STOP the Demise of WPS Team FC Gold Pride

Yesterday, the U9 Soccer Monkeys had a guest coach, Kim Yokers, midfielder for FC Gold Pride, our Bay Area Women's Pro Soccer team. I'm sure they have fun when their regular coach (me) is conducting practice but this session was something completely different. I know they enjoyed it as their smiles were not fake, but I also know they have no idea how special it was.

I arranged for the midfielder to come conduct a practice session because I wanted all of the other team members and their parents to experience the inspiration my daughter has gained from WPS. I had no idea the timing would be so critical.

Today it was announced, as reported in the San Jose Mercury News, that FC Gold Pride will cease operations unless $2 million of new investment funds are found.

I have been a supporter of FC Gold Pride and WPS from game one and the news, while not shocking, is clearly disappointing. Since I don't have $2 million, all I can do is share my thoughts as to why WPS is so important for these girls and others like them.

If you've read my blog, you've already heard some of the heartfelt stories of how WPS has inspired my daughter and some of her team mates. You may have already heard how WPS has opened the eyes of these young athletes to see an objective they did not know existed; to see a point as to why they should push themselves for continuous improvement or to see first hand the results of team work and dedication.

In advance of Kim's visit, I asked the team to prepare any questions they might want to ask a professional soccer player. I was inspired by the depth of some of their questions, but it's the simple questions that spoke volumes.

"How old were you when you started playing soccer? How long is your practice? Was there ever a time where you wanted to quit soccer"? To me, these questions speak volumes because it's obvious that these girls are comparing Kim's experiences to their own. They are connecting the dots mentally between where they are now and where they could go: where Kim is now as a pro player. For all, before meeting a pro player, the thought may have never occurred to them. Such a thought might be common for a young boy who has numerous sports icons to look up to, but for young girls, those role models aren't as well known.

This isn't about turning all these girls into pros. We all know the odds of that. It is about getting them to open their eyes to the possibility of it or the opportunities that hard work and dedication can present. As we know, in many countries of the world, girls aren't even allowed to play football. While I am proud that my country isn't one of those, I am saddened by today's news which seems to suggest that as a whole we still don't see the importance of supporting pro women's sports.

If you haven't witnessed first hand, as I have, how WPS and it's players do inspire young girls to strive for achievement then I hope this story will at least give you a sample of how that it possible.

Once again, I witnessed first hand the work rate and intensity of my players improve in an instant. I witnessed players showing off skills they didn't have before. Without a doubt, I can say it was no coincidence as one player scored four goals in the scrimmage, more than she has all season in practice.

So, if you have $2 million, please contact Ilissa Kessler at FC Gold Pride. If not, please click here to join a Facebook group pushing for Ellen Degeneres to support WPS and sign a petition to ESPN for their support.

Meanwhile, I have to start thinking about how I'm going to break the news to my daughter.