In Play with Craig Mattick made possible by Horton in Britton, a worldwide supplier of engine cooling systems and proud member of the community for more than four decades. Horton, www.com.
Craig Mattick:
Welcome to another edition of In Play. I am Craig Mattick. Today's guest was first going to be a dancer, but she also wanted to play soccer and she has chosen right. She has won state high school soccer titles as a player and a coach. She's played collegiately and professionally and is now coaching on both of those levels. She's the South Dakota High School Girl Soccer Player of the Year back in 2018, the West Central Trojan, Hailee Fischer. Hailee, welcome to In Play.
Hailee Fischer:
Hi. Thank you for having me today.
Craig Mattick:
It was just over a year ago, you're the head coach at the Harrisburg and it's your first year as the head coach for the Tigers and Harrisburg goes on to win the title. In fact, it was their third straight. What was that experience like for you as a first-year coach going all the way to the championship?
Hailee Fischer:
I'm going to say that it will always be a memorable experience for me. And I think I'm always going to remember those players and how they just kind of put their trust in me. And also, just enjoyed every step of the way along with me while I was learning too, and I think it was something really special, a really special group of people and I just know that they're going to be successful in whatever they choose to do in their future as well.
Craig Mattick:
You attended West Central, but I heard as a youngster that you wanted to dance, right? You wanted to dance, but you also loved soccer.
Hailee Fischer:
Yes.
Craig Mattick:
Did you have to make a choice between the two at one point?
Hailee Fischer:
Yes. When I was a kindergartner, I did dance in the fall of 2005. And that next spring I kind of decided, "Well, it's either dance or soccer." And I think soccer just sounded like a lot more fun and my dad actually got to be my coach and it was kind of history from there.
Craig Mattick:
I'm assuming you played soccer all the way through elementary and middle school before you got to high school, right?
Hailee Fischer:
Yes, yup.
Craig Mattick:
But when did the coach tell you that you're the goalkeeper? When was that decision made?
Hailee Fischer:
I actually got to play on the field for club soccer until I was a senior in high school, which was a lot of fun. I feel like it made me a better goalkeeper honestly. But I think I was 13 and it was my first year playing with Dakota Alliance Soccer Club and it just kind of fell into a place where not a lot of other people wanted to play and I grew up playing a lot of basketball and being around a lot of other sports and playing catch with a football with my dad all the time. And so, it was just kind of a natural position for me to fall into with all of the other sports and activities I love to do too.
Craig Mattick:
What was it like having your dad as a coach in those younger days?
Hailee Fischer:
I would say, now I really enjoyed it and I love those memories. But I will say there were definitely days where we argued and it was not as fun. And now, it's kind of a little bit of... Not always, not karma I would say. But now that I'm the coach, I got to take what I probably gave a little bit too.
Craig Mattick:
You were the state class A soccer, Rookie of the Year back in 2013. I mean, you were eighth grader I think back then, wasn't it? You remember...
Hailee Fischer:
Yes, I was.
Craig Mattick:
... what was special about that year?
Hailee Fischer:
That year was a little bit crazy. I'm not going to lie. As you said, yeah, I was an eighth grader and I got to be the goalkeeper for the high school team. And during that year, I actually received my first ever red card in a game and when that happened, I actually broke my big right toe.
So, I was actually out for about four weeks of that season and I worked my way to get back just in time for the state tournament. It was unsanctioned still at that time. So, I got to be a part of the first year of sanctioned soccer where everyone was sanctioned and I've gotten to see that change and see it grow, but that year was just crazy where I was out for four weeks, back to the state tournament, and then we won the state championship of the unsanctioned tournament. So, yeah, that will be a year in memory I'll never forget as well.
Craig Mattick:
So, what did you do to deserve the red card? Your only red card, by the way.
Hailee Fischer:
It was a 50/50 moment outside of the box. And I would say as a young goalkeeper, I was overly aggressive and overly ambitious. And I do think that appreciated that actually and that made me a better goalkeeper as I got older. But it was a 50/50 moment outside of the box and we both slide tackled, like split into each other, just slide tackled and it just kind of fell away where I was the last defender and the official, its discretion and gave me a red card. So, it was definitely a moment I'll never forget. And my parents weren't at the game because they were watching the South Dakota state football team play down in Kansas, so my parents weren't even there.
