WAGS REFLECTIONS
BY ADELE DOLANSKY
As previously mentioned, the first WAGS Tournament took place in 1975 on Columbus Day Weekend.
The founders dictated the blueprint in which future WAGS Tournaments would follow— Friday was Team Registration Day, preliminary games would be held on Saturday and Sunday, semi-finals on Sunday afternoons and finals on Mondays. Throughout the years, this formula has rarely faltered—creating an annual event that would only grow in prestige as years passed. Out on the pitch, WAGS’ best would go up against our country’s finest.
There was never any doubt that WAGS teams would enter the WAGS Tournament. The struggle instead came from ensuring that out-of-town teams would enter. Thanks to the assistance of many passionate people, the WAGS Tournament was able to draw in teams from all over the eastern United States and beyond.
Adele Dolansky
Theresa “Terry” Henn was our New Jersey Connection. Terry served as a regional commissioner for the New Jersey Youth Soccer Association (NJYSA). She worked tirelessly to spread the news of the WAGS Tournament however she could. As commissioner, she was in close contact with a variety of New Jersey teams. Knowing that the WAGS Tournament held the future of girls’ soccer as a competitive sport, she pushed New Jersey clubs into participating. This established a strong connection between WAGS and the NJYSA. Terry would later become USYSA Sub-Regional Direction for Region I(B) and would personally travel to the WAGS Tournament to hand out awards. Before her death in 1993, she was rightfully inducted into the New Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame. Thanks to her tireless advocacy, WAGS was able to grow past the New Jersey border.
WAGS Reflections
Peter Collins was our Eastern New York Connection. Peter was the founder of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) and served as its president from 1977 to his death in 2004. Like Terry, he was a fellow advocate for girls’ soccer, and he encouraged Long Island teams to compete in the WAGS Tournament every year. In 1997, he was inducted into the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Hall of Fame. And, in 1998, he was inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame. Thanks to his hard work and dedication to women’s soccer, WAGS was able to further thrive on the east coast.
Betty D’Anjolell and Charlotte Moran were our Eastern Pennsylvania Connections. In 1983, the Region I Girls ODP was created. Betty served as the tournaments administrator and had previously been involved with the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA). In 1984, Werner Fricker, President of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), asked Betty to become Chair of the Federation’s Under 23 Woman’s Program, which she readily accepted. Although she passed away in 2012, in 2015, Betty was inducted into the EPYSA Hall of Fame. With her crucial support, WAGS had a friend in a high place that was able to network news about the tournament all over the country.
Charlotte Moran, the second Eastern Pennsylvania Connection, was an especially strong advocate for both the WAGS League and WAGS Tournament. Charlotte was EPYSA President from 1990 to 1997, and served as a Girls ODP administrator for a total of 17 years. She went on to serve as USYSA National Chair for four years (1992-1996), USYSA Region I Girls ODP Administrator for twelve years (1997-2009) and chaired the Woman’s Committee of US Soccer for two years. All the while, she was a staunch advocate for WAGS as a whole, and utilized her positions to further bring attention to the tournament. She encouraged EPYSA teams to attend, and had no problems rescheduling league games to make that happen. She would take time out of her busy schedule to volunteer for the tournament, checking in college coaches at their designated fields. She went above and beyond supporting WAGS soccer, before passing away in May of 2009. In 2013, she was posthumously inducted into the US Youth Soccer Hall of Fame, and in 2015 she was inducted into the EPSYA Hall of Fame. She was a true champion for girls’ and women’s soccer, and without her assistance, WAGS would not be the organization it is today.
Lastly, Everett Germain and Alan Southard were our Canadian Connections. Founder of the Annandale Boys Club, Everett introduced Rael and Mavis to Alan Southard, who ran the famous Robbie Tournament in Scarborough, Ontario. Mavis would always tell me that from the very first meeting, Alan assisted WAGS in any way he could. He made it possible for WAGS teams to travel to and from Canada and opened the Robbie Tournament to WAGS teams. Most importantly, he encouraged Canadian teams to participate in the WAGS Tournament, which created an air of prestige and helped further establish the tournament. Alan even acted as a coach, with him and his wife Trish coaching the St. Andrews teams at the WAGS Tournament. In 2003, Alan was inducted into the “Builder” category of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.
With the help of all these people, the WAGS Tournament became a well-known, well attended event in the eastern US. Throughout the establishing years, these connections bolstered WAGS popularity. As more and more clubs partnered with the league, more and more people put their faith in a league dedicated to the future of girls’ soccer. Their support and advocacy cannot be overstated, and I am eternally grateful for their help.
