(Jan. 24, 2008) – Waiting. That’s what Emily Janss, Lori Lindsey and Christie Welsh have been doing for over four years.
All three played in the WUSA and since that league suspended operations in September 2003 have sought to keep their professional dreams alive. Their path has been an arduous one. Largely solitary, it has meandered through ravines of false hope and thickets of questions.
That’s why all three were present at the first Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Town Hall Meeting, which took place at the 2008 NSCAA Convention in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday, January 19. With the new women’s professional league having just announced its name, unveiled its logo and launched its website, they had to come and see it for themselves.
“Finally it seems real,” said Lindsey, a 27-year-old midfielder who starred at the University of Virginia. “Since 2003 when the league suspended, everyone has been saying, ‘At least it will be back next year, at least it will be back next year.’ I think they’re just taking their time and getting this product right.”
While Janss sat on the Town Hall Meeting panel to answer queries from a standing-room only crowd, Lindsey and Welsh leaned against a side wall and listened as various aspects of the WPS’s business plan were discussed. Afterwards, Lindsey and Welsh admitted that during their drive to Baltimore they had speculated about how many players like them remain.
“We’re wondering, are they going to decide to quit the jobs that they now have and are secure financially in that situation to jump into something like this again,” said Welsh.
But for the 26-year-old forward and former Penn State standout, there is no doubt over what lies in her future.
“(I’m) focused on that, on playing in the league,” Welsh said as she clutched a WPS t-shirt, which she promised to wear as much as possible to promote the league. “It could be 10 years from now, but that’s what I’m doing to do.”
Welsh won’t have to bide that much time as WPS will kick off in the spring of 2009. Still she, as well as Janss and Lindsey, have taken steps to insure their vision becomes reality.
All three women live in the Washington, D.C. metro area and play for the Washington Freedom in the W-League, an elite, amateur organization that spans the country. Coached by Jim Gabarra and Clyde Watson, who have already been named as the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, for the WPS Washington Freedom, they helped their club to the 2007 W-League crown. When they aren’t playing, they coach in the Freedom’s youth system and Janss teaches at a local school.
“We’ve been warriors,” said Janss, a 29-year-old midfielder and University of Maryland grad. “We’ve still been training year round for the hope to be able to play (professionally).”
Before transitioning into Women’s Professional Soccer, they plan to defend their W-League title this summer, a task whose intensity has increased.
“This year it will be even more exciting and more competitive with some more teams and more players coming because it’s the bridge year into the pro league,” said Lindsey. “I think you’ll see a rise in more players coming back and getting more serious about it.”
Their wait is almost over.
The next WPS Town Hall Meeting will be held on Friday, Feb. 8 at 1:30pm at the US Youth Soccer Workshop at the Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. in Room 308. Fans can submit their questions for the Town Hall Meeting by emailing wpsfeedback@gmail.com. Please place “Town Hall Meeting question” in the subject line. A select number of fan questions will be asked.
Karyn Lush is a freelance writer and can be reached at karyn.wps@gmail.com . The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Women’s Professional Soccer or womensprosoccer.com.
