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126 - Brandi Mitchell, Founder, San Diego Soccer Women
Brandi Mitchell is the founder of San Diego Soccer Women, an organization that serves to increase opportunities for women to join, continue or return to soccer without the limits of age or gender. Positioned as an advocate for “Play at Every Age,” Brandi is connecting and expanding the global community of recreational female soccer players of every ability level.   Growing up in Southern California, where Title IX legislation had already made girls’ sports widely available, Mitchell ran onto the soccer field at age 5 to play alongside her older sister and under the direction of her Coach-Dad. She competed year-round as an adolescent and teenager, stopped playing after high school, and then found a recreational women’s soccer league near her San Diego home at age 27. Her 4 year-old-daughter and 1 year-old-son first watched from the sidelines and are now adults cheering her on.  Brandi completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduate coursework in International Policy Studies and French at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Since graduating in the late 1990s, her professional experience has been focused on partnering with small businesses and nonprofits with roles in accounting, human resources, marketing and brand development. Ms. Mitchell is a member of the board of directors for The Sports Bra Project and Street Soccer USA - San Diego. She has been recognized as an ambassador to the Global Goals World Cup, United Nations Association of San Diego and the Equal Playing Field 2019 World Record Event. Mitchell was featured on local public television in San Diego and national public radio for her promotion of gender equity through grassroots women’s football. The San Diego Soccer Women Norway Squad jersey was selected for an exhibit at the COPA90 Clubhouse in Paris during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.   Brandi’s recreational soccer resources for players, teams, leagues, tournaments, events, charitable giving and female-focused gear was launched after realizing how extensive the community is in the U.S. -- and could be globally. She coordinates trips for older women to one of the most unique football pitches in the world, in Lofoten Islands, Norway in 2018 and 2023, and was co-organizer of a women-led tournament in Southern Spain in June 2022.   The San Diego Soccer Women website, social media profiles and printed shirts show the world that women can play soccer throughout their lives while challenging the societal view that women are defined by their role within a family, i.e. “soccer mom.” Her social media posts have been featured on the FIFA and FIFA Women’s World Cup social media channels. Next steps for Brandi include improving access for women through beginner sessions, walking soccer and goalkeeper training. Inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, she sees a future where everyone can experience the physical and social benefits of play.  For more information about San Diego Soccer Women, visit: https://sandiegosoccerwomen.com/.    If you enjoy this podcast, please click "subscribe" wherever you listen to episodes and we hope you'll consider leaving us a review.  Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UKAGHW, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ukaghw, or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/active-girls-healthy-women.   Sign up for the Active Girls Healthy Women newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/h6e30b or learn more about our Program here: https://linktr.ee/ukaghw.  If you want to help us sustain the Champions of Active Women podcast, please consider donating to the University of Kentucky Active Girls Healthy Women Program at https://give.uky.edu/campaigns/47165/donations/new?aft=87003cbf2438ea9d126a47dbe0395353 
Champions of Active Women
https://www.uky.edu/chs/aghw
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