To connect with new fans and future stars, Gotham FC hosts youth soccer clinic in Montclair

The pitch inside Brookdale Park Stadium in Montclair on Monday night was buzzing.

Children ages 5 to 15 got to enjoy a session of soccer with some of the area’s top coaches and former collegiate or professional players. They took part in drills and small-sided games — with many players wearing Gotham FC shirts or pinnies. Some strutted around the fields with soccer bags representing their own youth clubs from across the state.

The roughly 150 players of varying levels were part of the first-ever youth clinic hosted by Gotham FC, New Jersey’s top professional women’s soccer team, which plays in the NWSL. The goal of the clinic, in addition to enjoying some soccer, was to expose youth players to their home-state women's team.

“There are so many youth soccer players and families in this area, and really the goal is to raise awareness,” said Yael Averbuch West, the club’s general manager. “So many of them unfortunately don't even know about the awesome opportunity there is to come watch the type of talent we have right at home for them.

"For us, it's about getting into the local communities, raising awareness and literally welcoming them into our family," Averbuch West said.

Gotham FC, which plays at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, is one of the oldest professional women's teams in the country. The team was long known as Sky Blue, before undergoing a major brand refresh last year. The team is run by a female-led front office. This spring, the team added a number of new investors, including a company founded by Kevin Durant, and welcomed former pro player and New Jersey soccer star Carli Lloyd as a minority investor.

Players at last week's clinic had a chance to work with Gotham FC coaches Beverly Goebel Yanez, Becki Tweed and Brody Sams, as well as other former professional or college players. The coed clinic marked the first in a series scheduled in coming months in Livingston and West Orange and elsewhere.

Women & Sport: US soccer's equal pay victory will stand as biggest sports win of 2022

There are two multi-day camps also slated for the end of summer and fall. The primary focus is to have these clinics near the team’s home stadium, with the eventual long-term goal of expanding into nearby New York, Pennsylvania or Connecticut.

Growing Gotham FC’s identity in the New Jersey and New York markets has been a long-stated goal for the franchise. Last year, the team launched an official reserves team that plays in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, to establish a pipeline of local talent to eventually play on the pro team.

Story continues below the gallery

These clinics could be the first step to establish a youth soccer system in the area — like theNew York Red Bulls Academy in the tri-state area. But establishing a youth system like that is a long way down the road, Averbuch West said.

“We want the players to be exposed to our brand and to see that this is their local team, so if they do aspire to play professionally one day, which is many years off for a lot of these guys, [they see] that this is what they would dream of doing,” Averbuch West said. “To have them in the stands and have them seeing and visualizing that they can be the next Kristie Mewis, Imani Dorsey or whichever player they particularly admire — I think that's really important.”

More than just soccer

For Averbuch West, the first-ever draft pick for Sky Blue and a Montclair native, the pitch inside Brookdale Park is as familiar as it gets. It’s where she practiced for hours on end and worked toward her goal of becoming a professional soccer player.

“I spent every summer here," she said. "I spent so many hours on this exact field. So, for me to kind of reconnect with the Montclair and soccer community is super special."

Often, these types of clinics are the first exposure that youth athletes have with the professional players they usually only admire on the big screen. That can serve as a pivotal moment for young athletes and their athletic aspirations.

In Montclair this week, every player who signed up had the surprise opportunity to meet one of Gotham’s star players, Kristie Mewis.

The 31-year-old midfielder from Massachusetts, along with Gotham teammate Midge Purce, was called up this week to play for the United States Women’s National Team this summer for some international friendlies and the CONCACAF W Championship. In 2021, Mewis was part of the Olympic squad that won bronze in Tokyo.

Mewis spoke to the dozens of children between clinic sessions, giving them advice from her years as a pro. She let them know how important hard work and dedication can be, and how that helped her work her way back into the USWNT roster after a brief hiatus. Mewis also took the time for photos with each player, and to sign autographs.

Women & Sport: As sports icons call for gun laws, female athletes have long been activists

“It's super important to kind of just engage in the youth and just be there — because I was obviously one of these little girls,” Mewis said. “I always remember that I looked up to the people who came to my clinics. It was always the most special thing ever."

For Mewis, one of those people was Kristine Lilly, a member of the 1999 women's national  team that pushed women’s soccer into the mainstream during its historic World Cup run at home. Mewis recalled how she was at a game of the now-defunct Boston Breakers, and Lilly ran to the sideline to sign her autograph.

“It was the most exciting thing that's like ever happened to me,” Mewis said. “Because she was just so close to me and I was like, ‘Oh my God, she's a real person.’ … That was probably one of the days that changed my life, soccer wise.”

Sofi Jugovic, 7, was one of the several players who got to meet Mewis this week. She and her father, Bob, came to the clinic from South Orange, where they moved after living in London. The pair plans on attending a future Gotham FC game, thanks to a voucher they got for participating in the clinic.

“It was really fun,” Sofi said, with her soccer ball in arm. “Our season ended, so I got to see some friends that were [here]. It was really fun, because they had an Olympian in there.”

Sofi plays soccer about five times a week, according to her father. She plays in a local league, and has been playing for three years.

“I thought it was great,” Bob Jugovic said, scrolling through his phone to a picture of his daughter with Mewis. “I was just writing a note to my family about a future Olympian with a current Olympian,” he added with a grin.

Melanie Anzidei is a reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: anzidei@northjersey.com

Twitter: @melanieanzidei 

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Gotham FC holds first-ever youth soccer clinic in Montclair NJ