Beach Soccer USWNT: Captain Ali Hall on Growing the Game
Growing up, youth soccer players might view their path to professional soccer as narrow, but there is, in fact, not just one route. Recently, the Beach USWNT has been growing in success and popularity. In an interview with GSN, Ali Hall, a current player and captain on the team, was able to share her experience. Hall shows why professional beach soccer matters to her and why it might be the right path for you.
A rising star on the sand ⭐️🏖️
Ali Hall is our first U.S. Soccer Beach Female Player of the Year! >> https://t.co/6jJOWkNpTT pic.twitter.com/byY9g3mhYi
— U.S. Soccer Extended National Teams (@ussoccer_ENT) December 17, 2021
Get To Know Ali Hall
Hall, a defender for the Beach USWNT, was born in Illinois, where she grew up playing for Eclipse Select. She attended the University of Tennessee and later played with the Honduras National Team. Hall, unfortunately, became injured in a car accident and was out for six months. During this time of recovery, she was devastated and had no idea how this would affect her soccer career.
Hall was then introduced to beach soccer. She had heard that there was a men’s beach team and knew that this could be her second chance. Since then, Hall has led the women’s beach team internationally to tournaments. Along with that, she has also won the U.S. Soccer Beach Player of the Year twice.
Beach Soccer
If you are unfamiliar with the rules of beach soccer, here is a rundown. It is just like regular soccer, except that the subbing is on the fly, and there are only five players on the field at a time. Additionally, the field is 35 to 37 meters long, and there are three periods of twelve minutes during the game.
Growing The Sport
Hall has shared that as the sport of beach soccer is growing, she is hoping to pioneer a sport within a sport. There is not much media surrounding beach soccer, which makes it difficult to spread the word about upcoming tournaments and games. While the men’s beach team has been around for a while, the women’s team is just beginning to blossom.
This means their pay is minimal, and their sponsors are small. Yet, this doesn’t stop them from finding other options. Hall shared that the women’s team uses summer cups to raise money to fund everything they do. She is determined that they will one day have their own World Cup along with participating in the Olympic Games.
🏖 ⚽️ #USbeachWNT Gameday 👊
USA 🇺🇸 vs 🇦🇷 ARG
⏰ 5:30pm ET / 2:30pm PT
💻 Live: https://t.co/1qGbBtB5zyℹ️ El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup pic.twitter.com/d600TEHgVa
— U.S. Soccer Extended National Teams (@ussoccer_ENT) April 14, 2022
Hall continues to expand the options for playing professional soccer by sharing her experiences. Every day the popularity and passion for beach soccer increases. Ali Hall’s determination to make the Beach USWNT as successful as it can be is proving to pay off. Recently, the team qualified for the 2023 World Beach Games, so look out for them in Bali, 2023!
Training for beach soccer is a whole different animal than grass or turf. If you’ve ever tried to play it, you know the level of endurance this takes. To mix it up and have some fun, Ali Hall loves to use the Spotkick game, which helps with agility and finesse on the challenging sand terrain. It’s easy to set up on the beach–or anywhere–to get in some touches!
Featured image via @ussoccer_ent on Instagram
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