Kristie Mewis talks Gotham FC, Pride Month and partnership with Six Star Pro Nutrition

Kristie Mewis is ‘having an OK time’ at NJ/NY Gotham FC.

The USWNT midfielder and Olympic bronze medalist joined the New Jersey-based team for the 2022 season and made an immediate impact on the field. The soccer pitch isn’t the only place where Mewis is making her mark. The 31-year-old is partnering with Six Star Pro Nutrition, “The Athlete’s Choice” and a leading maker of scientifically formulated premium supplements, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark ruling that forever changed American education and sport.

To honor the occasion, Six Star will give away 50 jerseys of female athletes during the month of June. For Mewis, being part of this innovative giveaway to raise the profile of female athletes is extremely meaningful.

“These past 50 years have been so influential in the women’s sports world and I think it’s an amazing step in the right direction,” Mewis told AllForXI. “I want to do anything and everything I can to help [Six Star Pro Nutrition] and to be a part of something that is so cool. It’s very, very important that we get jerseys out there and keep promoting the women’s game. It’s growing so much, and we want it to keep growing. It deserves to keep growing.”

Even now, jerseys of female athletes can be difficult to acquire. Six Star will work with winners to get the jersey of their choice, regardless of who the player is or when they played. Fans can register here to win.

The month of June also marks another occasion important to Mewis: Pride Month

“To me, Pride means being proud of who you are and, it’s so cliché, but recognizing that love is love,” Mewis said. “It’s a time where we can celebrate how far we’ve come but also recognize how much more work still needs to be done. Pride Month is a really cool way for everyone to express themselves and be who we are, but of course, we want that to be all year long.”

As a professional athlete, it is not lost on Mewis that in women’s sports, fans and players feel safer to be who they are in part because they can see LGBTQIA+ representation on that global stage. This is a topic that she has discussed with her teammates, and they’re acutely aware of the impact that they can have on kids just by seeing themselves represented in sports.

Photo by Lu Yang/Xinhua via Getty Images

“We need to use our platforms as much as we possibly can to give [young fans] someone to look up to, and to be a safe space for them. I think it is super important,” Mewis said. “It has been such a great community for me to be a part of and I want to help and do whatever I can to make everyone feel really safe and really special in their own way.”

In fact, this Saturday, Gotham FC is hosting their annual Pride Night game. For Mewis, having clubs host Pride Nights is very special and a great way for everyone to feel connected, no matter how you identify.

“I think it’s just a great night to show your support and to have some fun with it,” she said. “But it’s also for the fans to see that we can be who we are so that they also feel that they can do that, too.”

Mewis is loving her time at Gotham

The Massachusetts native praised the organization for all the work they are doing behind the scenes, and is looking forward to contributing to the club’s success. “They’re really going in a great direction. I’m so excited to be a part of it and to have a future here,” she said. “The players, the staff, and head coach Scott Parkinson have been so amazing and welcoming. I feel at home here, so I’m very happy.”

Adding to that happiness was Gotham FC’s recent win over expansion side Angel City FC out in Los Angeles. With the added stress of coming off two tough losses, six hours of travel, and playing in front of nearly 20,000 fans of the opposing team, the win was even more meaningful for the club. The accomplishment has given Gotham renewed confidence.

“It was probably the best moment so far that we’ve shared as a team and it was definitely something that we needed right now in the season,” she said. “It has kicked us into gear a bit and we have some new motivation now. We’re really excited for [our next game].”

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

In addition to playing for Gotham, Mewis is currently a mainstay on the U.S. Women’s National Team. She joined the squad last summer at the Tokyo Olympics and helped the team earn the bronze medal.

These recent calls-ups are not Mewis’ first brush with the USWNT. Early in her career, she earned a handful caps for the national team between 2013 and 2014, but would not be called into camp again until 2019. Now, after a career filled with twists and turns, and more years of professional soccer under her belt, she is back with the team and has seen her role evolve.

“My role has dramatically switched very quickly. When I was with the national team before, I was a young, up-and-coming kid. Nothing was really expected of me. Now I am a little bit of an older player and we have a lot of young players coming in. I have felt more of a sense [of responsibility] to be a leader, to be disciplined, and to be wise on the field. I don’t think that I have ever experienced that on the national team before. I’m trying to embrace it and be the player that the team needs as best that I can. It definitely is a shift, but I’m enjoying it,” she said, adding with a grin: “I think I’m doing an OK job!”