Podcast: Northeastern coach Ashley Phillips on landmark CBA, equal pay

Northeastern women's head coach Ashley Phillips joined host Matt Langone on 'The Goal' podcast. (Photo by Steve Safran)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast was Northeastern University women’s head coach Ashley Phillips.

Phillips is entering her seventh season as the Huskies’ head coach. A native of Peabody, Mass., she attended Milton Academy and is a former Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year, who went on to star as a goalkeeper at Clemson University and then professionally for the Boston Breakers.

Phillips joined host Matt Langone on the podcast to discuss the recent landmark collective bargaining agreement, in which the United States Soccer Federation, the United States Women’s National Team Players Association and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association agreed to terms on a CBA that will achieve equal pay and set a new standard in international soccer. U.S. Soccer becomes the first Federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to both the U.S. Men’s National Team and U.S. Women’s National Team. Along with equal pay for equal work, the new CBA improves non-economic terms, including player health and safety, data privacy and the need to balance responsibilities to both club and country. Phillips also discussed the upcoming 2022 college season and the prospects for her Huskies.

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Here are some highlights from our discussion with Phillips in the latest episode of “The Goal.”

On her reaction to the new CBA:

Phillips: “This is monumental. I think it’s an exciting time, because it just shows that people are starting to respect the women’s side of the game, more on an equal scale. We know our women’s team has been successful for decades now. So to see all the work kind of pay off for these young women to finally get that opportunity to make a sustainable living, and play the game that they love, it’s definitely exciting, and I think it was a little bit overdue. But I think a lot of things had to fall into place in order for us to get to that point.”

On discussing the new CBA and what it means with her players:

Phillips: “I think for the young women I coach, it’s just really exciting when they see things that take a step forward and achieve women’s equality right across the landscape, even for the ones that don’t wish to continue to play pro. I think it’s just exciting for them to see that people are actually starting to look at them deservingly and that they deserve things and that they’re humans and that they work hard and they commit a lot to what they do in their lives.”

On pay wages when she was playing professionally:

Phillips: “I worked part-time as an assistant coach at Northeastern, and I played at the same time, which sounds crazy, but to be honest, there were so many players doing that at the same time. And to be fair to the coaching staffs and the managers and these clubs, they worked with us. They allowed for it. I’ll be honest, I’m lucky I found a job that was in sports that understood it — that I was gone from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day at practice and then coming back. For someone like me, who wasn’t a 20-year-old and had to kind of support a stable lifestyle, I definitely felt that I needed to make more income than what we were provided. You just made it work.”

On being optimistic for the future of women’s soccer:

Phillips: “I think there’s a few things that come into play. I think women’s sports across the board are starting to kind of demand a little more attention, a little more appreciation and respect. I also think young people are just realizing it is okay to feel and share that you feel devalued, and you have to do that respectfully. But how do you go about that and what are the ways? I think really taking advantage of some laws that are put into place, and some situations that came about decades ago and how can we continue to push those. They  weren’t meant to just work for those 10 years, they were meant to create a catapult for the long term. I think there’s a lot more people in the world who are more excited.”

On the culture she tries to instill at Northeastern:

Phillips: “I think every year we’ve worked as a staff to try and make it more player-run. I’ve talked to a lot of colleagues that coach at really nationally regarded programs, and I think a big part of it is led by the players. Every year we’re trying to find the right young people with the right character, the right values that want to be successful, that want to kind of take care of themselves, but also have goals of empowering other people around them.”

“The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the Hoosac School and University of Nebraska High School.

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