WIS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MEET JEANENE VALENTINE
- Name: Jeanene Valentine
- Pronouns: She/Her
- Position: Sr. Director of Ticket Sales San Diego Wave Fútbol Club
- Mantra: The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away – Pablo Picasso
What’s your favorite soccer memory?
When Sacramento Republic FC won the USL Championship in 2014, our first year as a club.
What do you think is the greatest thing about women’s soccer or working in soccer?
Women’s soccer has been experiencing a slow climb over the past few years and has seen an explosion over the past 2 years. I’m happy to be part of it and know that this is only the beginning.
As the director of ticket sales, can you tell us about some of the strategies you bring to the role at San Deigo Wave?
Community focus is everything to us. In addition to the usual means of advertising such as billboards and online presence, we made community outreach central to our strategy. This led us to the point where we were able to head in person to 300 sites in San Diego county within four weeks.
Learn more about the Waves’ record-breaking ticket sales in this ESPN article featuring Jeanene.
What inspires you even when things are tough?
All I have to do is look at the faces of every girl or young woman who attends our games to be inspired. The look of awe and pure joy is incredibly fulfilling.
Can you tell us about a soccer organization doing work for women/ girls and underrepresented communities that you admire?
I really like what Play Like a Girl has been doing! They’ve created a great program that pairs young girls with a mentor and promotes positivity and building confidence. When you see metrics such as 94% of women in C-suite level positions are former athletes, that is amazing! That is what sports can do for girls, young women, and even women as old as me! And that’s old!
What experiences and strengths you are bringing into the WIS community? I’m bringing more than 20 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industry and half of that in soccer. Since I’ve worked for first-year teams and opened new stadiums, I can’t even begin to tell you the experience I have. It’s a little bit of everything!
What impact do you think connecting more women, marginalized folks and allies will have on the equity of soccer?
There’s strength in numbers, right?! I plan on leveling the hiring field in sports by inspiring so many women to enter the workforce that this will no longer be seen as a “male-dominated” career.
What makes you excited about WIS?
I’m excited to connect and make myself available to other women in sports. It can be as little as just replying to a question on a board or finding someone to mentor and create a lifelong relationship with. Life is all about relationships. I’m here to develop and nurture as many as I can.
Welcome to the squad, Jeanene!
