Recently making her transition from the pitch to the front office, Darian Jenkins joins the Urban Pitch Podcast to discuss her role with Gotham FC, the growth of the NWSL, and her journey through professional soccer.
Many pro athletes are faced with a conundrum upon retiring: What next? For Darian Jenkins, the prospect of having to find a new career came sooner than expected — but so did the new career itself.
Various leg injuries forced her to retire from her eight-year pro soccer career at 28 years old, however Jenkins already had an idea of what was coming next. Coaching — the logical next step for many former pros — was not the role for her, but she had always figured that she’d be cut out for a job in the front office of a sports franchise. She just didn’t know how fast she’d end up in one.
Coming off of a recent rebrand and continuing to change its image and perception amongst the league, Gotham FC has made it a point to have a women-led executive team, and appointed Jenkins as chief of staff in March, a mere two months after announcing her retirement.
She joins the Urban Pitch Podcast to discuss what exactly her role entails, how her preparation put her in a position to accept the role, and what her and the club are working on to continue the growth of the NWSL.
You can watch the entire podcast on YouTube, or listen to the audio on streaming services including Apple and Spotify.
