LIFELONG SUPPORTER OF WOMEN’S SOCCER: Jerry Zanelli Earns Recognition As The Man Behind Women’s Amateur Soccer
Recognizing the outstanding leaders in soccer — the new feature on the Most Influential People in Soccer Today — special focus on Jerry Zanelli.
Champion of the underdog: Jerry Zanelli is a long time supporter of women’s soccer and the founder of the largest national women’s soccer league in the world. His undying belief in equality is reinforced with his every breath. To Zanelli, a women’s right to play soccer should never be in question and should be equally supported, especially as he points out, “If the USA wants to recognize winners, U.S. Soccer should swap out the money they support the men’s team with and use it to support the women. Maybe then the men would start winning.” Never before has women’s soccer been in the limelight as often and Zanelli thinks the time is right for change. Here is a bit of background on the man who has spent a lifetime supporting the women’s game.
Women’s Soccer News: When you think of the millions of women who lace up their cleats and go out to play soccer in amateur soccer games all across America, you should think of Jerry Zanelli – the man who refocused his political lobbyist talents on his passion for growing the women’s game in the USA.
When one looks at the tangled roots of women’s soccer, the twisted tapestry reflects the corrosive failed attempts of the past as well as the dedicated supported by those who would not let the women’s game fail. One of the founding pillars of women’s soccer is Zanelli whose relentless pursuit for the female side of the world’s favorite sport has earned him international recognition. What started as a short volunteer stint as a girls coach in 1971 turned into a lifelong love affair championing women’s soccer.
Now on firmer footing then ever, it is hard to believe that women’s soccer was once an unregulated sport until the 1960s — the decade that changed the world also impacted women’s soccer and inspired a new generation of female soccer lovers who tied their cleats and ran on to the soccer fields.
FIFA stepped up with the first Women’s World Championship in 1991 with only 12 countries competing. The games were hosted in China and the USA emerged as FIFA Women’s World Cup champions.
Just to keep perspective on the inequality of men and women’s soccer game, the FIFA Men’s World Cup kicked off more than sixty years earlier, in 1930. When the games were hosted in the USA in 1994, there was a massive attendance of more than 3.5 million people.
While it has taken a few decades to increase awareness of the women’s side, our U.S. Women’s National Team set the television ratings record during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final against Japan. The most watched soccer match in U.S. history — with nearly 23 million viewers — was a women’s soccer game.
Flashing back to the rocky road of women’s soccer, one has to give a nod to the 1972’s Title IX Legislation which is the reason women’s sports finally began to thrive on college campuses. Fast forward to today, the right to dream of growing up and becoming a world soccer champion seems an unalienable right for little girls. Just like the pursuit of happiness, the opportunity to succeed on the soccer field should not be based on a person’s sex – but, in reality, this assumptive truth is thanks to the unrelenting efforts of many people.
Zanelli has consistently been the strongest of advocates of the women’s game on all levels. His constant, passionate dedication to growing the women’s game defines unrelenting and never ending support. As the founder of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) — the largest women’s soccer league in the world with over 100 teams competing — Zanelli’s unyielding support of, as well as his success for the women’s game has made him an unstoppable force.
The WPSL is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). A stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players, the WPSL has been providing the highest level of women’s premier soccer and giving women of all levels the opportunity to play since 1998.
One of the true founding pillars of women’s soccer in America, Zanelli deserves our respect and admiration.
Like so many others, Zanelli too became involved in soccer when his kids were little. A career working in politics and legislative issues with policy-makers throughout California may have prepared Zanelli for the challenges in the women’s game — but were not what he thought were required when he first started coaching his child’s soccer team.
As a man who was used to making things happen, what daunted others only rallies Zanelli.
Zanelli started coaching girls youth soccer for the River City Rowdies and quickly led the team to the CYSA State Championship.
The California Storm — the team Zanelli founded in 1989 — has been graced with many players on their road to the professional level. U.S. Women’s National Team stars Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy were coached by Zanelli, well as international stars such as Sissi. And, the list of Zanelli’s players spans the spectrum of decades — he has even coached America’s current soccer darling Alex Morgan.
Zanelli has always been quick to lend a hand in support of a project he believes will help grow the women’s side of the game. A panelist for the power-packed Women In Soccer symposium last December in San Diego, Zanelli spoke on the inequalities of the game to a packed room.
SoccerToday’s caught up with Zanelli recently for an exclusive interview with the man who is Mr. Amateur Women’s Soccer. With incendiary views and the consistent strength of tungsten, Zanelli is one of the fundamental forces making soccer available to women all across our country.
Ranking as the country with the #1 women’s soccer team on the planet and looking to add this year to our 4 Olympic Gold medals, it is sometimes hard to see through the well-deserved exuberance and examine the struggles that still linger in the women’s game, but Zanelli does not believe we can let up the struggle to succeed.
A new editorial series on the WPSL kicks off this month with an interview with Zanelli. Here is a quick peek:
Diane Scavuzzo: What do you think U.S. Soccer needs to do to help Women’s soccer be more successful in the USA?
Jerry Zanelli: U.S. Soccer needs to recognize the Women’s Premier Soccer League — U.S. Soccer has done nothing to support the WPSL and, I think that is actually one of the reasons for our success — They have left us alone.
Photography Credit: Patricia Giobetti, Diane Scavuzzo and WPSL
