Mana Shim, a former National Women’s Soccer League and the U.S. under-23 national team player, will chair the U.S. Soccer Federation’s taskforce to prevent the abuse and harassment of women that was found to be systemic in the sport.
The USSF created a participant safety taskforce following a report issued Oct. 3 by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates.
“There’s still so much that needs to be done when it comes to changing the culture of soccer in this country,” Shim said in a statement on Monday. “I believe we have an opportunity in this moment to protect players and set a new standard for all sports. We don’t have any time to waste.”
Five of 10 coaches in the NWSL in 2021 were fired or stepped down amid allegations of misconduct, and NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned.
“Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players,” Yates wrote.
“For far too long, leaders across the soccer ecosystem — including at U.S. Soccer — have not taken responsibility for protecting players,” Shim said.
“I believe in the capacity for change. As leader of the taskforce, I am committed to ensuring not only that Yates’s recommendations are implemented, but that we push beyond them. We need to find the root causes of our sport’s systemic failures and take action at every level — from the youth game to the professional game.”
Shim, 31, was a midfielder for the Portland Thorns (2013-17) and Houston Dash (2018-19) and also played for Japan’s Iga Kunoichi in 2015 and Sweden’s Vaxjo in 2017. She made four appearances for the U.S. U23 team in 2012.
Yates recommended disclosure of termination and discipline by teams to the USSF and the NWSL, a database of complaints and findings, a public listing of discipline, the elimination of nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements and annual recertification of coaches and attestation to the accuracy of background information.
