Anna Bondy
director of player culture and individual development
I grew up in Pierre, SD, playing soccer whenever I got the chance. I played club soccer through high school and participated in ODP. I continued my soccer career at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD.
After college, trying to start my life without soccer was difficult. Something inside was missing for a long time and there weren't many opportunities to play in Pierre other than Wednesday night open play.
In March 2020, life events brought me to Sioux Falls, and I knew there were a lot more opportunities to continue playing soccer here. After I adjusted, I jumped right into the adult soccer leagues and that missing piece fell right back into place! After playing for a couple years, I heard rumors about this new women’s soccer team starting in Sioux Falls.
The child soccer player in me was excited to hear about this as it would’ve been a dream of mine to play on a team like this growing up; however, the post collegiate adult soccer player, realized I may be too old to play. I knew I still had to be a part of the organization somehow because it was going to be the start of something big in this community. Luckily, I had some great friends and teammates that pushed me to try out. It took a lot of words of encouragement, but I took the leap and to my surprise I earned a spot on the team! To say I had an amazing time on the team in season one is an understatement.
I don’t think there are words to describe how much it meant to me to play on a team like this. Getting that competitive edge back was something I needed. Now that I got the itch out of the way and realized my body had a hard time keeping up with the young ones, they brought me back to be a part of the Technical Staff.
I am the Director of Player Culture and Individual Development... cool title huh? I’m excited for the change and looking forward to being on this side of the team this year. I’m going to try my best to keep my cleats at home.