Saskia Webber and The Union Sports App: A Platform Dedicated to Soccer

Saskia Webber is a legend in the world of women’s soccer. Women’s World Cup Champion, U.S. Olympian, part-owner of the new Angel City FC… The list goes on. 

The former USWNT goalkeeper is currently sharing her expertise as a D1 women’s soccer coach but has recently set her sights on a new method of coaching: through social media. 

I had a chance to chat with Webber about her latest endeavor, The Union Sports, and get the inside scoop on how the not-for-profit social platform came about and her hopes for it. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Webber and her fellow “Inside the 18” podcast co-hosts Michael Magid, and Omar Zeeni found themselves with more time to dedicate to the show and reflect on all things soccer. It was then that they realized there was a lack of engagement, education, and entertainment within the soccer world that was accessible to everyone alike. 

“If you Google ‘goalkeeping training,’ basically whoever has the most hits comes up first,” she stated. “We wanted to make a space where everybody out there, from youth players to coaches and parents, could find the quality they’re looking for to help advance their soccer careers, help their child, and put together training programs if you’re a coach.” 

Thus, Webber and her partners decided to create The Union Sports, a new and unique social media platform dedicated to soccer. 

The Union Sports, which is available through the website and as a free app, is unlike any other soccer concept out there. Players, coaches, and parents can use the platform to search for training videos, ask questions, listen to podcasts, and even submit their own content. 

“It’s a one-stop-shop where people can find the best of the best,” she said. 

The platform began with a focus on goalkeeping and has since grown to encompass all positions. In addition, the material is split by position, and users can further tailor the app to only see the content they want. 

Beyond providing a place to find quality content, Webber said it was very important to the group that the platform reach users in underserved communities around the world. To achieve this, content on The Union Sports is currently available in 12 different languages. A Google translate feature is available, but content can also be uploaded in any language.

“To have content that is in the language they can understand, that was really important to us,” she said. “It’s not just visual, they can read it and understand all the coaches and everything, and that’s paramount. Not everybody can do everything in English.” 

The team especially wanted to give women a chance to have a voice in the soccer world. 

“When you go and try to find training videos, it’s all men,” Webber said. “We wanted to create a space where women were being highlighted and equal to their male counterparts.”

While The Union Sports does have content for and by both men and women, the intention is for users to select what is most beneficial to them. 

“Everyone can find what they need on the platform and identify with who they need to identify with,” Webber stated.  

One of the best aspects of the platform is the ability for users to post their own content. For example, players can upload videos of themselves practicing, and coaches from across the world can keep up with their progress. Similarly, coaches can use the platform to receive more visibility and promote their training material that might otherwise not be seen. 

The Union Sports has an “Engagement” forum where players can post questions and receive feedback from coaches worldwide they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to connect with. This type of communication is unmatched and one of the greatest parts of the platform. 

“To be able to talk to the goalkeeper coach that’s in England that you’d never have thought you’d have contact with, now you can meet these people and play in front of them,” Webber said about the Engagement forum. “To be seen on the Union, you never know, you might get a call from someone in France.” 

Now the goalkeeping coach for USC, Webber encourages current and former athletes she has worked with to utilize the platform. She believes that athletes who want to improve their game or even play professionally can highly benefit from what it offers. 

It has taken two years to get The Union Sports up and running, and there is still more to be added, including e-courses. Known and trusted content creators will create e-courses, but users also can submit their videos for review. Webber and her partners believe in offering high-quality courses and hold the platform to a high standard. 

Webber, the first female soccer player to be inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame, feels this concept would have been a total game-changer for her during her playing days. 

“Just being able to pull up my app and do a session, even just by myself with a ball,” she said, “to have access to that at the snap of a finger would have been incredible.” 

Webber said she is proud of her team’s work and sees it as a true labor of love. She believes the possibilities for the platform are endless. 

Check out The Union Sports online at TheUnionSports.com or download the app The Union Community in your app store. 

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