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. 47 - Marshall Islands’ First Match: History in NWA
The beautiful game of soccer has reached nearly every corner of the globe, but until now, one nation has remained on the sidelines. The Marshall Islands stands as the last UN-recognized country never to have played a match, a distinction about to change thanks to an extraordinary grassroots effort with surprising ties to Northwest Arkansas.
Woody Watson, VP of North American Operations for the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation, shares the remarkable journey that began when his wife discovered an AP article about UK-based soccer enthusiasts working to bring the sport to the Marshall Islands. What caught Watson's attention was the connection to his new home in Northwest Arkansas. Springdale hosts the largest Marshallese population outside the Pacific, a community established when islanders relocated for employment opportunities following nuclear testing in their homeland.
The federation has developed multiple initiatives beyond the men's national team, including women's programs, youth development, and coach education. But what makes their story particularly compelling is the urgency behind their mission. With many Marshall Islands atolls sitting just feet above sea level, rising oceans threaten the very existence of the nation. Their award-winning "No Home Kit" campaign, featuring a white jersey with portions dissolved away to symbolize their eroding homeland, uses soccer as a platform to raise awareness about climate change.
The upcoming Outrigger Cup represents more than just the Marshall Islands' sporting debut; it's a race against time to establish a national soccer identity before climate change potentially alters their homeland forever. As Watson poignantly notes, they're "expediting this program because a nation that possibly might not exist in some capacity in 10 years is able to get their first match played." Through the dedication of volunteers working across multiple time zones, this small Pacific nation is about to make sporting history while highlighting one of our planet's most pressing challenges.
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.
Speaker 1: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. Hello everybody and welcome back to the Pitch the Pro podcast. I'm your host, wes Harris, managing Director for Ozark United FC, northwest Arkansas's pro soccer club playing in the United Soccer League. Guys, I'm really excited about our topic today, so let's get into it, get going. Welcome our very special guest, mr Woody Watson, head of US operations or, as he likes to put it, head of operations between the ponds for the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. Woody, welcome and thank you for joining me today. Man, hey, thanks for having me, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:It sounds like you've done that a couple of times.
Speaker 1:Just a couple. Yeah, I think we're on episode 46 or seven, I don't know. I've couple times, just a couple. Yeah, I think we're on episode 46 or 7, I don't know. I've kind of lost track at this point, but I appreciate you coming on, man. We have some awesome stuff to talk about. You guys have done such an amazing job.
Speaker 2:We had you guys were actually one of our first episodes with lloyd and we're at yeah, I wasn't able to make it onto that episode, but I'm glad we can make that connection and start it. What a year ago maybe? Yeah, when they were first on here. So yeah, it's been fantastic.
Speaker 1:But you guys have done a ton, but from that point until now, and we've got a lot to talk about. But first I want folks to kind of understand you a little bit, because you are here on the ground in nwa in the us, you know, helping these guys on their journey, um, which has become your journey now too, right. So give a little bit of background on like you like are you? You know, I know, like many of us, you moved to Northwest Arkansas, not originally from here, but love it and call it, at least for now, home, right.
Speaker 2:So yeah, Um, so love that I'm here. Uh, it's definitely my home now, and and I cannot see myself living anywhere else I've got a wife and a dog and a cat that we just adopted a couple months ago. So we live down in Fayetteville, actually Not new to Northwest Arkansas. However, when I was about three years old, my family started coming to Beaver Lake every year for Labor Day. We'd spend about a week, grew up, going to Eureka Springs and War Eagle Mill and doing all the things out of Rocky Branch area.
Speaker 2:Um, before we even moved here back in 23, um, starting the COVID years, and my wife and I we'd just gotten engaged. We were like, okay, small families, uh, let's, we just want to get married now. Short engagement, all about that. Let's go to Thorncrown Chapel. You know something that I remember from my childhood is kind of secluded, um, so that's just another thing that tied us to the area before. Um, I even got brought out here for some work. Um, so everything that I had known from the past growing up, uh, northwest Arkansas is great, and now I get to experience it every single day of my life. Um, and so it's pretty great that there's a couple of different soccer opportunities that have happened over the last couple of years here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's. That's really cool that I didn't know that actually in Europe we've learned something new every day, uh, about you and and coming here, uh, as you grew up, but originally from kind of.
