Athletes, coaches and fans are feeling the impact of the USL W League’s partnership with Katie’s Save, a philanthropic foundation centered on providing actionable mental health support for student-athletes. 

Gina and Steve Meyer founded Katie’s Save in honor of their daughter Katie, who was a star goalkeeper for the Stanford women’s soccer team. Since 2022, the foundation has worked towards passing Katie Meyer’s Law (AB 1575) nationwide, which would allow students to have a trusted advocate in times of need. The California State Senate voted 39-0 to pass the law in August, with the next step being a concurrence vote in the Assembly before reaching Governor Gavin Newsom.  

The collaboration between the USL W League and Katie’s Save, joined by W League club Oakland Soul, hosted mental health focused events from June 29-30. The weekend included a panel for athletes at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Training Facility and the “Name Your Advocate Game” between the Oakland Soul and San Francisco Glens FC. 

Several guests spoke at the mental health panel, including USL Vice President of Corporate Wellness and Safeguarding Betsy Cutler, Oakland Roots and Soul SC’s Mental Health Performance Coach Lisa Bonta-Sumii, and the Meyers. Cutler said her main focuses were educating attendees on mental health, showing them skills and giving them explanations as to why they help. 

“I could see light bulbs literally going off in [the athletes’] heads,” Cutler said. “And I think it was so impactful because the Meyers ended by telling every single female athlete in there that ‘You are of value. Don't ever think that you will not be missed.’” 

Bonta-Sumii also showed skills and techniques to center oneself by demonstrating and guiding them through meditation, box breathing, and imagery practice.  

“It was really fantastic to see the players be like ‘Whoa. I had no idea that something as simple as that could be so helpful,’” Bonta-Sumii said. 

The following day, the Bay Area rivals faced off in the sold out “Name Your Advocate Game”, which included mental health information booths in the stadium for fans to visit. During halftime, the Meyers were presented with jerseys from both teams and Bonta-Sumii gave a speech sharing more mental health tips with the crowd.  

Bonta-Sumii finished by emphasizing that athletes are more than their sports. She went on to explain that although the players are putting on a good game for the supporters, they also have their own lives and stressors they are dealing with off the field. 

Cutler said the overall mission of the partnership is for every athlete to understand that the USL is invested in their well-being. The new Corporate Wellness and Safeguarding department is designed to provide more resources and support for those athletes. 

“The USL’s overarching goal is that we want every single athlete in our ecosystem to know there is a wellness person at the league office that is there to support them,” Cutler said. 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers services to talk to a skilled counselor. If you are feeling distressed and need to talk to a counselor, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).