In 1981, the WAGS Committee and I were looking for a way to take the WAGS Tournament up a notch. At our post-tournament committee meeting, we came up with the plan to start a College Competition Division.
This at the time was a radical idea, but we knew that the creation of the division would open new pathways for girls who wanted to take their skills to a collegiate level.
College teams from all over the United States would be allowed to participate in the Competition Division. When the coaches did not have games to coach, they would instead have the opportunity to scout the U19’s (and possibly the U17’s) for future players. The players, in turn, would have a chance to watch and scout collegiate level soccer.
It was a win-win situation for players and coaches alike, but I remember that there were major concerns within the WAGS Committee; primarily about the USYSA/State Association. What would they think? Would they sanction a college division in a youth tournament?
I called our good friend a super-woman, Mavis Derflinger—now the USYSA Region I Commissioner—and asked her directly. “Could the WAGS Tournament get USYSA/State sanction for a possible College Division?”
Her answer? “Yes, if you call it an Exhibition College Division.”
And so, that was exactly what we did.
I contacted Anson Dorrance and told him our plans. I got his support, with him promising to enter his UNC teams. Getting him on our side was crucial, as it created a draw to attract other colleges to the division. With the addition of Hank Leung, GMU Women’s Coach and Region I ODP Head Coach, the Exhibition College Division was a huge success. WAGS would prepare a free player profile book for each college coach listing all U17-U19 teams attending the tournament. The profile book would also include team rosters, player bios, and player schedules, so that a prospective coach could follow a player that had piqued their interest.
Although officially the Exhibition College Division ended in 1989, the word was out. For years after, up until this very day, college coaches came to the WAGS tournament every Columbus Day Weekend to scout players for their teams. Noticing this, out-of town clubs began sending more and more teams to the WAGS Tournament. Eventually, the WAGS
WAGS Reflections
Committee and I would create a free to attend “College Social” event on Saturday for both the collegiate and U17-U19 coaches. The coaches could mingle, pitch scholarship offers and just talk good soccer with people from all over the United States.
With all of this said…in a way, you could say that WAGS started the first All-Girls College Showcase Event! Thanks to the Exhibition College Division, a countless number of young women were able to not only continue to play the sport they loved, but they were given the opportunity to take their talents to a higher level. Without a doubt, this changed the state of women’s soccer, and it was all thanks to the networking efforts of so many who believed in the same dream—the dream of making women’s soccer better.
In 1985, the WAGS Tournament was visited by a surprise guest.
While serving as National Girls ODP Committee Chair, Betty D’Anjolell met Karl-Heinz Heddergott, who, in 1984, was hired to become the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Coaching Director. An alumnus of German Sport University Cologne, and member of the German Football Association from 1967 to 1980, Karl-Heinz had spent over 30 years of his life scrutinizing top-level soccer. He had served as Official FIFA Observer on two Men’s World Cup Tournaments, and in 1985, Betty approached me along with the WAGS Committee—and asked if he could attend the 1985 WAGS Tournament. Of course, I said yes, and the rest of the Committee felt the same way.
I still have the official report Karl-Heinz wrote all those years ago. Not only does it fill me with pride, but it also became a kind of foreshadowing for what was to come next for WAGS.
Some of Karl-Heinz Heddergott’s General Remarks from his October 15, 1985 Official Report.
“It is with great pleasure I followed the invitation to observe and evaluate the games of “The 11th Annual WAGS Rael Vodicka Memorial Tournament” and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for having been able to experience this magnificent event of Girls Soccer. For me it was refreshing to witness the girls’ enthusiasm and dedication in all the competition I saw.
I also found my prediction confirmed that woman’s soccer is on the move to establish itself amongst the best in the world, and when there will be one day a soccer world champion from the USA this will be a woman’s team”.
Stay Tuned for the Next Chapter: WAGS’ Biggest Battle Yet! How the 1993 and 1994 WAGS Committee played a pivotal role in the 1996 Olympics, and my closing remarks on WAGS’ impact on women’s soccer.
MJX Mental Fitness
MJX Mental Fitness is defined as there being no limit to what we can accomplish. MJX is committed to offering support and tools for working towards success. Many days and nights have been spent wondering when a good time to develop a program to inspire people would be. Adolescent intervention seemed to be a great start for our Northern Virginia community. Directors Nicole Schweitzer Cartagena and Marie Onorato Schweitzer both have degrees in Education. In 2021. In honor of a beloved loved one, Liela Onorato, we started developing programs for our MJX vision. This included many hours of professional development focusing on psychology and how to develop the mindset of the participants in the program.
