Xavi Valdez, USA
Goal Click is collaborating with U.S. Soccer on a new storytelling series as part of the Keeping Score of What Matters campaign. The series will spotlight untold stories within clubs, organizations, and communities supported by Soccer Forward, focusing on the diverse ecosystem of soccer and its use as a force for good.
Lambda Rising Soccer Club is a San Diego-based nonprofit where LGBTQ+ people and allies of all ages and abilities can play, connect and feel a genuine sense of belonging.
Xavi Valdez is the Founder and Executive Director of Lambda Rising Soccer Club in San Diego, creating inclusive spaces where LGBTQ+ youth, adults, and families can find belonging through soccer.
Every player on our team has a story - a kid finally playing without hiding who they are, an adult finding their way back to a game they thought was not for them anymore. The scoreboard never tells you any of that. The stories do.
My name is Xavi Valdez (she/her). I am 41 years old and the Founder and Executive Director of Lambda Rising Soccer Club in San Diego, CA.
I grew up in El Paso, Texas and was fortunate to enjoy a successful playing career that included NCAA Division I college soccer for the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and time with the Mexican Youth National Team. After college, I coached youth soccer in the Washington, D.C. area before relocating to San Diego in 2017.
Soccer allows us to impact the whole wellness of a person by creating opportunities to move, connect, give back, and belong. The game is what brings people together, but the friendships and community are what keep them coming back.
In 2021, I founded Lambda Rising Soccer Club to give youth and adults in San Diego’s LGBTQ+ and Ally community a safe, welcoming space in the sport that has shaped my entire life.
Our Thing
I began playing soccer at the age of five and learned the ropes of coaching a year later, when my dad stepped up to coach. He did not know much about the game, but dove right into coaching education courses. I sat in with him and participated as a demo player when needed. I stayed up with him on Friday nights working on the lineup and was out at sunrise on Saturday mornings chalking the field and putting up the nets. After my game, I would help as a linesman for games he volunteered to referee and guest play with teams that were short on players. My dad and I would spend all day at the field and talk about it the whole way home. It was our thing.
In 1994, at the age of nine, we traveled to our first out-of-town tournament, AYSO’s Disney Cup in Pasadena, CA. We were underdogs who somehow kept advancing and eventually had the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl, just a couple of weeks after the 1994 Men’s World Cup Final had been played there. We were physically outmatched, but finished regulation 0-0 and went to penalties. I remember setting the ball down on the spot, everything going silent, and striking it as hard as I could…GOAL! We ended up losing in sudden-death penalties, but that experience opened my imagination to what was possible through soccer.
Belief In Access
My journey coming out in college was difficult and, at times, lonely. I was no longer hiding who I was, but now had to face the pain of rejection for it. The soccer field had always been where I found love and acceptance, but suddenly it felt different. Although I was the same person, I could feel hesitation from coaches and some teammates. The field was no longer my safe space.
After graduating, I was apprehensive about coming out as a young coach. I wanted to learn and develop, but worried that being open about who I was could expose me to more discrimination, hinder my progress, or even get me fired. Thankfully, the club I worked for was more progressive, and I was able to establish a full-time career in youth soccer.
I strongly believe that every player, regardless of skill level, deserves to experience this game to its fullest.
That belief in access is what I carried with me when I created Lambda Rising Soccer Club in 2021. I wanted to ensure that anyone who wanted to learn and experience the beautiful game had a safe place to do so, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lambda Rising
Creating Lambda Rising Soccer Club has been healing in a way I did not expect. Every player who finds belonging here feels like a warm hug to my younger self, who had to navigate that journey without a community.
Our club is for youth, adults, and families in San Diego’s LGBTQ+ and Ally community and provides low-cost recreational soccer programs for kids ages 4-15.
We also offer year-round adult programs, including weekly pickup soccer and futsal, as well as our annual tournament, Copa de Pride, which draws more than 100 LGBTQ+ and Ally athletes from across the country and Mexico.
The opportunities for physical, social, and emotional wellness cannot be overstated. Players have found their people. Our youth programs are led by me and supported by members of our adult soccer community, giving young athletes access to positive LGBTQ+ role models while giving our adult athletes the opportunity to give back and learn how to create a positive, inclusive environment.
That full circle is what makes Lambda Rising special. A kid learns the game from adults who understand their journey, then grows up to become that role model for the next generation. Parents watch their kids build confidence on the field while finding their own community on the sideline. These are not youth and adult programs simply existing side by side; it is one community showing up for each other at every stage.
What also makes Lambda Rising unique is that inclusion is not something added to a soccer program - it is the foundation we built it on. Most sports organizations start with the game and figure out inclusion later, if at all. We started the other way around: we built the soccer program inside the safe, welcoming space we wanted to create.
For families, that foundation brings real relief. Parents do not have to wonder how their child will be treated. Their child is not just accepted here - they are celebrated. For adult players, many of whom have spent years navigating uncertainty in sporting spaces, Lambda Rising is often the first place they have truly felt like they belong.
I hear from families who have been turned away elsewhere, or players who experienced real harm before finding us. Carrying that weight while showing up with energy for every practice is not always easy. But what motivates me to continue is what I see every week: a kid who did not always feel accepted finding belonging, a parent building friendships they did not expect, or an adult who had not played in years falling back in love with the game.
When I think about who I represent, I think about every version of myself that did not have this: the nine-year-old chasing a dream in the Rose Bowl, the college player who felt the field turn cold after coming out, and the young coach too afraid to be honest about who she was. I built Lambda Rising for them, and for everyone else still waiting to find a place like this.
Listen First
The best way to teach values is by modeling them, so we build respect and inclusion into everything we do, starting before a player even steps onto the field. Our registration process asks for pronouns. Coaches greet every player by name. On the field, we speak to players in a positive, confidence-building way, because kids play better when they feel supported. When conflict comes up, we teach players to listen first, then repair.
Kids notice these things, even when we do not point them out. What I hope they carry off the pitch is the belief that they belong exactly as they are, and the confidence to extend that belief to others. A teammate’s differences become something to celebrate, not just tolerate, which is a lesson that outlasts their playing days.
We are not just building better soccer players. We are building better teammates.
