How Saline FC is Rewriting the Narrative for Girls in Soccer

June is the ultimate "pause before the next push". In the world of youth sports, it’s a time to step back from the win-loss columns and look closely at what our athletes actually experienced on the field. It’s about assessing our team climates through an equity lens so we can make meaningful, informed adjustments moving forward.

No organization exemplifies this reflective spirit better than our Champion of the Month, Saline FC.

Led by the tireless efforts of club champion Marley Duerst, Saline FC joined the Coaching HER® Championship initiative to tackle a glaring local issue: only 1 in 12 travel coaches are female, and female participation has been quietly declining across recreation leagues, travel teams, and camps. Rather than letting these stats define their community, Saline FC chose to change the narrative.

The Spark: Taking Action with Intention

Saline FC recognized that girls were facing limited access to female mentors. Driven by the desire to build an inclusive sports environment, Marley proposed a comprehensive plan to her coaching director. She advocated for a "slow drip" of Coaching HER® educational modules for the club's coaching staff throughout the year , aiming to raise awareness among families and increase the visibility of female role models.

"We really appreciate Coaching HER’s partnership as part of this transformative moment for our club! Our coaching director was able to get into the admin account, thank you for helping make that adjustment." - Marley Duerst

With their leadership fully aligned, Saline FC officially presented the implementation plan, overall project outline, and projected budget to the club’s board on January 19th, marking a massive milestone in cementing this work into the organization's infrastructure.

Celebrating Early Wins

Saline FC didn't just build a plan; they put it directly into motion with incredible results:

• Coach Education & Engagement: Coaches are actively diving into the Coaching HER® modules, learning to move beyond the scoreboard to ensure their coaching styles foster true belonging and body confidence.
• Leveraging Monthly Content: Saline FC utilizes Coaching HER® newsletter data points, quotes, and real-world scenarios to market the program in their biweekly emails to the community, with plans to build a dedicated resource hub on their website.
• On-the-Field Exposure: Marley has championed female visibility by establishing her own personal presence at girls' team practices, giving young athletes consistent contact with female leadership.
• Pioneering New Mentorship: The club has already added two new female coaches to its ranks and formed a parent volunteer group to support the ongoing shift.
• Community Activation: On January 31st, Saline FC officially launched their programming in tandem with a massive Girls & Women in Sports Celebration. Partnering with the Ann Arbor Sports Commission, Marley even engaged high school athletes and reached out to surrounding local clubs across the county to collaborate in a unified space.

Overcoming Growing Pains

As any great leader knows, a grand vision comes with its own unique hurdles. For Saline FC, the biggest challenge hasn’t been a lack of enthusiasm, but rather having lots of great ideas and not enough bandwidth to implement them all at once!

To combat this, Marley and her team have taken a highly organized project management approach. They created a shared digital environment to log ideas, built a comprehensive tracking sheet to map out future projects, and formally established a "project management" role within the initiative to keep their goals moving smoothly without burning out their volunteers.

What's Next: Looking Ahead to Summer and Beyond

True to the spirit of June's anchoring message “Don’t just finish the season - learn from it” Saline FC is using the summer lull to close educational gaps, audit completed coach modules, and finalize major program expansions:

Saline FC has proven that changing the culture of youth sports takes a village but it also takes a dedicated Champion to light the spark. Congratulations to Marley and the entire Saline FC team for setting the gold standard of what it means to be an Organizational Champion!