Washington Freedom hires new GM
Joanna Lohman, a real estate specialist and professional soccer player, can add another job to her plate: general manager of the Washington Freedom.
The team is expected to announce the appointment in coming days. Her first agenda item as GM of the professional soccer team is changing the team’s name.
“We created the name over here in Tokyo,” said Lohman, who is currently practicing the sport overseas. “One idea was the Freedom Reserves, but as athletes we don’t aspire to be a reserved player.”
The new name of the team will be Freedom Futures. An official announcement is expected soon from the team.
Lohman said the name draws attention to future soccer players in the U.S. and to “the future of America for business.” She said her primary goal is to help players in the league secure long-term careers in the corporate world.
Future Minded
Lohman, also a vice president with Tenant Consulting LLC, holds a business and mathematics degree from Penn State.
“Being the GM of a sports team is the marriage of my skill sets,” she said, who also has a long-term goal to be GM of the Washington Redskins. “I truly believe the [Women’s United Soccer Association] has untapped resources in these amazing, talented players, who don’t realize their potential and power that can be [used] in corporate America.”
She admits it’s a struggle for some female players to realize that potential.
“When you are so passionate about soccer it’s hard to view yourself in a non-sports world position,” she said.
Her first plan of action as general manager is to put a good product out on the field by recruiting the best players to play.
“We have one of strongest teams in the country and will continue that,” she said.
In terms of business, she said this year will be a growing period for the team. The 2010 season starts in early spring.
“I want players to feel they can come here and learn on and off the field. I want to get our players incorporated in local businesses and charities and learn to walk and talk and be a valuable resource to the company.”
She said those skills will come with resume building and interviews, or “anything to build a platform for a career.”
Player update
The 27-year-old is currently in Japan with her Washington Freedom teammate Rebecca Moros, practicing with the NTV Beleza.
She has been training overseas since early September and was expected to leave Oct. 22, but is opting to stay another month because of the “incredible” experience she has been having with the team. She’s hoping to get better at the sport in order to return to the U.S. National Team, where she helped the U.S. women’s team win the Peace Cup in China, and the Penn State player was named Pennsylvania’s NCAA Woman of the Year in 2004.
“The training environment is so unique and different. In [the U.S.] we are strong athletes and run fast and jump high. Here they train in small, tight spaces and are so good with their feet and the ball.”
While she was invited to practice with NTV Beleza in Japan, she cannot play in the games because she does not have a work Visa.
It’s hard to get one in Japan, she said, because their work Visas require a minimum payment of $25,000 a year. “But often that’s too much for a company to pay when they can pay someone a bit less in Japan.”
Plus, she admits, “five hours of working on top of [practicing] would be a bit much. It’s been physically demanding and when I’m not playing I like down time.”