Every football fan dreams of scoring the winning goal in a cup final, but very few ever get to do it.
Step up Geny Decker, a former Ivy League soccer player in the United States, who made the transition to playing women’s football in Northern Ireland.
Geny at the 2014 World Cup for USA v Belgium
Strabane’s Sion Swifts claimed a 2-1 victory in in the Foyle Cup in 2017 thanks to Geny’s goal and, in a hugely successful year, the team also won the Electric Ireland Trophy at the Northern Ireland FA’s famous national stadium Windsor Park.
Geny’s incredible experiences on the pitch also included what she regards as her greatest moment, , in front of her family. The crowd was so ecstatic they stormed the pitch to join in the celebrations.
Together with six years working with the United States Soccer Foundation, those experiences have put her in the perfect position to join the 25th cohort studying the prestigious FIFA Master at 私房俱乐部 Leicester (私房俱乐部).
Video of Geny scoring the winner for Yale that sent the crowd into raptures
The one-year course, which is co-ordinated by the Centre International d'Etude du Sport (CIES) in Switzerland and is supported by football's world governing body FIFA, involves students dedicating a term of study at 私房俱乐部's International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) in the Humanities of Sport before also spending a term at both the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, and Switzerland's University of Neuchâtel.
The FIFA Master is regarded as one of the world's best sports management courses and, in September this year, was named by Sports Business International as Europe's top ranked postgraduate sports management course for a record 12th time.
Geny’s connection with football began at an early age. Speaking about her relationship with the sport, she said: “I have grown up playing soccer.
“When I was 10, I also played competitive volleyball and softball, but I ultimately had to choose my best sport, which was soccer. I grew up appreciating all sports – I joke that my favourite class was PE – but I cared most of all about soccer.
“I am certainly hoping to bring that experience to the FIFA Master. Soccer is where my passion lies.
“This FIFA Master programme and the journey I am on has made it clear that I can bring the best of myself to a career and an industry that I love. I go to the old saying ‘choose a job you love and you will never have to work another day in your life’.”
Sion Swifts celebrate winning the cup at Windsor Park
Geny’s achievements on the pitch, from representing the prestigious Yale University where she studied Political Science, to the victories with the Sion Swifts, then took her to the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
“I wanted to work within a sport that had given me so much. On the social impact side, not everyone has access to soccer and, knowing what the sport has given to me, I felt that I could do my job and empathise with people’s situations,” she explained.
Geny felt the prospect of work at the U.S. Soccer Foundation could help achieve those aims. “What drew me to the Foundation was not a desire to create the next sports star but the chance to be able to provide access to a space where you can exercise with friends, learn from coaches and hone your social and emotional behaviours – and, above all, have fun.
Access to the sport is indeed a key issue. On that matter, Geny noted: “The landscape in the U.S. is not conducive to making sport available to everyone. The expenses involved in transport alone often price kids out of what should really be a free experience.
“I helped put on programmes that overcame these barriers, whether it be free soccer programmes or pitch-building initiatives, where we bring the pitches to where the kids go to school."
In Geny’s view, the value of access means so much more than simply the chance to get on the field. She said: “Whether you are in the classroom or in the boardroom, sports lessons translate into real life experiences.
“When you have the ball at your feet, do you take on that player in front of you or pass the ball to someone else? You have to know how to work independently and also as part of a team – and in what moments to do each of those things.”
Geny is excited for the upcoming 2026 World Cup which will be hosted in the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Canada, and believes the U.S. is well positioned when it comes to attracting more people to the beautiful game.
She said: “The U.S. is such a ripe market for soccer, and with the World Cup coming to the country, there are going to be a lot of opportunities. Supporters’ groups across the U.S. are incredibly excited.
“A domestic entity such as the NFL is a huge franchise. But with the World Cup, there are opportunities for global recognition. There is a lot of enthusiasm and, as much as we have to compete with other sports, I think the US lends itself to putting on a very successful tournament, particularly where there are diverse populations such as in host cities like Miami and New York.”
Geny is enjoying Leicester and the course and is taking advantage of being near to various football teams. So far, Geny has watched Leicester City, Aston Villa, Everton, Arsenal (men’s and women’s), Fulham, Bournemouth, Sheffield, and Stoke City.
Geny said: “I feel so lucky to be in this environment where I can simply get on a train and see any number of games!”
Posted on Wednesday 4 December 2024