LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — There's a new team in town. The Arkansas Wolves Soccer Club is introducing a new women's team this year. It's already creating a major buzz around the state.
Ana Hernandez has been playing soccer for 11 years. She was a Division 1 athlete for the University of Illinois in Chicago. After she graduated, she came to Arkansas.
"When I started here, it was hard to find places to play," she said. "There's a community everywhere in the nation for soccer, so why can't Arkansas do it as well?"
Now, that community is finally here. She's now playing for the brand-new Arkansas Wolves FC semi-pro women's soccer team in Arkansas.
It's opening doors for women across the state.
"You can go collegiate, semi-pro level, pro-level," she said. "There are many options, and it all starts here."
Thabo Masoga is one of the new coaches on staff and a collegiate coach in Arkansas.
"Where I'm from in South Africa, we have women in prominent positions, and I found it strange in the first world women don't have as many opportunities as they should," he said. "I'm passionate about that and the game, so I combined the two."
Masoga said there is a massive talent pool of women passionate about the game in Arkansas. Nearly 200 players came to try out for the team.
Wolves owner, Sean Jones, said the community support has been a pleasant shock. The first women's game drew in crowds that surpassed the men's team games.
"When we launched the women's team, our Instagram went up from 5,000 to almost 20,000," he said. "It's crazy how soccer has grown in Arkansas the past few years."
For Hernandez, she hopes it keeps growing and that the state shows support to these incredible athletes.
"We are small and mighty and starting up," she said. "People coming to support us will showcase that we're building a community of soccer for women."
The Wolves FC organization also has a PDA (Players Development Academy) that trains people to grow in their soccer game and serves as a talent pipeline. For more information on that and for details on game times and locations, visit: https://arkansaswolves.com/