First Ever Connections for Girls

We had our first ever Connections for Girls, June 19th - 23th which focused on helping female athletes' with their technical, physical, and psychological development. The girls participated in training sessions run by an all-female staff which consisted of drills, scrimmages, and other technical work. During training breaks, participants heard from incredible speakers and got to learn/grow their knowledge about topics like nutrition, body positivity, benefits of stretching, pros and cons of being a professional athlete, building confidence, and more. Girls got to interact with our speakers and participate in Q&A sessions and ask them about advice, their experience and specialities.

Such a great week with a fantastic group of girls and many experiences. Thank you to all the guest speakers for coming out and to all our participants!

Learn more about Connections for Girls here

Participants heard from the following speakers throughout the week:

• Cindy Parlow Cone: Current (and first) female President of U.S. Soccer; highly decorated U.S. Women’s National Team Player (World Cup Champion, Olympic Gold Medal winner), Four-time All American at UNC, National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, NCFC Youth staff coach, For full bio, click here.
• Emma Thomson: Current NC Courage Assistant Coach, England youth national team player, former professional soccer player, former college coach, standout collegiate player. For full bio, click here.
• Kendall Fletcher: Home-grown talent who played with the club as a youth player, graduated from Apex High School, then on to UNC in 2002 where she was an impact player during her 4 years and was a starter on the 2003 NCAA Championship team that went 27-0-0 on the season. Played professionally in the United States and internationally. Current NCFC Youth staff coach for our ECNL program entering the 2023 season. 
• Hanna Gardner: Former NCFC Youth player and standout defender for UNC Tarheels women’s soccer 2012-2016. Helped lead the Tar Heels to 2012 NCAA National Championship. All-ACC Freshman Team Selection. Team Captain during her Redshirt Senior Year. Member of U.S. U20 National Team player. Recently played on team US Women at The Soccer Tournament. Currently Operations Associate for Goals for Girls, which uses soccer to teach young women leadership and inspire community change.
• Luke Hudson, PT, DPT, CSCS - Director of Sports Rehab & Injury Prevention Wake Orthopaedics: Luke Hudson will lead the girls through the FIFA 11+ warmup designed to reduce injuries by up to 50 percent when performed correctly in addition to sharing some specific information to girls players and injury prevention.
• Lindsay LaBennett: Lindsay has made her mark in the sports space working at Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent management company. She graduated from North Carolina A&T and received her Master's at Ohio University. She is currently the AVP of Equity & Inclusion in the company, working with brands, athletes, and properties. She'll share her passion for supporting young women finding their voice, showing up for each other, being an ally for each other on and off the field, and more.
• Kristy Campbell: Kristy is a former NCFC Youth player who went on to play at UNC Charlotte, where she logged 90 minutes in every match during her senior (2022) year anchoring the back line. During her time at UNC-Charlotte, she was an impact player from her Freshman year, named Team MVP, and selected to the All-Conference Freshman Team.
• Jess Silverman, PsyD: NCFC Youth has teamed up with Voice in Sport to bring in Jess, a Licensed Clinical Sports Psychologist, to discuss "Comparison in Sport" - this session will explore why we are inclined to compare ourselves to others, the impacts of comparison, and most importantly, how girls can develop confidence in themselves, their bodies, and their abilities.
• Reilly Beatty, MS, RD, CSSD: Reilly is a registered Sports Dietician and Performance Nutritionist. She's a former NCFC Youth player and owner of Reilly Beatty Sports Nutrition LLC. She'll share information and resources on fueling your body for success on and off the field, increasing energy, optimizing nutrition and more!