Haley Carter (; born June 21, 1984) is a former

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer and retired American professional soccer player. She is currently the sporting director and vice president of soccer operations for

Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Pride began play in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League season, 2016 ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL). She is the former assistant coach for the Afghanistan women's national team and goalkeeper coach for the Antigua and Barbuda women's national team.

Early life

Born and raised in

Friendswood, Texas Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2020 census, the population of Friendswood was 41,213. History Friendswood, s ...

, Carter competed in three Texas high school state championships and was the starting goalkeeper of the

Friendswood High School Friendswood High School is a public secondary school located in Friendswood, Texas, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Friendswood Independent School District (ISD). The school district was established on ...

2001 Texas 4A UIL State High School Championship team. After graduating from high school in 2002, Carter played four years of NCAA Division I Women's Soccer at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. Following her time at Navy, she spent nearly eight years in the

and made multiple combat deployments in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

Playing career

While serving on active duty in the Marine Corps, Carter represented the United States in two

International Military Sports Council The International Military Sports Council (IMSC; , CISM) is an international sports association, established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the world's second-largest multi-discipline sports organisation, after the International Ol ...

Women's Military World Soccer Championships (

Ede, Netherlands Ede () is a city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Gelderland. municipality had 123,532 inhabitants, and as of 1 January 2023 the city had 79.435 inhabitants ...

– 2008,

Cherbourg-Octeville Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. In 2010, Carter was named

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 an ...

Female Athlete of the Year and finalist for the

Female Athlete of the Year. From 2010 to 2013, Carter was stationed in Hawaii and played semi-professionally for the Honolulu Bulls W1 Women's team, where she was teammates with future professional player

Caprice Dydasco Caprice Ka'anohikula Dydasco (born August 19, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right back for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for Pali Blues, the Washington Spirit, Newcastle J ...

. Upon the end of her active service in 2013, Carter returned to Texas and spent the next three years as a reserve goalkeeper for the

Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...

in the

. She made her only bench appearance for the team against the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

on August 18, 2016, but did not feature in the match.

Coaching career

While playing at Houston, Carter also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the women's soccer programs at

Huston–Tillotson University Huston–Tillotson University (HT) is a private historically black university in Austin, Texas, United States. Established in 1875, it was the first institution of higher learning in Austin. The university is affiliated with the United Methodis ...

and

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

. She has served not only as assistant coach for the

Afghanistan women's national football team The Afghanistan women's national football team (Dari: تیم ملی فوتبال زنان افغانستان) was the women's national team of Afghanistan until the fall of Kabul in August 2021. They played under the authority of the Afghanist ...

but also as an Olympic Development coach for South Texas Youth Soccer Association and the South Region (formerly Region III) of the

United States Youth Soccer Association The United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer, abbreviated USYS) is the largest youth affiliate and member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 54 S ...

. On November 10, 2016, Carter became the first female professional player to receive the FIFPro World Players Union Merit Award for her efforts coaching the Afghanistan women. She used these funds to cover the teams expenses and participation in the 2016 South Asia Football Federation Women's Championships. During 2017, the team did not participate in any formal events due to budget constraints. They attended their first training camp of 2018 in

Amman, Jordan Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the List of largest cities in the ...

, where they played two games against the Jordanian Women's National Team. In November 2018, Carter and Afghanistan National Team head coach,

Kelly Lindsey Kelly Ann Lindsey (born September 3, 1979) is an American soccer coach and former defender who played for the United States women's national soccer team and the San Jose CyberRays of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She is the COO and ...

, were left off the

Afghanistan Football Federation The Afghanistan Football Federation AFF; is the governing body of football in Afghanistan, overseeing the organization, promotion, and regulation of all national teams and leagues. Established in 1922, the AFF joined FIFA in 1948 and became a ...

's delegation for the

Central Asian Football Association Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) is one of five regional bodies that govern association football in Asia. It governs association football, futsal, and beach football in Central Asia. Headquartered in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, CAFA consists ...

's Women's Championships. Their absence was accompanied by the simultaneous dismissal of multiple key players from the team, including its captain, Shabnam Mobarez. Shortly thereafter, the dismissed players released statements on social media that their dismissal was the result of a refusal to sign a player contract substantially limiting their rights as players and human beings. Carter stated that the contract forced upon the players was deemed non-negotiable by the Afghan Federation, it was unconscionable, and that she could not support asking the players to take part. The contract has been linked to an effort to intimidate and silence the players and staff from publicly discussing allegations they made to the Afghanistan Football Federation detailing the sexual abuse of women players by male Federation members. Documentation supporting the allegations was provided to

Hummel International Hummel International Sport & Leisure A/S, commonly known as Hummel (stylized hummel), is a German-founded Danish manufacturing company of sportswear brand based in Aarhus. It is owned by Thornico. The company currently manufactures apparel for foo ...

