SoccerGrlProbs Recognized as August ECNL S’Hero Award Recipient
RICHMOND, VA (August 21, 2017) – The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) today announced Soccer Girl Problems (SoccerGrlProbs) as the August S’Hero of the Month award recipient for individual and community leadership. As part of the Amazing Young WomenTM movement, the ECNL is sharing the stories of S’Heroes who are role models for our nation’s young female athletes who are balancing their drive to become elite athletes with the pressures of fitting in with social peers.
S’Hero – SoccerGrlProbs
SoccerGrlProbs began as a viral sensation in 2011 and has taken the soccer world by storm over the past six years. What started as a Twitter account to vent their hilarious frustrations and thoughts during preseason has turned into a global lifestyle brand. The young women behind the lifestyle brand, SoccerGrlProbs, have taken their passion and love for the beautiful game and turned it into a way to build community and encourage positive self-image for young women in soccer.
Meet the AmazingYoungWomen behind SoccerGrlProbs:
SoccerGrlProbs was created by Carly Beyar, Shannon Fay and Alanna Locast, three young women who hail from Long Island, New York and played NCAA Division I soccer at Fairfield University in Connecticut. SoccerGrlProbs began organically as a way to put a comical twist on the tribulations elite soccer players face through a single Twitter account. A year later they released their first video, which went viral drawing one million views in just three days. It was when they designed their first t-shirts sporting the line “I can’t, I have soccer” that they began thinking this could be something much bigger. The limited amount of 300 shirts sold out overnight, justifying their inclinations to make SoccerGrlProbs as a legitimate business venture.
Over the past six years, they have grown their brand by leaps and bounds, capturing over 200,000 followers on Twitter, producing 125 videos with almost 19 million views and selling more than 20,000 pieces of merchandise. This growth has allowed SoccerGrlProbs to hone in on their mission and impact young women around the game in a positive light.
“We believe social media has helped a lot with us being able to spread positivity,” Shannon Fay, SoccerGrlProbs Co-Founder said about their social media growth and mission. “We are committed to promoting self confidence and a positive lense when looking at yourself. Negativity should not control your life, and we want to play a role in assuring that it will not. It is important that message is shared and heard in everything that we do.”
Soccer has given SoccerGrlProbs a platform to empower and reach young women, and the opportunity to turn their passion into a career. Giving young women opportunities and connections within the soccer community drives them to continue their work and expand their brand even further.
Over the years SoccerGrlProbs have hosted several leadership clinics, pick-up games and Q&A panels to establish more personal connections with young athletes. The results, they were fielding many of the same questions, specifically on the college recruiting process. This drove them to write the book “The SoccerGrlProbs Survival Guide To Playing College Soccer,” providing answers to common questions female soccer players have on the stressful process of transitioning from one chapter to the next.
SoccerGrlProbs have taken the leadership and empowerment from the field to the office, using their own experiences to raise the game and spread positivity throughout the soccer community. By giving back to the beautiful game, this group of strong young women, strive to empower others on and off the soccer pitch.
The commitment to give back to the game, embrace the hardships of elite soccer and turn all aspects into a positive has earned SoccerGrlProbs the ECNL S’Hero of the Month recognition. Good luck to these Amazing Young Women as they follow their mission and hearts to grow the beautiful game, break boundaries and influence others along the way.
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About Amazing Young WomenTM: The Amazing Young Women campaign is a dynamic platform of online and local market activations that showcase and celebrate female role models offering an aspirational focus for all female athletes and teens as they prepare to be our next generation of leaders. The ECNL is calling on all of the nation’s women to join the movement to celebrate the endless potential of today’s girls.
Women of all ages can share their personal moments of inspiration through elevated stories and social media. Every share and submission helps drive a movement that celebrates the power of what it is to be a girl today.
S’Heroes are a part of the Amazing Young WomenTM campaign designed to showcase strong, successful women who embody the fact that drive on the soccer field translates into life lessons. The ECNL is calling on all who love sports to join them in supporting youth female athletes as they recognize their own potential, define their individual paths to success, and prepare to be our next generation of leaders.
Studies have shown that driving factors behind girls dropping out of sports include limited exposure to the inspirational journeys trail blazed by positive role models, and social stigma; where player traits that are so valued by teams are often not promoted for young girls. By age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys1. The Amazing Young Women campaign encourages young female athletes to embrace their competitive nature, and prove they cannot be shaken from the path to their dreams. Those recognized as S’Heroes have taken a spirit of leadership and inspiration from the field, and have demonstrated that it’s not just about a phase of your life, but a way of life.
About Elite Clubs National League: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
eliteclubsnationalleague.com | Facebook: /theECNL | Twitter: @theECNL
For media enquiries:
Blaze Byrd
Email: blaze@eliteclubsnationalleague.com
- Girls drop-out at different rates depending on where they live. Sabo, D. and Veliz, P. (2008). Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America. East Meadow, NY: Women’s Sports Foundation.