Breaking Barriers and Scoring Goals

Women’s professional sports are having a well-deserved moment. Nowhere is this more evident than women’s soccer, which has seen a meteoric rise in recent decades. What began with the establishment of the U.S. Women’s National Team in 1985 has evolved into a professional league that now boasts 16 teams and more than 360 players from all over the world. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), founded in 2012 as the successor to Women’s Professional Soccer, represents another step toward leveling the playing field for female athletes worthy of recognition and success, both on and off the field.

Today, thanks to these phenomenal female athletes shining on the national and international stage, little girls on soccer fields around the globe have role models to look up to and players to emulate. One of these exceptional role models is 2025 NWSL Coach of the Year, Bev Yanez. As head coach of Racing Louisville Football Club, Yanez made history last fall as the first American and first former player to receive this prestigious honor after leading the 2025 Racing squad to its first playoff berth in the team’s history.

The evolution of a leader  

Yanez, 37, who was born and raised in Moreno Valley, California, has built an impressive soccer career. She played forward in high school and college, at Sacramento State University and the University of Miami, before graduating to a professional career. She played for teams in both the U.S. and abroad, including Japan and Australia, before retiring from professional soccer in 2020. Thus began her coaching career—a path Yanez was destined to follow.

“I was about 24 years old when I went to Japan as a player, and I was also actively coaching and running a coaching business while I was playing,” she recalls. “Coaching made me feel like I was becoming a better player, and I also really found a passion in coaching itself. That’s where it really began, and I knew my future would be in professional coaching.”

While coaching helped Yanez become a better player, years of playing soccer helped shape her into an exceptional coach.

“The biggest piece I took away from playing is the ability to relate to my players,” she says. “I can understand their emotions because I’ve been there. When I was a player, I didn’t always understand where coaches were coming from because I hadn’t experienced the other side. Now, I know to never say, ‘When I was a player…’ because these are elite athletes and they’re so good that they’ve gotten themselves to this level.”

“I try to use my experience as a player in my approach and in my demeanor,” she adds. “I know that they will overthink and they will want to master things overnight. I try to provide my own perspective as a leader and an educator, but my main objective is keeping them focused.”

Yanez joined Racing in November 2022, when she was named as an assistant coach for the 2023 season. Launched in 2021 as Louisville’s only top-tier professional sports team, Racing was about to start its fourth season when Yanez was named head coach in November 2023. In 2025, the team had its best season yet, claiming its first-ever playoff spot before closing out the season in seventh place. It was that successful run that led Yanez to achieve top honors as NWSL Coach of the Year—a recognition that she doesn’t take lightly.

“I think I’m still in shock. When someone asks about it, I still think, I guess I did do that!” she laughs. “I appreciate it, but it’s truly a testament to the work the entire group did.”

Yanez says she sees herself as just one part of a collective effort, emphasizing the importance of authentic leadership and strong recruitment focused on building the right culture in the locker room. Ultimately, she credits the team, attributing success to a group that is willing to be coached and work together.

The team behind the scenes

While Yanez works to empower her players to reach their full potential on the field, Racing and the NWSL have partners off the field that help drive their success. One is Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), which has worked with Racing and the NWSL for four years. Connected through Racing’s majority owner, John Neace, who began a long career in insurance with MMA’s parent company, Marsh, MMA’s experience and expertise working with professional sports leagues perfectly positioned it as an ideal insurance, retirement, and risk management partner.

“What we do with professional and non-professional sports is really intriguing and valuable,” explains Jeff Lightner, president and CEO of MMA’s Ohio offices.

“NWSL is an up-and-coming league where we can be involved early on and provide our expertise from the ground up. We can help the league and the teams empower young players and build them into young leaders and confident young women,” he continues. “We help protect them from an insurance and risk management perspective. This protects the league, which in turn protects the players. But it also helps prepare the players for what’s next. When I see how our teams are educating the players on the health care and retirement sides, it’s truly beneficial to do that.”

