Former professional soccer player and University of Hawaii at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law alumna Meleana “Mana” Shim, recently began her new role as chair of the highly publicized Participant Safety Task Force at US Soccer. The purpose of the safety task force is to address and prevent all forms of abuse and harassment in women’s soccer.
“Whatever solutions we come up with will have an effect on millions of players if we are effective and have the right resources,” said Shim. “We have that kind of reach if we do it right. I want to make sure we have the right formula and processes that will actually result in meaningful transformation. For me, it is figuring out what those things are.”
Shim’s team consists of 25–30 people including former or current athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, psychologists, lawyers and others.
Her job encompasses making the soccer ecosystem in the US safer and healthier for everyone. The idea of a safety task force began when former US Attorney General Sally Yates and her legal team wrote a report on systemic abuse in women’s soccer. Shim’s team will coordinate the implementation of Yates’ recommendations.
Topics the safety task force will cover are: governance, standards and policy, education and reporting/response.
Mission of change is personal and hopeful
“I have an intimate understanding of what the problems already are,” said Shim. “We want to address some of the bigger cultural dilemmas in women’s soccer and try to break down some of the systems so that we can rebuild them.”
Shim’s story about allegations of her coach’s sexual harassment and abuse became part of a catalyst for institutional change, and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) adopted anti-harassment policies in April 2021. After six seasons in the NWSLfive in Portland and one in Houston, Shim last played for the league in 2019 before starting at the UH law school.
Her experiences in professional soccer spurred her to pursue her law degree. Attending the UH law school has helped spark Shim’s passion for political work around high school and college sports, and addressing the culture of sexual harassment and abuse. Her law degree will also help her in her new role as chair of the Participant Safety Task Force.
“Having a law degree and understanding what policies mean and how they operate, and what happens when people violate those policies will give me an advantage in this role,” said Shim. “I helped draft the first anti-harassment policy for the NWSL and I’ve learned that policies are the first line of protection. In my situation there were no policies to turn to and point out that something was wrong, and I want to be able to change that for players moving forward.”
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