, and on November 30, 2018, Hummel terminated their sponsorship with the Afghan Football Federation and immediately demanded the removal of its president, Kerim Kerramudin. The allegations were investigated by both the Afghanistan Attorney General, Farid Hamidi, and the

FIFA Ethics Committee The FIFA Ethics Committee is one of FIFA's three judicial bodies. It is organized in two chambers, the ''Investigatory Chamber'' and the ''Adjudicatory Chamber''. Its duties are regulated by several official documents, most importantly the ''FIFA ...

. As of December 9, 2018, five members of the Afghan Football Federation, including its president, were suspended indefinitely following initial inquiries. On June 8, 2019, following its investigation, FIFA announced a lifetime ban for Kerim Kerramudin and fined him 1,000,000 CHF for breaching article 23 (protection of physical and mental integrity) and article 25 (abuse of position) of the FIFA Code of Ethics. On the following day, the Afghanistan Attorney General's office also issued an arrest warrant for Kerramudin although he remains at large. The investigation of additional Afghanistan Football Federation officials is ongoing. Following her departure from the Afghan Women's National Team, Carter was nominated to run for vice president of the

United Soccer Coaches The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

board of directors and although losing the election, was later appointed chair of the United Soccer Coaches Women Coaches Community. In October 2019, Carter joined Lisa Cole's staff for the Antigua and Barbuda Women's National Team as a goalkeeper coach at the 2020

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

Caribbean Football Union The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) is the representative organization for football (soccer), football associations in the Caribbean. It represents 25 FIFA member nations, as well as 6 territories that are not affiliated with FIFA. The Union was e ...

's Olympic Qualifiers. In January 2023, Carter was appointed general manager and vice president of soccer operations for

of the

(NWSL).

Personal life

In addition to her degree from the Naval Academy, Carter earned an MBA with Distinction from the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

and a J.D. from the

University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is ...

. Her military awards and decorations include the

Defense Meritorious Service Medal The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is an award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. In the order of precedence of the United States Armed Forces, it is worn between the Purple ...

, the

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

(w/ Gold Star in Lieu of Second Award), the Joint Unit Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and Iraqi Campaign Medal (w/ 3 Bronze Stars). She is a Lifetime Girl Scouts member, a member of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Juliette's Circle and the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council's 1912 Club, and volunteers in two communities in the San Jacinto Council. In 2017, she was admitted as an EY Women Athletes Business Network Mentee and partnered with Major General Angela Salinas, USMC (Ret). She participates in multiple women's groups including the

International Women's Forum The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,800 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two co ...

, the Women Marines Association, and the Houston Association of Women Attorneys. She is also an executive board member of the Girls Academy League
Spirit of Soccer
and th
U.S. Naval Academy TxGC Foundation
Carter is also an outspoken advocate for the #VetsForGunReform campaign. On May 23, 2018, City of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Mayor

Sylvester Turner Sylvester Turner (September 27, 1954 – March 5, 2025) was an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from January 2025 until his death in March 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democra ...

appointed Carter to serve on his Commission Against Gun Violence, focusing on the development of policy recommendations for improving gun safety in area schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Mayor Turner then named her chair of the commission on May 31, 2018. Carter was also named to the City of Housto
Women's Commission
by Houston City Council in August 2021. The Commission is tasked with advancing equality and equity for women in the City of Houston by identifying and addressing disparities in healthcare, employment, safety and security across communities and industries, both in Houston’s public and private sectors. Carter serves on the Commission's Pay Equity Committee. In recognition of her work in business, professional sports, and service to the Greater Houston community, Carter was honored as a

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

40 Under 40 in August 2020. She is the namesake of the

"Haley's Heroes" program honoring female veterans and servicemembers. Carter was named grand marshal of the 2022

, Independence Day parade but stepped down after a harassment campaign led by national conservative commentator

Jesse Kelly ''The Jesse Kelly Show'' (formerly known as ''America Now'' and ''The Buck Sexton Show'') is a three-hour early evening conservative talk radio show hosted by Jesse Kelly, and carried by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc. It ...

, a Friendswood resident. Kelly and followers bullied city officials, criticizing Carter based on her perceived stance in favor of LGBT rights. Kelly posted a picture of Carter's son on social media.

References

External links

Sam Houston coach profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Haley 1984 births Living people United States Marine Corps officers Women's association football goalkeepers Houston Dash players United States Naval Academy alumni Afghanistan women's national football team managers American military sports players American women's soccer players American women's soccer coaches Navy Midshipmen women's soccer players People from Friendswood, Texas Sportspeople from the Houston metropolitan area Soccer players from Harris County, Texas United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War Female United States Marine Corps personnel Orlando Pride non-playing staff University of Houston Law Center alumni Alumni of the University of Liverpool 21st-century American sportswomen