On the weekend of March 30-31, Spokane Zephyr FC co-hosted its first tryout session alongside Oly FC, a USL W-League club in Olympia WA. Tryout registration was full of prospective players from across the country. Here is an account of the tryouts from USL Spokane Social Media and Content Marketing Manager Erica Ramos-Thompson.
It was an unseasonably sunny morning on the first day of the co-hosted Spokane Zephyr FC and Oly FC open tryouts in Olympia. Zephyr FC consultant Jess Silva divided trialists into two time slots to account for the full registration list. The interest in having a shot to play professional soccer in the U.S. was palpable, with trialists hailing from as far as New York, Texas, and internationally. Some came with collegiate experience, others with national and international professional experience, all looking for a chance to play professionally at “home” in the States.
Players approached the registration table with varying degrees of nerves and excitement until they were greeted by my colleague’s service dog, Piper. Nerves melted away to smiles and conversation. We joked the entire weekend that Piper let us see trialists’ personalities from the beginning—a contrast to other tryout weekends our staff had hosted.
Director of Player Development and Pathways Josh McAllister initiated each session with the same welcome speech. It began with housekeeping and an overview of the day and ended with the same advice for all players: get to know your fellow trialists because you will need each other to show your best self these two days.
These words set the tone for the weekend. As I made the rounds of the pitch with my camera, I witnessed the best of women’s sport: fierce competition, strong tackles, diving saves, and so much noise. From the get-go, players followed Josh’s advice. They learned each other’s names and all weekend it was a chorus of communication—players who didn’t know each other coming into the weekend offering each other support, feedback, encouragement, and praise by name.
After the first morning of drills, Oly Town FC hosted a Player Social at a local restaurant/pub so players could mingle with each other and chat with technical staff. I was blown away by the number of players who came after a long morning of drills—the reserved area was overflowing.
I parked myself at the end of a table of players and spent the hour listening to athletes share impromptu testimonials about their careers. Players who had international experience shared advice with their peers—the good, bad, and ugly of their times abroad. The competition for a tryout callback was fierce on the pitch, but off the pitch the atmosphere was one of camaraderie.
A common experience expressed with past clubs was a feeling that ownership and staff were leveraging working with women’s teams to advance their career into men’s soccer. Trialists were surprised and excited to see USL Spokane ownership Katie and Ryan Harnetiaux present at the tryout over the weekend. One player expressed how inspiring and evident it was that USL Spokane is dedicated to the development of female athletes and the women’s game in the U.S. from ownership down.
Underlying these conversations were themes of less-than-ideal to unsafe conditions, sexism, and inadequate resources, alongside a stubbornness to demand the women’s sporting environment be at the level these female athletes deserve: professional, safe, and empowering.
On the drive back to Spokane, our staff discussed the takeaways from the weekend. A resounding reflection was about the atmosphere of the trial. In two days, we got a taste of what we are building in Spokane—a highly professional environment worthy of highly skilled athletes. A workplace with safe and secure conditions, support, and a place to grow as players. A home where dreams can thrive, and the future of women’s soccer can be shaped by talented athletes and dedicated staff.
The excitement is just getting started…Women’s Pro Soccer is coming to Spokane! Get your Zephyr FC Season Tickets Today!