Craig Mattick:
Oh, is that an interesting story to share with that one. But you're playing varsity soccer for West Central, and you're also playing club soccer with Dakota Alliance. So, was it playing soccer spring, summer and fall? I mean, out of what, eight months of the year you're playing soccer?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I would say it was kind of nonstop, honestly. It was maybe you would get a week or two break along the way, but I honestly wanted it to be that way. And I think I even remember my junior year of high school when we won the state championship in 2016 as well. I won it on that Saturday, and then I went to club practice the next day on Sunday. So, it was just a very normal thing.
Craig Mattick:
Yeah, and you love being the goalkeeper. How did you become an elite goalkeeper? I mean, how much work did it take for you to learn the craft of learning the sport and being the one between the pipes, the last defense for the soccer ball to get into?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I think it's definitely a position where you can compare it to quarterback, where you can compare it to point guard as in where it's definitely a specialty and you have to put in a lot of hours and a lot of time. And honestly, in high school, I was probably practicing, especially after I decided to not play basketball anymore and wanted to just pursue soccer. I was probably practicing and doing goalkeeper training almost four to five times a week on top of other practices.
So, it was definitely a craft that had to take a lot of time and hone in on those. They say the 10,000 hours is a rule of where you get to be to master, and I think it definitely took a lot of time to get to a point where I felt confident and I was a really, really good goalkeeper.
Craig Mattick:
What was the hardest part about being a goalkeeper? Is it reaction time, seeing the ball coming your way and where to go when they're attacking you?
Hailee Fischer:
I would say that that's all the fun stuff, honestly. The mental side would definitely be the hardest piece, just knowing there are very big waves that goalkeepers go through in their development. And honestly, most goalkeepers, especially women, they don't become the best they can be until almost their 30s.
So, I would say the mental side of goalkeeping was definitely difficult because you would be feeling really good one week, and then the next week you could make one mistake in that one mistake if you don't know how to get over it could hold you up for the next month. So, the mental side was definitely something that I feel like I had to get a hold of and it's something that I keep in mind when I'm a coach now as well.
Craig Mattick:
Your freshmen and sophomore years, Belle Fourche, St. Thomas More, TEA area, I mean those were the teams that were in the finals when you were a freshman and a sophomore. What do you remember about not making to the finals in those years?
Hailee Fischer:
Oh, yes, I remember kind of feeling after my eighth grade year and then transitioning into sanctioned soccer the freshman and sophomore year that it was definitely a learning process and I think West Central Soccer would have never gotten as good as it was when I was there, and then past the time that I was there too, when they were very successful when my sister was there too. It never would've gotten to that point if we wouldn't have had those first two years where we were learning and growing and trying to get better. But I do know that that's when my unlikeness of TEA definitely started.
Craig Mattick:
There were some great battles. I mean, there was a time even after you had left West Central that it was West Central or TEA area. Those were the only two and they were in the finals like five of the six years at one point in time, a great rivalry between the two. But then, in your junior year in 2016, you made the finals and there they are, there's TEA area, and it went into overtime. What was that battle like for the championship?
Hailee Fischer:
That'll also be a game that I never forget as into overtime zero, zero. And just knowing that we'd never beat BT before up to that point, and that I felt like this was our opportunity. And I do know in overtime, they had a couple of dangerous opportunities and our team held firm and I knew that if we got the penalty kicks that it was going to go our way.
Craig Mattick:
And what happened at the end?
Hailee Fischer:
We won in penalty kicks and I mean, honestly, I was a little upset that it didn't get to the fifth penalty because I was going to be the fifth penalty taker and I think that would've been a lot of fun, but it'll be something that I never forget. Just knowing like, saving those penalties in the game and just the relief afterwards of feeling like this team did that. And I just remember that those group of seniors, they deserved it a lot and it was a really fun experience and one of the most fun games I've probably ever been a part of, honestly.
Craig Mattick:
Yeah, that was the first girl soccer title for the Trojans, and it would be the first of three in a row for West Central. In fact, it would be five out of six. Boy, what was going on with Trojan Soccer at that point in time, even though you had already graduated?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, we went through a really good spell of some really great players going through. And I would say, I'm very lucky to have a coach who he not only knew how to bring the team together, but he also knew how to make players better as the year went on, I would say as well. I even think about my senior year too and how we barely lost any games and just that feeling of what it was like to be a really good team. But I also knew Greg, he never felt really satisfied honestly, and he just wanted the team to keep getting better and he would bring in resources in the summer for us to have camps with different coaches. And he was definitely someone who learned a lot about soccer and wanted to keep learning and I think that made us better as a team overall.
