Making Moves Ep. 19: Women's Pro Soccer in Oakland

The CSSJ Making Moves podcast presents Women's Pro Soccer in Oakland, featuring our new host, Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW - the CEO and founder of AthMindset®. This episode features two guests with many years of experience in soccer, both locally and globally.

Mike Geddes is the chief purpose officer and Co-Founder of Oakland Roots and Soul SC.

Jessica Clinton is CSUEB's very own women's soccer assistant coach. She is also the first Head Coach for the Oakland Soul!

Highlights from this episode - Lisa interviews Mike and Jessica about women's Pro Soccer in Oakland:

@3:35 - What is social justice in women’s sport?

@5:08 - Wanting to create a professional women’s soccer team before a men’s team (Oakland Soul/Roots)

@8:04 - What it means to be the coach of the Oakland Soul, what drew Jessica to Oakland and the organization

@10:23 - What does it mean for you to coach women as a woman?

@13:14 - What are some economic barriers to starting the Oakland Soul?

@18:45 - The difference between a pre-professional team and a fully professional team in women’s soccer

@22:27 - Tangible ways that the community can support the Oakland Roots/Soul

@25:12 - Ideal changes to be made to youth sports coaching and understanding how best to coach based on the needs of young athletes (academics, mental health, conflicting responsibilities)

@33:21 - The potential for women’s sports and Oakland sports

@37:05 - Problems with the pay-to-play model and emphasizing accessibility and inclusion

Connect with our guests:

Jessica:
IG @jessicaclintonsoccer |   / jessicaclintonsoccer  
IG @oaklandsoulsc |   / oaklandsoulsc  
Email- [email protected]
LinkedIn-   / jessica-clinton-18347350  

Mike:
IG @mike_geddes |   / mike_geddes  
IG @oaklandsoulsc |   / oaklandsoulsc  
IG @oaklandrootssc |   / oaklandroots  
Email- [email protected]
LinkedIn-   / mikegeddes  

Funding:
Funding for Making Moves was provided by Cal State University East Bay and the Center for Sport and Social Justice. Make sure to catch all past and future episodes of Making Moves, Streaming now on SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts