boys' side, exactly?
Speaker 3:And we definitely want to hit the college teams as well. So, I think that's going to be fantastic to have college players as role models.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, you know so. Absolutely, I mean. That's the I mean. And what shout out to the U of A and what coach Colby Hale has been able to do with that program, colby Hale?
Speaker 3:we need to talk.
Speaker 1:But there, I mean it's just, it's phenomenal for girls in this area even to take my daughters to those games. They're top five, top 10 team in the country and you know the experience there, the attendance that they get there is incredible. I mean, the support for women's sport is, you know, at an all-time high. So I mean you guys are right there doing such important work.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm wearing my shirt Support women's sports.
Speaker 1:Everyone watches women's sports. That's what I love, yeah.
Speaker 3:We've what I love. Yeah, we've had a lot of ball girl, ball boy opportunities with U of A. Oh love that, and so we'd like to see that's something that we would like to see with um not only her game, two um games but, be able to have all ball boys, ball girls um yeah, in in branded shirts, and that's another way, another way. So there is just a lot. So we need help. Please help us.
Speaker 1:Her game to USA. Her game to Her game her game tocom, her game to USA on socials.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Natasha, Thank you, Jen, so much for joining me. I applaud your efforts and your work is so needed and I wish it wasn't, but it is so needed and thank you so much for all that you're doing, uh, on behalf of my daughters and girls and everywhere. So thank you, Thanks for having us. That's it for this episode of pitch to pro. We hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to catch all the episodes on pitch to procom or look for picture pro on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts for more content. Until next time. Cheers, Northwest Arkansas. Thanks for joining us on this episode of the Pitch the Pro podcast. Be sure to tune in again in two weeks for the next installment and check out the Stoppage Time series for a recap of today's episode. Be sure to find us at Pitch the Pro on YouTube, Instagram and everywhere you get your podcasts. Until next time, Northwest Arkansas cheers.