Stoppage Time Special: Building a Women’s Football Powerhouse

Women’s football doesn’t become world-class by accident. It gets built step by step, with the unglamorous work that most people never see. This Stoppage Time Special is a highlight reel of standout moments from Pitch to Pro, and it zeroes in on one big question: what does it actually take to grow a women’s soccer program into a real powerhouse?

We talk about the challenge of player development and grassroots soccer in Mexico, and why building the right structure matters as much as signing big names. You’ll hear how Club América approaches the “staircase” of growth, from staffing and facilities to creating standards that can support the next generation. There’s also a candid look at what progress feels like on the inside: going from a small coaching group to a larger staff, moving into stadium matches, and seeing the women’s game earn broadcast attention.

We also connect the dots to Northwest Arkansas and why the University of Arkansas women’s soccer program stands out as a model of consistency and competitive culture. Along the way, we touch on the human side of football leadership: long travel days, demanding schedules, and the importance of trust and real relationships inside a club.

If you care about women’s soccer, player development, or the future of  women’s football, this segment delivers sharp insight fast. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who loves the sport, and leave a review telling us what investment you think matters most right now.

Transcript

Stoppage Time Highlight Reel Setup

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to the Stoppage Time edition of the Pitch to Pro Podcast. This is a highlight reel of some of the best moments from the show so far, and every other week we will be bringing you a special five to seven minute segment featuring the best stories, tales, and moments of the podcast.

Building Women’s Football In Mexico

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Still, uh, we're trying to build a uh a big team and big with big names and and to build uh in the grassroots for the women's football because in Mexico it's all the other way around than the US, to be honest, and it's sometimes difficult for us to have uh proper player development over there. Uh but we're working on that, and we're trying to do uh proper structure for the women's side, and and we're trying to do the whole the whole staircase for the women's and to to develop and to grow with the league, with the with the team, and and become one of the most important teams in the world.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

I love that.

Why Arkansas Is A Smart Base

SPEAKER_02 1:01

And uh you're actually, I don't know if you guys know this, but well, you do because you're working with them and and doing the project. But the University of Arkansas, and one of the reasons why really smart to come here, especially for the women building the women's program, is the University of Arkansas Women's Soccer Program is top 10 in the country almost every year. Um, we're still working on a national title, uh, but I know Kobe uh will get there, Coach Kobe Hale, and and the girls are gonna get there next season. I know it. So uh we actually just had a uh senior on the last podcast episode at ISO, uh Miss Bella Field. So look out. Um but uh listen, I love that. I think you know there's so much to be done uh on the women's side of the game everywhere. Um and it's it's going to take people like you uh doing the hard work to lay the foundation like you've talked about earlier, to lay a good foundation for the generations to come. So again, thank you for the work that you're doing, and and sounds incredible.

Growing From Small Staff To Stadium

SPEAKER_02 2:07

And even though it's hard work, um how cool is it to be there to build that like almost from nothing, right?

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy. Believe me, uh like I mentioned in the beginning, I started playing with men. So for me, and and I'm not going like too far away all in this six years in the club. We started like with uh six people coaching staff, now we're more than 15. Wow. So it's different. Yeah, yeah. And we started playing in in our facilities, now we play in a stadium. Uh it's broadcasted. It's it's unbelievable. We we we never thought of that. And this being a reality and being a part of it, it's it's crazy. I it's more than than I can imagine.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

No, I love that. Well, um, I love that. Hopefully, one day we'll have our women's team as well, and we'll see each other in the women's CONCAF Champions League or something like that. Um so you know, there's so much more to go. But anyway, I love I love that you're right out of the gate. Yeah, women's football,

Club Priorities And Women’s Investment Edge

SPEAKER_02 3:13

let's go. So, in terms of priorities and what are you guys focused on? So, what else is going on in Club America right now?

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Oh, yeah, yeah, it's it's it's not like that's like actually a fact, and also because in December it will be the ten years of the team, that's even more significant, probably. And and um, as Clo mentioned, like we get first, as you mentioned, she's amazing and she's been doing a fantastic job to to grow the team and and and yeah, being a uh supporter of of the beautiful game, but not only in speech here in podcast, like actually doing the job, which is you know not always the case. So I think uh yeah, I'm very happy to be obviously uh her colleague, but also uh her friend and and and and being uh yeah. So that's also something that Clover America brings us. Uh I love that. Yeah, no, yeah, it's it's it's important. In the end, uh you you work and travel uh for a lot of time and a lot of hours with with the people uh you work with in sports in general, but in football. And uh I think having those kinds of of uh relationships and that goes way beyond just a maybe normal coworker relationship. Like, you know, we we do a lot together, and and and as the this job is so demanding, it's amazing, but it's very demanding. I think it helps to have a group of support, and and we both have that at the club between us, obviously, but with the rest of the team as as was mentioning. And that's also why I want to take advantage of the space uh to also thank all leadership, the honor, uh uh for to push uh for the women's team and for other projects like the one that brings us uh here in Osworth, Arkansas. So um, yeah, that's uh small parenthesis. But uh I think yeah, women's football is definitely one of our top three priorities today at the club. Uh as Claudia mentioned, we are in a position to be a powerhouse of women's football on and off the field, which is uh not the case anymore in in men's football because the economics around it have gone so far that that uh being a team in Mexico, you can't come can't compete. But in the women's sports, we still can and we are heavily investing to be able to, so I think that's very something that to take into account.

Where To Watch And What’s Next

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Thank you for joining us for this stoppage time special of the Pitch to Pro podcast. If you've enjoyed the conversation, you can click watch the full episode here. Be sure to tune in next Thursday for a new episode of the Pitch to Pro podcast, the official podcast of Ozark United FC. Available on YouTube, Instagram, and everywhere you get your podcasts.