Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis on her Leadership Style
Jill Ellis
WSB Exclusive Speaker
All-Time Winningest Coach in U.S. Soccer History; Legendary Head Coach, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and President, National Women’s Soccer League San Diego
Jill Ellis coaches and leads elite individuals who are at the top of their game.
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Jill Ellis is a US Soccer Hall of Famer and the winningest head coach of the US Women’s National Team – leading the team to victory in back-to-back FIFA World Cup Championships. After leaving the sideline, she served as an Ambassador for the United States Soccer Federation. Today Jill serves as the President of San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, a professional soccer franchise that began competing in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022 and has turned her focus to helping grow the game off the field and increasing the number of women coaching soccer at all levels. As a motivational speaker, Jill presents to groups of all industries and backgrounds and offers the lessons learned throughout her illustrious and trailblazing soccer career on leadership, striving for excellence, and the value of teamwork.
Under Jill’s leadership, Wave FC was the first expansion team in NWSL history to make the NWSL Playoffs and, in its inaugural season, set the NWSL regular-season and playoff attendance records of 23,000+. Jill was the first woman to hold the United States Soccer Federation Professional Coaching License. Before her tenure with the US Women’s National Team, Ellis served as Head Coach at UCLA for twelve years. Under her direction, she took the Bruins to eight Final Four appearances – seven in a row – and six straight Pac-10 championships. She also served as head coach at the University of Illinois.
A summary of her accomplishments includes:
• Head Coach – 2x World Cup Champions
• 2x FIFA World Coach of the Year
• Overall USWNT Record: 106 wins, seven losses, 19 ties
• Fellow-Fellowship of Elite Coaches, ECB Elite Development Loughborough University
• Assistant Coach – Gold Medal Summer Olympics-Beijing 2008 and London 2012
• Head Coach – UCLA 12 years
• 8 College Cup appearances–seven consecutive
• Six straight Pac-10 Championships
• Division I All-American as a player at William and Mary
• William and Mary Athletics Hall of Fame and Tribe Champion for Life
Jill is a member of the iconic FIFA Legends. She led the prestigious FIFA Technical Advisory Group for Women in 2021 and currently serves on the FIVB, FIFA’s group that oversees the game’s rules.
Additionally, Jill is a member of the Advisory Committee for LEAD Edu, a not-for-profit organization that builds global leadership development academies. LEAD Edu helps boys and girls with a passion for football learn about leadership and be empowered to become future leaders in their countries.
Originally from Portsmouth, England, Jill moved to the US when she was 15. She attended the College of William and Mary, earning her BA in Literature and Composition and leading the women’s soccer team as a forward. In 2016, Jill was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters for distinguished humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. She earned the Alumni Medallion, William and Mary’s most prestigious award recognizing commitment, dedication, and assistance to William and Mary in 2018. In 2020, Jill was named a distinguished Chubb Fellow by Yale University.
Featured Videos
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis: How to Know When to Move on to the Next Opportunity
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis: How to Handle Pressure
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis Blazes Trail for Female Coaches
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis at World Financial Group – Celebrating the Person, Not the Goal
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis with U.S. Soccer – Jill Ellis Has Had The Time Of Her Life
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis says Persist Through the Struggle
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis: “You can’t dwell on a summit”
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis and her Pay Equity Analogy
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis on Embracing the Spotlight to Advocate for Social Justice
Jill Ellis
Jill Ellis on her Leadership Style
Jill Ellis’s Speech Topics
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Be Bold to Make Leadership Work
As the winningest coach in U.S. Soccer history, Jill Ellis has plenty of experience in molding rosters of talented individuals into successful teams.
Her strategy? Be bold. In this discussion, the former U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team coach will share her leadership expertise garnered from her work with a groundbreaking team. Concentrating on confidence, courageousness, and the ability to take risks, she shares sage advice for how you can apply these traits at work and in life.
Your team may not be playing for the World Cup, but Ellis’ message is universal, as she explains the three cornerstones to becoming a leader that people will follow: a successful connection with people, a clear and attainable direction, and personal humility.
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Find the Next Mountain
Motivation is an important aspect of success, but once you’ve achieved something, where do find the drive to continue? U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team coach Jill Ellis knows all too well that challenge after winning two FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Her solution is to step back, look around, and find the next mountain to climb. In this discussion, Ellis shares with audiences both her keys to finding motivation all around you and why it is important to be open to adaptation to realize and reach new goals. She communicates what has helped her be successful in maintaining team cohesion and motivation in a remote working environment.
Ellis touches on why it is important to handle criticism with class and treat it as a learning tool. She shares how taking a step back in her own career allowed her to clearly reset her own goals and find new motivation on the international sports stage.
Speaker Topics & Types
- Activist Speakers
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- Keynote Speakers
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