‘If you build it, they will come’

Western Colorado University professor Kanae Haneishi ran around Meadow’s Park with her U10 soccer team on Oct. 10. The fallen cottonwood leaves marked the end of the season, and players celebrated a hard-fought year of growth and newfound skills.

For Haneishi, youth coaching is another addition to her already extensive soccer career. The former Japanese National Team player reached the pinnacle of the women’s game. But now, she’s traded in her boots for a whistle, and has been pivotal in growing the girls soccer program in the Gunnison Valley.

A year ago, girls soccer was practically nonexistent in the South Valley. Club players either competed with boys in Gunnison, or trekked up to Crested Butte multiple times a week for practice. But after Haneishi pitched her idea to Wendy Buckhanan at the Gunnison Rec Center, and volunteered to coach, a U10-U12 mixed team was born. Now, one year later, the program has ballooned into three teams with almost 40 players combined, and is growing at an exponential rate.

“It was a, ‘If you build it, they will come’ moment,” said U15 coach Jodi Lindner. “It’s been really cool to see the growth of soccer in general, but also for the girls who have been playing with boys to play with us for the first time.”

When Haneishi moved to Gunnison as an exercise and sports science professor at Western, soccer was a key factor that connected her to new communities. She had coached for the Mount Holyoke College women’s team in Massachusetts for 13 years. Prior to coaching, she captained the New York Magic semi-professional team, and won a silver medal with the Japanese National Team at the 2003 World University Games.

But to her surprise, Gunnison seemed barren of women’s soccer. Outside of the Mountaineers women’s team, Gunnison lacked a youth pipeline, and any form of girls club soccer. With seemingly low interest, Haneishi stepped out on a limb, and took a chance on the girls program.

In the first season, the U10-U12 mixed team relied on scrimmages to improve skills, such as passing and shooting technique. More players continued to sign up, parents volunteered to coach and the program blossomed into three, age-assigned teams this fall.

In 2024, the U10 and U12 teams competed in the local league, while Lindner’s U15 team scrimmaged against Crested Butte and Montrose. Girls with little soccer experience continued to sign up for the first time, and all three teams rostered between 12 and 15 players. Now Lindner and Haneishi are hopeful of founding older teams, and maybe even a Gunnison High School team down the road.

For Haneishi, soccer has always been a tool to inspire the next generation of girls in athletics.

“We needed to create a safe space for girls to grow and learn,” she said. “It didn’t have to be through soccer, but my background is in the sport, and I’ve loved using soccer as a vehicle to empower girls.”

(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@gunnisontimes.com.)