Speaker 2:Casey area. Right yeah, about an hour South of downtown Kansas city small town called Lewisburg, we've got a cider realm. That's about that. That's the main thing that we're known around the world for, actually.
Speaker 1:Okay, Nice Well. I mean, you mentioned a little soccer. How did you come to find the game of soccer? I always ask my guests this question, uh, if they are in the game of soccer at all.
Speaker 2:But I think I started playing recreationally when I was about four years old, probably just my small Lewisburg, uh kind of rural Kansas town league Uh, and it was pretty fun. Um, I, I enjoyed what I was doing, uh, it was. It was a great experience out there. And then I think when I was about maybe 11 or 12, uh started into a club team. I think it was Casey strikers at the time and Casey FC, I'm not sure what it is now. Yeah, um played club ball for a little while. Um really had a great time playing for my high school team too Did pretty well for a couple of years there and it's just always stuck with me.
Speaker 2:I've been a fan since they were Casey Wiz back in the day playing in Arrowhead. I remember those games went through the entire transition. I was sporting up into the Legends area as well Still a really big fan, looking forward to Ozark as well getting started down here, so it's something a little closer, yeah, and so soccer has always been a part of my life. We've got the club coming in here and then we'll get into a little bit of how I came to be with the Marshall Island Soccer Federation as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. I love how you know. I love just understanding how people found the game and where their passion lies. I love just understanding how people found the game and where their passion lies. But I really enjoyed the Wiz latest kind of retro kit releases. Over the last couple of years they had some bangers.
Speaker 2:They really have. They aren't ever short of bringing color into it, and that's something that I've always liked as well, where we're definitely that sporting blue color that we had every. I think it's like beginning of july every year, something like that. We get a new retro kit too, and it really takes me back. I've got one um from the original days when they were whiz, one when they're the wizards, um then that typical like navy blue. I've got some of those historical jerseys too, one that neola was game worn and signed. Then, too, I was a really big fan of him when I was growing up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's fun. Shout out to Tony Good man. He helped me out in my early career as well in the soccer side. So fantastic, yeah, and he was one of our first interviews at Business of Soccer. My old life, that's awesome. So really, really fun. Yeah, great guy. He actually, chris, ran into him at the XNA airport. I think his son plays baseball at Oklahoma State. Really.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Small world. I apologize, tony and son, tony's son if I misspoke, but anyway, they ran into each other not too long ago. They're going to be picking up this episode Absolutely, absolutely, immediately and suing me for all I got. But anyway, yeah, back to the topic at hand. How did you know?
Speaker 2:let's give a little bit of background for folks on Marshall Islands, marshall Islands Soccer Federation and just the story there, before we get into, kind of how you got into it and what's toically back in the 1980s, I believe, there were some testing that were done out in the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific that was related to nuclear weapons essentially at the time Fast forward a little bit there was job opportunities that came to some people from the Marshall Islands and they actually relocated some of their population here into Springdale, worked for some of the local poultry farms and manufacturers there and since then the population has just grown. The community here is just amazing. People know that they can come and have a nice family oriented cultural appreciation for anyone that happens to visit from the islands or ends up moving to the United States. So there's a lot of history that goes into the relationship between the two countries. I don't want to get into it today because I think this is going to be focused a little more and there's other historians that are a little better known at it than I am, but I'll go in and answer the question you're about to ask.
Speaker 2:Next, the way that the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation came to Northwest Arkansas. I'll give another shout out to my wife here because we moved here in June of 2023. I had just finished school, starting a new job, we had a new house out in the country here and she read a random AP article about some guys in the UK that have been on this podcast since then Lloyd Owers and Matt Webb. Last nation on earth to have not played a match and to not have FIFA representation. So that is no grass pitches, no players suiting up together, nothing like that that had ever happened for this. There's some other nations out there that have at least had their games before, but we had it not. We did not at this time. I digress. Wife read this article in the AP, mentioned it to me, and one of the facts that I had learned about this area as we moved here, we wanted to, you know, kind of figure out where you're going.
