Footballer. Advocate. Creative.

On the pitch with the OL Reign or off the pitch supporting underprivileged kids, Dani Weatherholt leads by example. We sat down with the California native, and got to know the softer side of this tough tackling midfielder ⚽️

 

What first sparked your love for football?
I grew up in an athletic family but no one played football! But we would take family trips to Mexico growing up and that was where I was first introduced to the game. I remember playing with the local kids and loving it. I would later beg my mum to sign me up for soccer but she accidentally missed the sign ups. I spent that whole season playing in my backyard by myself. That's when I knew I really loved football.

How do you spend your downtime?
I am very passionate about the environment. I love nature – hiking, walking, camping, really anything outdoors! Growing up in nature, I have always had a deep admiration and appreciation for it. I am an advocate for practicing sustainability, and am involved in educating people to become stewards for nature.

I wanted to be a teacher/coach and actually studied pre-teaching/environmental studies at University. I have always loved kids! You can have such a positive impact on their lives just by instilling love and belief in them. Being a teacher means you can inspire kids to chase their wildest dreams and love people along the way. This passion is reflected in my support of Soccer Without Borders; an organization that uses soccer to create positive change in the lives of kids around the world.