With a full spectrum of specialists in all areas of insurance and professional services, MMA is able to meet the wide range of needs of a professional sports league.

“We were introduced to NWSL because MMA has a strong sports and entertainment practice,” says Kelly Zullo, senior vice president at MMA. “We have national expertise and the resources to serve the needs of the league and the team specifically.”

MMA drew on specialists across their firm to meet the league and team’s unique needs. This included expertise in areas like cyber and media law, retirement planning for both U.S. and international players, and protections and benefits addressing issues like harassment, medical care, disability, and maternity leave.

“In women’s sports, there are certain considerations that come into play,” Zullo says. “We were able to find experts in each unique area of coverage for both the team and the league.”

MMA built a team of experts that assist with players’ comprehensive medical benefits and essential health and wellness programs, as well as financial education initiatives, like 401(k) plans and tailored financial planning resources designed to support players as they transition from college to professional careers and life after soccer. MMA also serves as a corporate partner for Racing and their nonprofit arm, the Racing and Lou City Academies, which promotes youth soccer and provides a path to professional sports.

The holistic approach of NWSL, Racing, and their MMA partners underscores a dedication to nurturing young talent both on and off the field and empowering players to achieve both their professional and personal goals.

With players as young as 18, financial education is a key piece of that goal—and one that was new to the NWSL when MMA joined the team.

“When we first started this plan in 2023, players did not have any type of 401(k) offering or retirement savings,” explains Megan Carroll, senior vice president at MMA. “We wanted to give them the opportunity to save because when it comes to retirement accounts, what you do early helps your future.”

“This is a very unique plan among all my clients because it’s the only one with an all-female support team,” she adds. “I love that from an empowerment standpoint, because as a young female, when it comes to financial decisions and some things you may not necessarily be comfortable with, having female leadership is important.”

Because players are young and many come from international backgrounds, the team has had to adapt and think creatively about its benefits offerings. Providing foundational retirement education and one-on-one guidance helps players understand their 401(k) options and begin building savings for the future, Carroll says.

“It’s a unique environment with unique challenges, and we’ve had to think differently and outside the box to restructure our offerings,” she says. “We are still in the infancy stages, and there are amazing things we can continue to push forward with the products MMA has."

Eyes on the goal

With the combined efforts of Yanez, her staff, and players, along with MMA and other partners working tirelessly behind the scenes, Racing Louisville and women’s pro soccer are well-positioned to score big in the seasons ahead.

“I think the future is incredibly bright, and this is just the start,” Yanez says.

She thinks back to her early days as a player—a low salary, no housing, and no opportunities to start a family while also continuing to play—and says she’s thrilled to witness the evolution.

“To see the game and the league flourish, to see the venues we play in, the support the teams and players receive. To see this growth and see people go through it in a progressive way, it’s an exciting point,” she says.

With a world of possibilities open to them, one thing is certain: The MMA team is proud to be there to support Racing and the league—and to be a part of this exciting time in women’s sports history. 

“I have an 18-year-old daughter, so the last 18 years of my life have been about how to empower and lead a young woman to be a confident and engaging part of the world,” Lightner says. “I see these young women who are getting that empowerment and leadership from their coaches and the league, and we’re a very small part of that. Seeing the whole league develop and to be a part of it is fantastic.”

Carroll shares that sentiment.

“I’m a mom of two daughters who are big into soccer,” she says. “It’s a sense of pride to know I’m supporting this organization that is a public face for women’s empowerment and a strong presence in athletics. I am one small part of this bigger picture of helping young girls have a bright future.”

Yanez recalls a full-circle moment when, from the team’s bus window, she saw a little girl playing soccer with her dad on a tiny patch of turf. She realized that every journey starts with small, impactful moments and supportive relationships.

“We all went from that to this—it all starts there,” she says. “When I go to venues and look into the stands—something I dreamt of as a kid—I really believe that anything is possible.”