Craig Mattick:
Greg Anderson, yup, was your coach. Your senior year West Central back in the title game and you're taking on St. Thomas More. You were hot as a keeper that year. I mean, you were 13 and one as a keeper, 11 shutouts, you only allowed three goals all season. Your only loss was to Vermilion, one to nothing. What happened in that game, Hailee?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I still have a very vivid memory of there was a set piece that was taken and the ball was bouncing in the box, and then just kind of a mess and I dove and it went right through, not right through my hands, but right past my hands a little bit up. And I think that was a moment where the season really flipped for us, where we were like, "Yes, we do know we're the best team, but every team is going to come into every game that we play against them and they're going to want to beat us."
And I think that that was an important lesson, not only for myself but for the team. And after that game I just remember calling up my goalkeeper coach and being like, "Hey, this is how I'm feeling right now." And then, from there at our practices as a team, I was making my teammates give me extra reps of a lot of what happened in that game. So, I think that was a really big moment for me to learn that, "Yes, mistakes might happen, but we dig our feet in the ground and we're going to be better because of it."
Craig Mattick:
Well, you go on to beat Vermilion in the semifinals, two to nothing. Certainly, I'm sure, extra energy that day knowing that you had to beat them to get back and the tie of game. And when you do, you get to St. Thomas More again, another team that's had a really good soccer program. You had beaten them, one to nothing, earlier in the season out in Rapid. But what do you remember the most about that game against St. Thomas More, and then eventually winning your second title in a row?
Hailee Fischer:
I remember that just being a really gritty game. And that one also came down to the wire where they created a lot of opportunities at the end of the game. And I just remember that there was a corner kick they had near the end and I just was like, "I don't care where this is going in the box. I'm going to go win this." And I did. And that's kind of when the final minutes were kicking by and I just had kind of that mentality of they're not going to win this game or they're not going to get one on us. Because once we put that goal away, there was no way that I was going to let that happen.
And my defense was absolutely incredible up to that point as well too. And I think that's why they continued to be successful even past my time is because those defenders were just really smart soccer players and they knew how to work together really well.
Craig Mattick:
You were the South Dakota Girl's Soccer Player of the Year, your senior year. What did that mean to you?
Hailee Fischer:
First, it means a lot for somebody in that position to get recognized. Because honestly, that doesn't happen a lot with awards like that. We traditionally like to look at goalscorers, people that maybe get the most assists, things like that. And I think that's why, last year as a coach too, I got to nominate two players for Gatorade Player of the Year who weren't really goalscorers, but they were phenomenal like players that kept teams to only two goals.
And I think those can be players that get overlooked a lot. That's why it meant a lot to me. And then, also just knowing that a lot of my work that I do throughout the year that not a lot of people probably knew about got recognized as well, but thankful for that circle I had in high school that pushed me to keep training and keep getting better even through those tough moments as well.
Craig Mattick:
Well, during this whole time as well, I know colleges are calling, they're sending you notes, they want you to play for them, and you chose SDSU to play soccer. How long had the Jacks been working on you to come play for them?
Hailee Fischer:
So, that's actually a little bit of a funny story too. It was the end of my freshman year of high school. This is when the recruiting rules weren't as strict, I'm kind of dating myself. And I was playing Brock Thompson's club team because he was the assistant coach at the time still. I was playing his club team in the State Cup final. And we actually, during our game, it was an aggregate type style of play. So, we won the first game, but then they tied it up in the second game.
So, we were playing overtime and would maybe have to go to poundy kicks in Mitchell. And it ended up that there was a tornado very nearby, so the sirens went off and everybody had to get in their cars, but then we also had to go take shelter and we went to Hy-Vee in Mitchell. And at the Hy-Vee in Mitchell, eventually, we had to go in the freezer because of how close the tornado was. And in the freezer was Brock Thompson and that is how I met Brock.
My parents were both in SDSU here. And obviously, he recognized me from the game, and then saw that my parents were in SDSU here, introduced himself. And from there it was kind of history. Both my parents went to South Dakota State, so I knew that that was kind of like kids grow up in Minnesota or Nebraska and U of M in Nebraska are their schools they want to go to. Well, SDSU was always that school for me. So, just knowing I had that opportunity and to represent the Jackrabbits was something that I really wanted to do ever since I was a little kid.
