Eleven W League Assistant Coach Grace Bahr Seizing Opportunity in Indy
National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) has been recognized as the day to celebrate, acknowledge, and honor the important contributions of female athletes and those who work behind the scenes. The day takes on special meaning for Indy Eleven this year, as the club is just months away from the start of the inaugural USL W League season. Set to kick off this May, the league will serve as a developmental league for women’s professional soccer across the country.
NGWSD is especially significant for Indy Eleven USL W League Assistant Coach Grace Bahr, who believes that the creation of the USL W League is an important stride in getting women to be recognized in the sports industry.
“I think more leagues, more tiers, and more playing opportunities in different cities is huge for women in sports in general,” said Bahr. “The more leagues and locations and organizations that we have for women in sports, the more opportunity it gives them past playing.”
For Bahr, that opportunity came in the form of coaching. Following her final year playing at Xavier University in 2019, she spent the following Spring and Fall terms with her alma mater’s technical staff as a volunteer assistant. It wasn’t long before Bahr returned to playing, joining the National Women’s Soccer League expansion side Racing Louisville FC’s 2021 preseason camp and participating as a training player for most of the season. Bahr believes her blend of playing and coaching experience at various levels, which includes call-ups with United States Women’s National Team U15, U18 and U19 sides, has prepared her for her new role with Indiana’s Team.
“I think all of those different tiers and challenges and environments allow me to bring a different perspective to coaching, especially as woman coaching women,” said Bahr. “For me, the interest was always there, and it was just kind of developing that and realizing what my best attributes were to then go from a player to coach and reach as many players as I can.”
As a former athlete herself, Bahr acknowledges that success cannot come alone in this sport. She was inspired and pushed to be better by various coaches and her father, a former Ohio State soccer player. Bahr intends to take the skills and traits instilled in her and use them to make not only an impact on her players, but the community of Indianapolis as well.
“There’s a fine line between challenging [players] and supporting [players], and my best coaching experiences have been those who have executed on that,” said Bahr. “For me, that’s what I want to bring to the USL W League and that’s what I want to see the players bring within the community of Indy to young girls watching and to anyone watching. Get involved with Indiana Fire [Juniors], get involved with the fans, sign autographs, take pictures, whatever it is. There are coaches and there are people that have made an impact on my life, which has been so important. I think Indy Eleven and the USL W League have a really cool opportunity to do the same.”
However, the creation of the USL W League does not mark the end of progress for girls and women in sports. Bahr notes that many advancements have been made, such as women earning coaching roles in the highest professional leagues such as the National Basketball Association and National Football League. While these hirings are historic, the fact that they are newsworthy is still a part of the issue.
“Those steps are awesome, but I think the steps is that it shouldn’t have to be a huge news headline for a woman to be in that position, it should be status quo,” explained Bahr. “I think there’s a lot of respect in the workplace and a lot of respect between athletes as well, but I think that next steps are continuing that progression and making it so that it’s not a surprise.”
NGWSD provides us with much to reflect on, such as how far we have come when it comes in women in sports and how far we still need to go. The creation of the USL W League is simply another step in that process, and women like Grace Bahr are prepared to lead us into that next chapter.