Mental fitness is the ability to maintain a positive mental state and well-being, even when faced with challenges. It involves a range of habits, practices, and thought patterns that contribute to psychological well-being. Mental fitness is proactive.
In the next few years, our goals are to service our community in multiple ways. We are working on professional development courses for coaches to use with their athletes that coincide with the technical, tactical, and physical training the players are already receiving. We also have lesson plans for coaches to increase mental fitness training throughout their seasonal year. We will be offering in-person Team-Building and Mental Fitness Trainings for teams as well. Lastly, we will continue to service the youth soccer world with our Mentor coaches-led Little Tots program.
The goal of the MJX Mental Fitness program is to firmly establish a positive mindset in the youth player in order to make effective decisions as a team. Numerous programs exist that build personal skills and team dynamics yet the routinely overlooked need remains to focus on mental fitness, personal confidence, and positive social interaction. Our goal is to keep the brain and emotional health in tip-top shape to coincide with the current development your club provides. Working alongside coaches and players, we will form a synergetic team to bestow a diverse mental fitness curriculum.
WAGS All Female C License
New Jersey Youth Soccer and WAGS recently hosted the in-person week for an All-Female National C License Course, which consisted of two full days and two half-days of small group activities and individual field work. Coach candidates from 11 different states across the country are participating in this year’s course.
2024 WAGS Tournament Recap
Presented by WAGS the Rael Vodicka Tournament is one of the top all girls events in the nation. Since 1975, this annual tournament brings teams from all across the United States and Canada to play in U9 to U19 brackets.
WAGS Legacy
WAGS also honors the many women who have continued to follow their love for the beautiful game. Whether they played in WAGS Tournament growing up, or are looking for a new chance to compete. We were proud to have offered the WAGS Legacy Division for the third year during our 2024 WAGS Tournament.
WAGS Referee Mentor Program
The WAGS Tournament was proud to host the Referee Mentor Program at this year’s event! Referee Mentors were in attendance to oversee the referees throughout the weekend. They provided feedback to the referees during halftime and at the end of their scheduled matches.
The ref mentor program at the WAGS Tournament adds a unique aspect to our goal of improving the quantity and quality of female referees. The female referees in attendance will be able to relate to the female athletes on a distinct and knowledgeable level. We are proud to support the Referee Mentor Program and their mission of helping all referees grow and improve. Supporting the future.
Mentor Tori Penso with WAGS Tournament Mentees
2024 NCAA Women’s College Cup Referee Seminar brought to you by NISOA! Commit to being a Game ChangHER!
WAGS is a proud sponsor
The Seminar includes matches, large format keynote presentations, and small sided discussions about tough topics facing our sport and some field sessions where you can show your stuff. Referees get to network with other officials, learn and grow!
WAGS, US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and US Soccer Debut All-Female Club
Technical Leadership Pathway Together
Together, the four are hosting the first-ever all-female entry-level course for the Club Technical Leadership Pathway (CTL1). The CTL1, formerly known as the Director of Coaching License course, is a course that helps club technical leaders understand their role connected to their club’s mission, values and principles, to begin developing competencies as technical leaders.
The first course, which is blended with in-person and virtual components, begins January 22, 2025, and progresses through the end of April. The in-person portion will be held at the U.S. Olympic Performance Center on the campus of UNC Charlotte in North Carolina from January 30-February 2.
USC Women’s Committee and WAGS to Host 2nd Annual Childcare Programming at the Convention in January 2025
We are proud to announce once again at the 2025 Convention WAGS (Women and Girls in Soccer), a dedicated 501(c)(3) charitable organization and United Soccer Coaches #MomsWhoCoach Initiative will offer attendees complimentary access to childcare services, ensuring a more inclusive and accessible event for all participants.
WAGS REFLECTIONS
BY
ADELE DOLANSKY
Early on in 1993, it had been announced by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) that women’s soccer would be added to the games, but only as an exhibition sport for the upcoming 1996 Olympic Games to be held in Atlanta, Georgia.
Later, in September of that year, the United States Congress passed a unanimous resolution to elevate women’s soccer to the position of medal sport, fully incorporating them into the games. With the help of then U.S. Representative of Virginia Jim Moran, and then U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, WAGS, VYSA and all the organization’s supporters were able to express their desire to see women’s soccer represented at an Olympic medal level.
But that didn’t mean our fight was over. We had the attention of Congress, but while we had that attention, we needed to make sure our voices were loud and emphatic.