Craig Mattick:
Hailee, at SDSU, there was some bad luck to hit you. You were a freshman and a junior there, you tore your ACLs. What was that recovery like for you when those injuries occurred?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, that was definitely not an easy time of my life, I would say, and especially during college when you come in and you're trying to maybe figure out who you are still at that age where you don't know much about what you want to do maybe in your future or maybe you have an idea but you don't know how it's going to fall into place. And, of course, I always dreamt of playing professional soccer. But at that point it was kind of a big question of, "Well, if I want to do this or if I want to keep playing, then I need to work really hard right now."
So, I would say those moments made me better and those moments actually brought me to coaching because my coach kind of pulled me aside during that time and not only did he want me to have a role on the team still, he also asked me to coach a younger club team with him. So, those were moments that I think were pivotal in my life because it brought me to where I'm today actually.
Craig Mattick:
Well, we know that it is a tough grinding type of attitude you have to have when you are coming back from an ACL surgery, you're pushing yourself. But then, not too long after that, it happens to your other knee and that there could be the most deflating of all that you know what you had to go through. Are you willing to go through that again? And you did?
Hailee Fischer:
Yes.
Craig Mattick:
You did. That was your junior year, you toured the ACL and you come back as a senior. You got 10 starts for the Jacks that year. I know you were itching to get back in the game. How rusty were you when you were just getting back in the net after being gone for a while?
Hailee Fischer:
I think the nice thing was at that time that the Sioux Falls City Football Club actually just got started, and that's actually fantastic for that reason. As you said, I'd been not playing for that long. I got to play in that spring with the team in spring games, but then I also got to play for Sioux Falls City that summer and get back into the swing of things in games where I could then prepare for my college season.
So, I think that that helped me feel really comfortable actually. And knowing that I could be confident in myself because I had played in games made a really big difference. And I think that's why those programs in those teams are important because you'll have freshmen or sophomores who maybe haven't played very much in college, but then over the summer they can go and they can play and they can get a lot of game minutes, and then they can come back junior year or whenever and make a big impact right away because that's the hard thing about soccer is that you come into the fall and you're playing right away. You start especially division one this year, you start on a Tuesday, and then you're playing a game on Saturday. So, those programs and those summer teams have made a really big difference I feel like for a lot of players as well.
Craig Mattick:
You mentioned the Sioux Falls City Football Club. It's a member of the United Soccer League. It's a professional women's soccer. It came to Sioux Falls just a couple of years ago, but I know they wanted you. They you to play keeper for them. What was their pitch to you to play for them?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I just remember growing up. And then, also in college, some of my teammates were playing for those teams at home back at their homes over the summer and I was feeling like, "Man, that's something I would really want to do, but I don't really want to go somewhere far to have to do that." And I know how much soccer is growing in South Dakota and I've seen that firsthand. And just being able to have a program like that in the state, an organization like that makes a big difference for younger players to see that they have opportunities past high school, past college, past whatever they want to do, whether it's even on the field or as a coach or as an official or as a member of the organization in some aspect, just knowing that that's an opportunity for them is really cool.
And I'll always take pride in the fact that I got to be the first signing for that club and just knowing that they had the trust in me to be able to help them get things off the ground and get started was a lot of fun. And I'm really happy that I get to coach that team now as well.
Craig Mattick:
Yes. We'll talk more about Sioux Falls City Football Club here in just a moment, but you graduate in 2023 from SDSU and here comes Harrisburg. Harrisburg comes a calling. I mean, what choices did you have coming out of SDSU? What were you looking for when you were getting out of college?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I was definitely looking for the opportunity to coach within the Sioux Falls area. I knew that the Dakota Alliance would be an option for me to coach at, but I also kind of knew that coaching high school soccer would be something that I would like to do because it has a long way to go still. And just to be a part of that was something that was really important to me. And Eric Christensen, the former head coach, his daughter is playing at SDSU right now, but when she was about to go, he kind of approached me and said, "Hey, I think I kind of have an idea where you can come teach at Harrisburg because as we all know, it's a very big district now and they got quite a few openings every year now, and you can come also coach with me because I'm not going to want to be the head coach when my daughter is in college."
And so, I decided, "Well, why not take that chance and kind of be a part of a team that I know has been very successful, but also that has a lot of players that honestly they could probably be playing and starting for multiple schools around the state, even if they're on the JV team." So, I thought, "Yeah, that'd be a challenge that I want to take." And I think that was the opportunity that kind of presented itself.
