Santa Barbara SC is excited to be introducing Macie Berlin in a new and innovative role at the Club. As the Female Relations Director at Santa Barbara SC, Berlin will be responsible for over seeing the hollistic well being of our female athletes especially at the High School ages.
Berlin will step into her role by meeting with each high school aged player and team within the club at least once per season in order to discuss soccer development and act as a support system for soccer and non-soccer related goals. Macie will focus on each individual’s personal development, including physical, social, and emotional challenges as well as provide a platform for the girls to feel empowered by one another and form strong relationships together.
Berlin has been a guidance counselor at San Marcos High School for a number of years and coaches the Girls Varsity team there also. Macie’s particular passion is to help and support at risk teens which has manifested itself in her becoming the Executive Director and Founder of HEEAL www.heealsb.org whose mission is to seek, fund, and promote organizations that offer exercise, energy, and art programs as healing therapies.
Santa Barbara SC President Dave Odell, who has two daughters in the club said “I am excited to see the club adopt this innovative initiative to help support the female athletes in our Club. It will mean more attention and focus on our female players and teams and is another positive step forward for the girls side of our club that the Santa Barbara SC Board is in full support of.”
Other initiatives that Macie will take incorporate in her new role include providing the girls and parents with informative and motivational resources.
Macie will also be organizing College Days at Westmont and UCSB that will see the High School Age players at Santa Barbara SC experience a day in the life of a college soccer athlete from studying in class to training on the field.
Macie will also work with the teams coaches to help educate them on how to connect with college coaches on behalf of the players and how to organize campus visits for their teams while on the road for away games.
Club Director Billy Gallagher said “As an organization, and with the support of the local college coaches at Westmont and UCSB, we recognize that the development pathway of a Female soccer player is different from that of a Male soccer athlete, especially during the teenage years. We are excited that our female athletes will have a female role model they can can relate to and who can understand their needs and goals in order to help them meet those needs and goals. Macie has been a High School and College soccer player as well as a College and Club coach. This combined with her other experiences make her the perfect candidate for the position.”
Macies’ new responsibilities will be in addition to her Administrative duties at the Club. Macie has relinquished her club coaching role in order to make make time for something she is very excited about.