Jim Cromwell—father of WAGS alumni Amanda Cromwell, who had played on the 1991 World Cup team—served as our congressional liaison. With him on our side, we at WAGS began a grassroots campaign. We lobbied for the women’s game and launched the drive to make women’s soccer an Olympic medal sport.
Adele Dolansky
Senator DeConcini kicked off our efforts, advertising our organization as the “World’s Largest Annual Girls’ Soccer Tournament.” WAGS then held a press conference, featuring an ad hoc committee including Women’s World Champion Coach Anson Dorrance, Assistant Coach Lauren Gregg, representatives from the Women’s Soccer Foundation, Women’s Olympic Sports in ’96, and myself as the acting VYSA and WAGS President. Rep. Moran and Senator DeConcini also attended, as well as other sponsors like the USASA, Georgia Amateur Soccer Association and the Georgia State Soccer Association.
Even then-governor of Arkansas, future president Bill Clinton, aided our cause. In a statement sent to the press conference, he showed his support for WAGS and women’s soccer:
“…I certainly hope you succeed in your efforts to establish women’s soccer as a medal sport in Atlanta. Our world champion women should have the opportunity to come out on top again.”
To garner legislative action and publicity to our cause, the committee drafted an official petition to be signed and sent to Leroy Walker, then-president of the USOC, and William Payne, president and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. And we worked our butts off to get that petition signed.
Whenever a team registered for the WAGS Tournament, they would be given a packet of petitions addressed to Leroy Walker. I still remember the exact wording:
“Women’s soccer has met the requirements for inclusion into the 1996 Olympics. Sixty four nations on six continents now have women’s national teams, and the second Women’s World Championship will be played in 1995. Passed by unanimous consent Senate Concurrent Resolution 127, sponsored by U.S. Rep James Moran and Senator DeConcini, conveyed the Sense of Congress that women’s soccer should be a Medal Sport in the 1996 Olympic games. This sets the stage for the United States, the host nation to initiate fairness and increased opportunity for women athletes in the Olympics.
Therefore, we the undersigned request the USOC and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to follow the lead of Congress in adopting a Can-Do-Attitude, and approve the request of Alan Rothenberg, U.S. Soccer President, that women’s soccer be a Medal Sport in 1996.”
Underneath that statement were 25 lines for signatures, printed names, addresses, cities, states and zip codes. We encouraged each team to take their petitions home with them after the tournament and distribute them to every other team in their club. This resulted in a surge of petitions coming in, and I am pleased to say that Leroy Walker found himself up to his eyeballs in them!
I can never forget the day I received a letter from him telling me I could stop—that our lobbying was a success. Women’s soccer would indeed become a medal sport for the 1996 Olympic Games, and what a great day it was.
It goes without saying that WAGS and its tournament played a crucial role in securing women’s soccer as a medal sport. With our united passion, and a lot of paperwork, we were able to sway the minds of not only the Olympic committee, but the minds of congress. It was an honor then to play a part in supporting the women’s game, and it remains an honor today.
And, of course, it’s all made even sweeter knowing that the U.S. Women’s National Team would be the ones to take the first ever gold for a women’s Olympic soccer event.
When I reflect back on my tenure as President of WAGS, I do so with great pride.
During my 20 years, I accomplished so much that I would never have been able to do alone. Our league had so many wonderful hard-working dedicated volunteers, united by one goal: to ensure their daughters had an organized, competitive all-girls soccer league to play in.
Together, we took on many obstacles: sexism, succession crises and government stonewalling to name a few. But we met those hardships head on, with an undeniable fighting spirit. We were a league of two state associations, with outstanding players who deserved the same opportunity as the boys, and by God, were we going to fight for them. We refused to take no for an answer. We gave everything we had to secure those opportunities, and for that, I feel an immense sense of gratitude towards every single person who fought alongside me.
WAGS inarguably set the precedent for soccer tournaments going forward. With the acquisition of college coach programs, and our renowned showcase tournaments, we changed the game—both for the girls on the field and for the entire country. We were able to show every parent, every doubter, and every congressman, just how amazing girls’ soccer could be.
How could I not look back on those days with pride?
The dream that Rael, Mavis and I shared together—of girls’ soccer blossoming—created a league that changed the history of women’s soccer in America. No matter how much time passes, or how much the game changes, I will always be honored to have played a part in that process.
Our Mission is to empower Women to reach their goals in soccer. We strive to elevate and make women feel valued. Our WAGS Tournament has been serving women since 1975 and is our only funding source that makes it all possible.
We’d love to hear from you!