Craig Mattick:
So, you're an assistant coach at Harrisburg for one year. In fact, they go on and they win the title that year and Eric does step down and you become the head coach of Harrisburg for last year. And so, I mean, still pretty young. I mean, it's kind of like as a goalkeeper you have to learn the craft to be a better keeper. Now, how did you try to become a better coach in trying to do that fairly quickly?
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I think that year of seeing how Eric did a lot of things was super important for me. And I think also knowing my circle of people that I have or my mentors either in the Sioux Falls area or my former college coach were super important tools for me to use. And then, also using a lot of the things that I've learned in US soccer courses has helped me as well because on the field stuff, of course, that comes easier to me as someone who got to play soccer, but I would say off the field stuff with something you don't always think about when you become a coach. And I think I learned a lot from Brock Thompson, and then also Eric as well.
So, I think it was definitely a learning process as a young coach and I was honest about that with the players and parents going into that year as well. And I'm still honest about that with players and parents that I'm a part of and coach right now. So, I think as a coach, I'm always going to want to be learning and always going to want to be growing. So, the season is a journey for not just them, but also for me always.
Craig Mattick:
Harrisburg makes the championship game. It was just one year ago and it was against Rapid City, Stevens pretty good club that year. Did you feel any pressure trying to win the Tigers, their third title in a row and going up against Rapid City, Stevens? I know you won the game five to nothing, but what kind of pressure was there? Did you feel any of that?
Hailee Fischer:
I think and kind of what I talked to the team about too, it's really a privilege to feel that type of pressure. And at the beginning of the year though, I really tried to instill in those players that we lost 11 players the year before. And there's really no pressure on you to be perfect. And I knew what that team was capable of at the beginning of the year, but I also wanted to take it one game at a time. And we really, really tried to emphasize that if we are going to win, we have to be playing our best soccer in the middle of October.
And so, taking it one game at a time was super important to me. And trying to make sure the players understood that was not always easy, right? Because it can be easy as a player to focus on, "Well, that's all I want right now, or I just want my playing time to be good." But if you can sacrifice those little things for the team, that's when you're going to end up being the most successful.
So, I think, yes, there was a little bit of pressure, but it was also like we've earned this pressure through our performance throughout the year, so let's go and just enjoy this game. Enjoy this moment.
Craig Mattick:
Hailee, you've won high school titles in soccer as a player, as an assistant coach and a head coach. Did you know that there would be a big change in your soccer life after winning that state title at Harrisburg last year?
Hailee Fischer:
I kind of knew at that point that coaching was definitely my calling and that it was something that I could do to make an impact, not only on the players I coach, but I think on the future of soccer in the state as well. So, it was definitely a moment I'll always be proud of, but it was also kind of a moment where I was like, "Man, the community of soccer has really helped me in my life here, and I'm really thankful for all those people." So, I just want to keep giving back to what has helped me get to the point that I'm at now as well.
Craig Mattick:
Because you're a wanted coach. You're a wanted coach, because both here we come back to the Sioux Falls City Football Club, they want you to coach. And also, the University of Sioux Falls came calling wanting you to coach soccer. Who came calling first?
Hailee Fischer:
Definitely Sioux Falls City. This was my second year that I got to coach with them, which was a lot of fun. And kind of the unique aspect right now is that I get to coach my sister as well with the team. So, that's something that I never really thought I was ever going to be able to do.
And I think Sioux Falls City has given me not only opportunities to coach on the field, but they've also helped me go to different conventions and they've helped me take different courses and make those things possible for me to keep growing as a coach. So, the more that I can give back to the club, the better because they want me to be successful and I want that club to be successful as well. So, I'm really thankful for the people there and what they do.
Craig Mattick:
Speaking of Sioux Falls City, explain a little bit about who the players are, where they're coming from, and maybe some of the cities that you play in that league.
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, so what's kind of unique about Sioux Falls City is, and I would just say the league in general, you get to recruit and kind of form your team how you would like to. So, we kind of scout players. I would say definitely during the college season, we're scouting potential players that we would like to have on our team. And I think the fun thing about it is that the head coach, he and I should say technical director, he definitely wants to look for players that maybe have always been a diamond in the rough that maybe haven't always gotten the most exposure or the most opportunities compared to everybody else.
And that's why, we have first, we have a few South Dakota kids. And then, that's also why we go after some division 2 kids who maybe didn't always get looks from division 1 schools, but who can definitely compete with the division 1 athletes in the league. And then, we also love to get players from, we've had players from Brazil. We've had players from over in Europe. I got to coach goalkeeper from Mexico and Colombia.
