Forward Dani Foxhoven played in the NWSL from 2013–2015, playing the 2013 season with Portland Thorns FC and suiting up for Seattle Reign FC for her final two seasons in 2014 and 2015. During her career with Seattle, Foxhoven made 28 appearances and tallied one assist.
Foxhoven stepped away from professional soccer before the 2016 NWSL season. We caught up with the former pro to look back on her time in Seattle and see what she’s up to now.
How would you summarize your time with Reign FC?
“My time with the Reign was the most amazing soccer experience I have ever had. Soccer has brought me around the world and allowed me to play in some of the richest soccer cultures. The overall experience there with the coach, team environment, practices, staff and owners was the best I have ever had.”
Was your time with the club anything like you expected heading into it?
“My time with the club surpassed any expectations I had. To be perfectly honest, my two best friends Keelin Winters and Elli Reed played for the Reign the first season and told me how great it was, but at the time I was with Portland and had just won the championship. I didn’t know what to expect but I thought it would be fun to play with them again and wouldn’t be that much different than at Portland. In that way, the experience surpassed all of my expectations.”
You were with the team for its two most successful seasons in 2014 and 2015, what was it like to achieve that kind of success with the club?
“Those two years were my favorite seasons. Although they were successful years for the club, they felt bittersweet because we were not able to win a championship. My first season with the Portland Thorns was not as meaningful as those two seasons were with the Reign, but at the end of the year we came home with a trophy, so in that way it felt more successful. But if I look at those two years without the typical end result of “success,” I would say those were some of the most successful years in my soccer career. I learned the most about myself as a person and probably grew the most as a player.”
During your time with the club you got to play with some of your Portland Pilots college teammates. What was it like to get to play with them on the professional level?
“Years from now when I look back at my soccer career I will remember some games, maybe some championships, but I will never forget the experience of living and playing with my two best friends and college teammates. Keelin, Elli, and I have been best friends since college, and have played now on several teams together around the world, but being able to play for this club is something that I will never forget. One of my favorite memories will always be playing soccer with the Reign.”
Now that you’ve retired, what are you doing currently?
“Since my retirement I have done a lot of things. I went backpacking with a documentary film crew called the Comfort Theory in New Zealand. After returning home and searching for a job around the country, I moved to Chicago with my girlfriend and I am the head coach of the women’s soccer team at Purdue Northwest University. We just recently got a Dalmatian puppy named Olive, and she is taking up most of our free time. But I am enjoying coaching a team and experiencing a new city. My girlfriend and I like to try all sorts of things, and most recently she has taken me to try new workouts like boxing and pilates.
What have you had more time to devote to and focus on?
“I have had more time to devote myself to myself. I know that sounds odd but I have been really patient with myself to figure out what it is I want to start to work towards next. It’s strange after leaving something that you have been working towards your entire life and then having to go in a completely different direction. Doing things like woodworking, art, cooking, trying new workouts or just relaxing and not doing anything. I have really tried to be honest with myself and do what I feel like doing. I mostly like spending time with my girlfriend and puppy and just being free, so to speak.”
What are you most looking forward to right now and your goals going forward?
“To be perfectly honest, that is a tough question for me to answer. I am trying to live in the present. I know that if I want to keep coaching, that I need to focus a lot on recruiting for my next couple seasons, and I need to spend a lot of time to learning the art of coaching. I have set my sights on doing that, but I am also first trying to make sure that coaching is what I want to do. I am doing that by being really present and by spending time doing the things I want to do. My biggest goal is to grow as a person, to be a better coach, girlfriend, and puppy mom, and to do all of that while I maintain my health and keep my Crohn’s disease under control.”
Are you still playing soccer when you can?
“I played in a few games, some pick-up and some late night coed games, but I found that it was a pretty difficult balance between having fun and being competitive. So that led me to feel like I wasn’t ready to step back into playing quite yet. Plus, I coach every day, so I definitely get my soccer needs taken care of. I play with the team from time to time just to have fun. But in terms of a league or something, I am not quite ready for that.”
Is there anything in particular that you miss about playing professionally?
“There are so many things I miss about playing professionally. I miss the team, I miss my friends, and I miss the life of playing soccer. I miss just kicking around, and, strangely enough, I miss the feeling of being really good at something. Since I have stopped playing I have found that I am a beginner at pretty much everything else I try. So every day is a learning experience for me and I know I have a long ways to go. That’s both exciting and kind of makes me miss playing.”
Do you have any advice for players once they decide to hang up the boots?
“It takes a lot of bravery to step away from playing. Everyone has their reasons for eventually stopping, but whenever that time comes it takes a lot of bravery to actually say ‘I am done playing.’ My advice to you is to know that you are going to doubt your decision at one time or another, and that is okay. It is not an easy decision, but I would say make sure you throw your passion and love into something new. Try to keep furthering yourself. Just as you were always trying to get better at soccer, try to make yourself better each day at something else. Be patient with the process.”
