Heather Mitts Feeley: From Backyard Battles to Legacy

“Tell me I can’t. Then watch me work twice as hard to prove you wrong." - Heather Mitts Feeley

From Backyard Battles to a Blueprint for Women’s Soccer

For Heather Mitts Feeley, greatness didn’t begin under stadium lights. It started in the backyard — 1v1 against her younger brother — where a hyperactive six-year-old learned to love the ball for its own sake. By the time she reached high school, her mom encouraged her to pick one sport and focus her energy to avoid burnout. Tennis may have been her “best” sport early on, but soccer was the one she loved the most - and she chose it wholeheartedly, even when others doubted how long it could last.

a collage of photos from Heather Mitts Feeley's life & career

It didn’t feel like work; it felt like purpose. That same drive, fueled by love for the game carried her from Cincinnati to college at the University of Florida, the pros, the World Cup, and ultimately, the Olympic podium.

Loving the Game Before the Spotlight

Heather Mitts Feeley holding a soccer ball in a youth soccer photo

Heather didn’t grow up studying matches on TV or chasing role models she’d never met. She simply loved playing. She asked for extra sessions, day after day, and her habits compounded.

“You have to want to do it on your own when no one’s watching. If you have a passion for something and love something, then you’re willing to put in the work which really doesn’t feel like work,” Heather said. “As an athlete, if you’re truly passionate about your craft, the love for the sport makes all the hard work and sacrifices worth it.”

Playing on a sports team is all about building trust, holding other teammates accountable, and setting standards for yourself as an athlete. Resilience was a major lesson that Heather picked up in college, which includes balancing the athletics with the academic side of things and learning how to bounce back from setbacks.

Setbacks That Became Fuel

Heather Mitts Feeley playing in an Olympic soccer match and then another picture of her wearing her Olympic medal off the field.

Image courtesy of Sideline Sports Photography, LLC

Two crucible moments shaped the competitor – and the leader she became.

The ACL tear. Weeks before the first Women’s World Cup she was set to start, Heather tore her ACL - a devastating setback that could have ended her dream. Online comments said she’d never make it back. Instead of breaking her, they became her fuel: Tell me I can’t. Watch me work twice. Determined to prove them wrong, she poured everything into her recovery, grinding day after day to return stronger than ever. Just 15 months later, Heather not only made the Olympic team - she started, played every minute, and delivered some of the best soccer of her life.

Standing on the podium, she had her “aha” moment... the realization of how powerful she was, both mentally and physically. “If I apply that same mindset to everything in life,” she said, “then I’m going to have success.”

The captain’s armband - a hard stand. Late in her professional career, Heather faced a significant leadership battle, and it wasn’t on the field. As captain of her Philadelphia team, she found herself at odds with a coach whose leadership didn’t align with her values. Standing up for herself and her teammates came at a cost: she was benched, isolated, and nearly had her career derailed.

Still, Heather refused to be broken. Determined to “control the controllables,” she drove an hour and a half after practice each day to train with another coach, keeping herself sharp, staying ready for the national team, and proving that no one could take her passion or purpose. What felt like a setback became a turning point. Being traded later was, in her words, “a blessing in disguise.”

Years later, when allegations of abuse surfaced against that same coach, Heather finally understood why it had all felt so wrong. As she began coaching her own kids, she recognized the profound influence a coach can have — good or bad — and made a vow to be the kind of leader she once needed.

“A coach’s influence is profound. I decided I wanted to be different for others.”

That experience didn’t just shape her as an athlete—it defined her as a mentor, a mother, and a role model. What tried to silence her instead gave her voice a new purpose.

Beyond the Pitch: Broadcasting, Motherhood, Mentorship

Heather Mitts Feeley interviewing a college football coach on the sideline during a game. She

Even though the experience was intimidating at times, Heather’s time as an athlete provided her with strong resilience, discipline, and patience to work through new challenges. Image courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Full Circle: From the Sidelines to Shaping the Next Generation

When opportunities opened in sports broadcasting, Heather didn’t hesitate — she said yes, even when it was intimidating. As a new mom, she balanced sideline reporting with pumping breaks, earning the respect of colleagues who saw firsthand the invisible juggle so many women navigate. Her experience in front of the camera gave her a new platform to stay close to the game she loved while paving the way for other women in sports media.

But her greatest joy came off the air, on the field, giving back to the next generation. After her time as a sports analyst, Heather began hosting soccer camps in her hometown, inviting fellow national team players to join her. Together, they inspired young girls to dream bigger and play harder. One camper, a young Rose Lavelle, later showed Heather a photo from that very camp and told her she had been her inspiration to chase the national team. Full circle.

Heather Mitts Feeley poses for a photo with her Olympic medal and standing beside a young Rose Lavelle.

Reflecting on her Olympic journey, Heather says the feeling of standing on the podium went far beyond personal victory. She felt the weight — and pride — of representing every girl who had ever been told she couldn’t.

“Sports taught me that when women are given the opportunity to compete and to succeed, it kind of redefines what’s possible for all of us,” Heather said.

That belief continues to drive her today. Heather is passionate about breaking barriers for young women in sport - especially when it comes to access (costs, facilities, support at home), representation (female coaches, owners, execs) and investment (pay and resources).

“If young women don’t see female coaches, or women in ownership and leadership roles, they start to question whether they can ever have those same opportunities,” she explained. Her mission now is to make sure they can.

The Next Goal: A Pathway in Philadelphia

Heather’s future in sport is structural: helping bring a USL women’s pathway to the Philadelphia region academy to W League to pro so more girls can play regardless of pocketbook, zip code, or club dues. It’s access, on purpose.

“Small steps become big impact. Open the door, and more girls will run through it.”

Her Training Now: Community, Strength, and Stillness

Heather Mitts Feeley performing a lunge at a CrossFit gym

CrossFit communities can help women feel more empowered, strong, and body confident together.

These days, Heather’s routine is built on CrossFit (for strength and community) and yoga (for mobility and a calmer mind). She laughs about once hating stretching; now she prioritizes it to stay healthy and present as an athlete, a mom, and a builder of the game.

For Heather Mitts Feeley, Goal Five represents more than performance, it’s purpose in motion. As a lifelong advocate for women in sport and leadership, she supports the brand’s mission to amplify female athletes and empower the next generation of game changers.

Her go-to pieces? The Boxy Crop Tank for its unbelievably soft feel and freedom to move, and the Excel Short, built for strength, stretch, and every rep in between. For Heather, this gear does more than just move with you, it moves the movement forward.

Her advice to women just starting or restarting with sport:
Find something that excites you. Bring a buddy. Accept that new things feel hard. Stick with it long enough to feel the joy. Think about your future self and what she’ll thank you for.

Why Her Story Belongs in Her Fifth Gear

Her Fifth Gear amplifies women who carry lessons from sport into life: Leadership, Resilience, Purpose... and then pay it forward.

Heather’s story is that arc: backyard battles → world stage → using her voice and experience to widen the lanes for the next generation.

What she proves:

Sport builds skills—and character.
Setbacks can sharpen your purpose.
Access and representation aren’t extras; they’re the foundation.
Community multiplies courage.

What she’s building next: a local-to-pro pipeline so more girls can play, lead, and one day stand where she stood—confident, prepared, and unafraid of the moment.