So, just knowing that we can come together from all these different backgrounds to create this team. And it's not only personal backgrounds; it's also soccer backgrounds because they learn completely differently in other countries. So, knowing that we can bring those players together to create a team is a lot of fun and we get to learn a lot from each other, I would say in that sense as well.
So, then the league that we just joined, the USLW, it is a branch of the Super League and they're really just trying to expand and grow women's soccer. And we are a part of the northern Midwest. So, we play teams, we play a team from Minnesota, so the Aurora, who has kind of instilled, I would say themselves as one of the higher teams within our region. And then, the cool thing too is they get 5,000 plus fans at games.
So, when we got to go play there, that was a really cool experience. And then, we also play teams from Illinois, teams from Wisconsin, and then we've got teams from other areas as well that we might get to play in the future too. But it's a league that not only is across the whole country, but it's also just right here in this region.
So, it's been a lot of fun to have the opportunities to compete against, I would say higher level players from around the Midwest area. And it makes a really big difference for those players. Not only for our season, but preparing for their college season too.
Craig Mattick:
Well, the University of Sioux Falls also came a call and you're an assistant coach for the Cougars. Tell me what your role is there.
Hailee Fischer:
Yeah, I think the really cool thing about working with Joe DeMay, he's the head coach at USF as well, and technical director at city, is that he delegates and shares responsibilities in a really good way because he knows that the way to be a true leader is to leave things better than you found it. And a part of that is helping the younger people around you or the other coaches around you grow and learn responsibilities. Not only that an assistant coach would do, but also that a head coach would do.
So, we delegate and share tasks very fluidly with each other. So, we both recruit. We both plan for away trips. We both prepare for training sessions and plan training sessions together as well as lead or run training sessions or different parts of the session. So, it's definitely a moment... Not a moment, but an opportunity where I get to not only be an assistant coach and kind of learn some of the background stuff that goes on within college soccer, but it's also a moment for me to keep improving as a coach. And hopefully, prepare myself to be a head coach or to be an assistant coach at another level in the future as well.
Craig Mattick:
The X's and O's of soccer, what have you learned about the game of soccer since you started being involved with coaching? There's a different little look at the game than being between the pipes as a goalkeeper, but what about the game itself? What have you learned about this game?
Hailee Fischer:
I think I've learned that your team has to be able to understand the style of play you want to implement, and then also the principles and the strategy and the tactics that you want to implement. So, if you can't communicate to your players how you want to play, then it doesn't matter how smart you are or what you know about the game. They're not going to understand it, and they're not going to be able to implement it.
So, I would say the big thing that I've really learned is that as a coach, communication is so key and that how you interact and how you teach your players is a really cool thing about being a coach is that I still get to teach. How you teach your players is ultimately how you're going to end up being successful. And not only do they notice when you care and teach for them, but they also notice when you care for them off the field too.
So, I think yes, the X's and O's are important and I continue learning about them all the time and that there's new methods coming out and that soccer is continually evolving with rule changes or other things as well. But I also know that at the end of the day, if I can keep it player centered, I'm going to get players that want to keep coming back and who also want to give their best not only for themselves, but the team as well.
Craig Mattick:
One more for you, Hailee. There are so many opportunities for girls to not only play soccer in high school, but I think especially to play in college. What would you suggest to girls about their opportunities in playing soccer and maybe even coaching one day?
Hailee Fischer:
I would say, just as you said, the opportunities are really limitless for what you want to do within soccer. We see soccer there is a successful official, Ava Steffen is her name, and she got to officiate a final at the Nationals, USYF Nationals, and she's a Sioux Falls kid. Just knowing that your opportunities are kind of limitless within the sport, and not only do people need you to be a coach or a player or an official, but they need you to be a general manager. They need you to be within social media, they need you in marketing, and they need you in all different aspects.
So, I would tell them that as a player, you can go a lot further than you probably ever thought, but that your love of soccer can evolve into probably a future career that you would never even think was possible before. And it's just going to keep growing. And I'm really excited to see what these future players in this area not only do on the field, but off the field as well.
In Play with Craig Mattick is made possible by Horton in Britton where smiling at work happens all the time. Apply now at Horton, www.com. If you like what you're hearing, please give us a five-star review wherever you get your podcast. It helps us gain new listeners. This has been In Play with me, Craig Mattick. This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
