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NWSL Washington Spirit

Washington Spirit to Launch Inaugural Female Coaching Mentorship Program

July 18, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


Washington, D.C. - The Washington Spirit will launch its inaugural Female Coaching Mentorship Program, the club announced today. This unique professional development opportunity is designed to elevate and support female soccer coaches in the Washington, D.C. region.

Part of the club's vision, established by owner Michele Kang, is to create access, opportunity and conditions for women and girls in sports equal to their male peers on and off-the-field. The mentorship program is designed to proactively develop careers, create a coaching pipeline, and provide a valuable professional network.

"The only way to accelerate change in women's sports is investment at every level of the game," said Spirit owner Michele Kang. "We need to give female coaches access to the best training. It is important for young girls see opportunities to stay in the sports they love - as players, coaches and more."

The newly created program will be highly personalized for each mentor/mentee pair and will mix in-person hands-on experience with hybrid mentorship throughout the year. The mentor/mentee will work together to create a unique process that works for their individual interests and needs. On an elevated level, mentees can expect to develop a broad understanding of soccer-specific tactics, learn about technologies that are revolutionizing the game, gain insight into performance and strength & conditioning methodologies, learn and work through opponent analysis, and game preparation. Those selected will be partnered with a Spirit coach as a mentor from August 2023 - July 2024 and will receive approximately 150 hours of mentorship.

The four coach mentors who will participate in the inaugural program are Assistant Coach Angela Salem, Assistant Coach/Player Development Coach Mami Yamaguchi, Player Development Coach Moriano Imaizumi, and Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development Mike Bristol.

"We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to four deserving coaches in our area," said Spirit President of Soccer Operations Mark Krikorian. "As a club, we want to remove barriers for female coaches and provide resources to help them thrive. We have some of the best coaches in the business at the Spirit, and I am sure the mentees will find value from this experience."

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