Speaker 2:Springdale's the largest population of marshallese islanders outside pacific, and I totally kind of slid into the dms of lloyd and I was like, hey, we should talk about this program. I see what you're starting. Uh, there's connection here in the program. I see what you're starting. Uh, there's connection here in the United States there is, um, you know a lot of reasons. If you're going to do kind of a base camp Springdale, arkansas, it's going to be your place. Um, it's a fantastic area that has a lot of culture on its own. Soccer is booming here, uh, we've got the Ozark team, and so I think that if you're going to continue this project, as I think you'd like to, it would be a good idea to come out here and see what it's like. And so everything kind of has blossomed from there.
Speaker 2:I don't think that either the three of us or anybody else involved with the program at that time really knew the direction they would go, and, and two years later you know we're, we're getting ready to talk about the outrigger cup for the rest of this episode probably, um, and and so we recognize, uh, this is kind of like a base camp, you know, uh, the united states or other nations around the world.
Speaker 2:They have a place where the national team goes and congregates and calls home, uh, essentially for their training sessions. People know where to go when you know you have the international breaks, things like that. I mean, that's what we're essentially doing to Springdale, arkansas. Besides those that are based in Majuro and Kwajalein and the islands out in the South Pacific. A lot of our players are flying in from there. So that's really how it got started. And why Springdale? Why Northwest Arkansas? And here we are, you know, two years later, on the precipice of one of the best events that the sport will have known, you know, especially for a last team out there, Just to bring it back to perspective for people.
Speaker 1:you guys are about to play your first ever international 11 v 11 soccer match as a nation. That's correct. Like I don't think I can remember, recall or ever, not just in my lifetime, but hearing about when that has occurred for another country. That'd be a good deep dive. Like when was the last time you know? Like when was the?
Speaker 2:last. First, there's still nations out there that aren't recognized by FIFA as well, but they've at least had a match. Yeah, so this is definitely one for the history books as the last country that's recognized by the UN that has not had a match. Yeah, so this is definitely a one for the history books as the last country that's recognized by the UN that has not had that. So I think that that's what I'm going to be doing this weekend, and have another talking point as we go into this cup, because there's going to be a lot of conversations that happen throughout the year, absolutely the next week especially.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So let's get into it, let's talk. I mean, you've done all this work. You've had what have you guys done up until this point? You've had a couple of camps, maybe a futsal like. Talk a little bit about some of the stuff that you guys have done, both maybe at the kind of senior level, but then also some of the grassroots stuff that the guys have been doing on them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. Right now, kind of how we're structured is we have this men's national team that's coming in. We've had a women's national team camp for the last two years. It's been very successful. We have a group of about eight to ten women that fly in from across the country, mostly US-based, some playing college soccer, some that are still in high school and really excelling at what they're doing. We had hired a women's national coach, katie Smith, who has just gotten a recent promotion up to Xavier. So she's doing very well and so we're able to host that for the last two years.
Speaker 2:There is no sign of that stopping in the future. It's a really great pipeline that we like to build, and that's playing into phase two, and how do we get the women's team to play in their first match as well? And then there's also the pipeline for the kids, and there's a lot of children that are playing in the islands right now and they have it wrapped into their school programming. That was one of the first things that lloyd did out in the islands work with some of the educators out there and make sure that it's not just a way to have a competition but it's also something that they can do for, you know, daily activity, yeah, it's something that can be played, sure, on a large grass pitch, but you know, you can also put a ball down on a basketball court, you know, and play some football. So we've got a couple of those different areas. The kids we can talk about the education as well. We're developing coaches, both on the islands and out here. They're starting to structure a professional way for these people to really grasp soccer for the first time and move up through the different ranks of coaching. This is all going to strengthen the pipeline of the players that we have for the future too. So everything that we're doing kind of starting them young, it really pays off for the program later. And I know that's something that has probably been talked about on this podcast about the Ozark Academy as well. So we're definitely taking that to heart.
Speaker 2:On Friday, the 15th, during this week of events we talked about, we're actually having a get together for the kids, fifth through eighth graders, to have two training sessions with the national team players, with the coaches. We're going to be out at Snorer Middle School, found at one of their fields, and then I'll give a shout out later to some of the guys that are helping out with that as well that are local organizations part of the nonprofit athletic organization. So we've got the men's team, we've got the women's team, we've got coaching and we've got the kids that we're working with as well. That last piece that we're putting together is the sustainability and how do we give back, not just to the community here, but everybody out on the island? Um, one of our biggest initiatives right now, uh, is it's called the 1.5 degree and essentially we are expediting this program as fast as we can.
