Earn Your Right to Play

Last fall, the University of Portland (the greatest university on the planet :) threw a celebration for the 10-year anniversary of our 2002 NCAA National Championship winning team.

A consistent theme that we were constantly reminded of throughout the weekend's festivities and during speeches by former players, coaches and administration was our coach Clive's philosophy of "Earn Your Right to Play". 

Clive's motto was also the inspiration and anchor of my article about the history and culture behind the University of Portland Pilots women's soccer program in the first-ever print version of Our Game Magazine. If you're a high school player, it will give some insight into things to think about as you decide on what program to choose to take you to the next level, whether it's UP or elsewhere. If you can, subscribe to the magazine and get your global soccer news and stories all year long. 

Here's a sneak peek...

Earn Your Right To Play: The Portland Pilot Way

The University of Portland women’s soccer team has been winning games with frightening consistency ever since coach Clive Charles was leading the Pilots in the early 1990's. Today the home of the Pilots is one of the most feared college stadiums in women’s soccer, with sell-out crowds of extreme fans. The small private college program punches well above its weight as one of just three programs to have won multiple NCAA Division I titles. The program had three alumni win medals in last summer’s 2012 London Olympics and will feature professionals in the upcoming National Women’s Soccer League.

The evolution of the Pilots soccer program is a beautiful story.  A rich story that begins in the 1980’s and, like every good story, it has powerful characters and key moments that came to define the program. 

(Subscribe at Our Game Magazine to keep reading!)