The Curse And The Fellowship

Jules Myers, USA

Goal Click and Women in Soccer have teamed up to tell stories of soccer in the United States from the perspective of women making their mark, from cheering in the stands to working in the soccer industry. Women in Soccer is a new network and growing community connecting women and allies in the world of soccer.

Jules Myers is the Game Day Producer and Community Experience Manager for New Mexico United in the USL Championship. She told us about the impact the team has made on the state of New Mexico, the role of the supporters’ section The Curse on match days, and the importance of the sport industry becoming a more inclusive and diverse space.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?

My name is Jules Myers. I am the Game Day Producer and Community Experience Manager for New Mexico United. My soccer life is a relatively new one, but one that I love and cherish all the same. One year ago, I saw a posting for the New Mexico United Diversity Fellowship on Facebook, and I knew that this was the perfect step toward my goals within professional sports. 

The fellowship was the first of its kind within the USL, designed to help those under-represented in the sports world get their foot in the door. I applied for the fellowship with very little soccer knowledge (outside of the movie Bend It Like Beckham) but with the determination to prove that I could provide something to a soccer team. 

The fellowship was a six-month intensive that took me behind the scenes of the New Mexico United front office. During those six months I was able to shadow every department within the office and work my first professional sporting events. When the fellowship came to an end, I was offered a full-time position with the club, and the rest is history. 

Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?

The photos are from my first match day as an official New Mexico United employee. They were taken at Isotopes Park, known as The Lab to New Mexico United fans. The photos primarily highlight our supporters’ section The Curse, who took me in with open arms from the beginning of the Fellowship. They were taken on July 12th on our inaugural Monday Night Football match against the Charleston Battery.

What is your favourite photo?

The mariachi group encapsulates what New Mexico United does, combining art and sport and celebrating the culture that New Mexico holds so dear. This group played on field at The Lab in front of 6,000 United Fans during pre-game and created a Monday Night Football theme for the match that was a beautiful twist on a tune that most Americans can identify.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

New Mexico United was only in its second season as a club when the pandemic hit the United States. Within the USA, covid-19 safety protocols varied drastically, with New Mexico having one of the most stringent set of restrictions in the nation. New Mexico United was unable to host a single home match during its 2020 season, so we played the entirety of our season on the road. 

Through these pictures I wanted to capture the joy and excitement of having our team back at home and playing in front of fans. Our supporters could have easily given up on the team, figuring a start-up club wouldn’t make it through the pandemic, but throughout 2020 the supporters were never more than six feet away. Our supporters packed care packages for players on the road, they hung New Mexico United banners over freeway overpasses for the team to see while traveling, they donated lost season ticket funds to our charitable organization that runs alongside the club. They did everything they could to support the club and the players while facing unprecedented times themselves.

Our first home game of the 2021 season was played on May 15th 2021, a full 575 days after our last home game pre-pandemic. We opened under capacity restrictions, limiting the stadium to 33% of our normal seating, but damn if that 33% wasn’t the mightiest you’ve ever seen. 

Are there any good stories connected with the photos?

A story I inadvertently told within these photos is my professional progress within the club and front office. These photos were taken on my first official day as a New Mexico United employee, my job title being Assistant Game Day & Events Coordinator. I spent much of my time down on the field coordinating pre-game elements during this time). Since these photos were taken, so much has changed for me.

During our last match of the season, I did a trial run producing my first in-stadium broadcast from the Press Booth. I am now the Game Day Producer & Community Experience Manager for New Mexico United and spend the majority of my game-day in the press booth. When I took the photo from the press booth it was the first time I had ever been in there. In fact, I snuck in and quickly took this before anyone else was in the stadium for the day. I had no idea then that the press booth would become my home away from home in just a few months’ time. 

How has Covid-19 affected soccer in your community?

Covid-19 had a huge effect on the soccer community in New Mexico, as it did all over the world. In New Mexico all non-essential businesses were closed or at very limited capacity for months, and a mandatory 14-day quarantine was put into place for any person visiting or returning to New Mexico from out-of-state. 

These mandates, while necessary to look after public health, put huge strains on the soccer community.  New Mexico United was not permitted to host any home games in the 2020 season, high school soccer teams were barred from playing as students adjusted to online learning from home, and local soccer complexes closed their doors. Throughout the pandemic New Mexico United has been tasked with putting on events in a safe way for staff, players, and fans while following state mandates, and I believe we are stronger for it.

What are the opportunities for women in soccer in the USA, on and off the field?

When it comes to soccer It's no secret that the sport can often become a boys-only-club, with front offices skewing majority white male dominated. I was acutely aware of this when hoping to get into the sports world, aware that I would have to work twice as hard for the same opportunities until the Diversity Fellowship presented itself to me. 

One of the things I love most about New Mexico United is the opportunities they are giving to those in our community who would otherwise never get them. Currently, between the top three men’s soccer leagues in the United States, (MLS, USL, and USL League One), out of 73 teams only 17 coaches and 6 presidents are people of color. There are no female head coaches in any of these leagues. In the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), only 22% of head coaches and team presidents are women, and of their nine teams, only one coach and one president are people of color. Opportunities for women and people of color are few and far between, and often pay less for equal work to white male counterparts. 

The Diversity Fellowship was a direct action taken to create change starting in the front office and on the coaching staff within New Mexico United. I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to have been part of the inaugural class of the fellowship, and to be part of a team that strives to make the sports world a more inclusive place.

What does football mean to you and your community?

Football to me means hope, it means pride in my state, and community I didn’t know I could have. New Mexico has struggled for many years, ranking worst in the nation for education, and among the highest when it comes to crime. New Mexican young adults often move to bordering states, citing that there is no opportunity here, no room to grow or experience new things. 

I was starting to feel this way as well after living in Albuquerque for 28 years, until New Mexico United was formed. It seemed to be an overnight transformation for our state, you couldn’t turn your head without seeing a United shield on a t-shirt or car bumper. There was no other way to spend your weekend than at a United tailgate and game. The team became the state’s pride and joy, it became a symbol of hope and above all else, it proved that New Mexico deserves to have new and exciting things. 

What are your ambitions?

My ambitions are to keep growing professionally and personally alongside my club while making the sports world a more inclusive and safe space. I am so grateful for the opportunities that were afforded to me by New Mexico United, and I look forward to creating those opportunities for others.

Series edited by Emma Walley.