Speaker 2:Um, because, as you know, with climate change and some of those things that are out in the world, the water's rising. A lot of these atolls and islands out in the South Pacific they're not more than a few feet above sea level at their highest point. So a big reason that we're really really accelerating this program is to make sure that a nation that possibly might not exist in some capacity in 10 years is able to get their first mattress plate, is able to have something out there that says, yes, we got this started time. And that goes twofold because this brings so much exposure to what is going on as well. There's donations that fly in all the time to make sure that we're giving back and making sure that this sustainability and especially the awareness that people have around the world that this is happening. These are real scenarios, real situations, so those are really the high level things. We can get into any one of those if we want to, but that's what we're working on right now, outside of some of the smaller events we have.
Speaker 1:No, that's great. I want to keep going on the sustainability piece, Talk a little bit about the no Home Kit and what you guys did there, and you guys actually talked about the awards you just won and you know way out there in Spain.
Speaker 2:Hopefully we can get a plug in to or a link to the actual no home kit and show people about what it is. But essentially it's kits are white secondary uniform that has some pieces that have dissolved off of it, showing that slowly the nation you know metaphorically is is being eroded. And that goes right along with what I was just mentioning before this initiative and the program and what everybody on the team in the UK did about this. It was actually giving an award. Lloyd Overs actually got to fly out to Spain and collect this award and I've got a nice little picture of him holding a plant on the stage. I keep that saved on my phone. I really hope that he hears this. But yeah, I keep that on my phone because I thought it was hilarious. But yeah, I keep that on my phone because I thought it was hilarious.
Speaker 2:But yeah, the initiative won an award and each time that that happens, that's not just one of us spreading a link or talking about this or doing a podcast, but these were actual things that people at an international level were recognizing for a lot of the work that had gone in. That's not just face level, that's the level down deeper that, hey, what does this really mean? We see what you're doing, but like what is the backend effects of this going to happen? So, especially if people are recognizing, uh, the awards that are given out sure, that's something that comes of it, um, but the exposure, again, is the number one thing we're going after.
Speaker 1:And all of which are, like, I think, incredible. Remind everybody, you guys are all volunteers at this point right.
Speaker 2:We are Myself and Matt Webb joked about that Different story about one of the people that we'll interact with next week but, yes, we are all volunteers. This is a completely grassroots program. Everything that we have done so far comes from the effort that each of the people on our team has done, completely outside of any payroll or work or anything. This is just something we're passionate about. I didn't know that I would be this involved when I first signed on. I thought it was going to be, you know, hey, I can help out and give some connections while you're in the area, maybe set up a few meetings, right. But but it really turned into things that we can be proud of, that are physical, tangible pieces that we had to work on and show our actual results for and I don't like to think of it in that way, essentially but we've got a group of probably 20, 25 people that are behind the scenes working on all this. Probably half of them are coming in for the event that we're going to have in the next couple of weeks. But we've got people that are referees, that are broadcasting, that have donated camera supplies straight out to speedio for that.
Speaker 2:Um, people that have a lot of analytical background, know football really well, that have studied the game for years, people that are have international experience with coaching. Uh, myself, I I don't really have, you know, uh, professional soccer experience, but you know, I've known the area for a little while now and I can help set up some things to throw a good soccer event. I know what people would like and so we all have really worked really well as a team, even though I think it's 12 hours difference out to the South Pacific and then it's six hours time difference the other way over to the UK, so we're kind of all working on different schedules, time difference the other way over to the UK, so we're kind of all working on different schedules, but the chat between us all is very consistent on what we have to work together for it. So I'm saying that this is a team effort more than anything, because we could have not done it with one, two, three, five, 10 people. It's taken a lot over the last two years.
Speaker 1:No, I mean, these things are hard. All these projects, whether they're national teams or local clubs. It's hard and takes dedication and I just applaud you guys and the entire team and anybody who's pitching in to lean in and be a part of the journey. That's great. So kudos and hats off to you guys. Thanks for joining us on this episode of the Pitch to 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 to Pro on YouTube, instagram and everywhere you get your podcasts. Until next time. Northwest Arkansas cheers.