Riley Jackson: Right player, right environment, right time
17-year-old USYNT standout excited to sign with NC Courage
For Riley Jackson, seeing her name on the back of an NC Courage jersey as she waited for her introductory press conference is when it all became real.
The 17-year-old U.S. Youth Women’s National Team standout put pen to paper on Friday and signed with the league-leading NC Courage through the 2025 season, with a 2026 option.
“I'm just beyond excited to be here,” Jackson said. “This environment is the best in the U.S. from what I've experienced so far.”
While the signing marks the official start of her professional career, Jackson’s journey to join the NC Courage started at a U-15 National Team camp just before the pandemic started.
Head coach Sean Nahas and assistant coaches Nathan Thackeray and Victoria Boardman were all coaches at the camp and Jackson impressed from the start.
“We knew at that moment that there was something special about her talents and the way she saw the game,” Nahas said during Jackson’s introductory press conference.
Since then, the Roswell, Georgia, native has come up to North Carolina to train with the team on two occasions and those opportunities solidified her desire to play for the club.
“The second that I stepped on the field, everyone was super welcoming and the second I stepped off, I wanted to get right back on,” Jackson said. “I think just knowing that I was always going to be challenged. The style of play is perfect for me and the way that I like to play and just the people here are so amazing. I felt like I'd be comfortable making a big jump, but also being comfortable being uncomfortable was a big thing for me and I feel like it's gonna be challenging every single day, which is what I need because I'm a competitor and I like to compete.”
Nahas said that had the rules been in place for signing under-18 players last year, the club would have tried to bring her in then.
“She's an unbelievably talented player, young, gifted,” Nahas said. “We're thrilled to have her in our environment and have her be around the players that we have, especially in the midfield. The future is just getting going for her but to have a player at her level, this is the future of women's football in this country, and the fact that we're able to sign Riley is a big step in the right direction for our club.”
No rush, no expectations
While Nahas spoke incredibly highly of his new midfielder, the NC Courage head coach was quick to try and take any pressure off Jackson's shoulders.
“Someone of her age, there's no rush,” Nahas said. “We want to make sure that we get her implemented in how we want to play, show her the ideas and the principles in which we want to play, get her integrated, get her comfortable. But there's no doubt in our mind that when that moment comes that she's going to be in between the lines for us. This isn't some little promotional thing. This is something that we see in a player that we think is the future of the midfield in our country and the way we play, I think will only enhance that and allow her to flourish.”
The kids are alright
The National Women’s Soccer League is in the midst of a youth renaissance.
Whether it’s players like the Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman, who did not play in college before turning pro due to the pandemic, or players like the San Diego Wave’s Jaedyn Shaw, who like Jackson signed professionally at the age of 17, the young guns are shining.
Professional deals like Shaw’s and Jackson’s, however, wouldn’t have been possible without Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie opening the door with her 2021 antitrust lawsuit against the league and subsequent settlement.
For Nahas, this kind of youth movement is long overdue.
“If you're good enough to play then you should be allowed to play,” Nahas said. “There shouldn't be anything to hold you back. That's why Europe is growing so much further than most because there aren't these rules in place. Players are playing pro. In Japan, players are playing pro. Here you have to go through a lot of red tape to make that happen. I don't think that's right. She's capable, we wouldn't bring her in if we didn't think she was capable and we're looking forward to getting her integrated in our environment and having her thrive in what we do here at our club.”
For Jackson, being part of the growing trend is exciting.
“I think it's awesome,” Jackson said. “It's really great for the future of soccer in general. It's super cool to be a part of it and to be inspiring other people that have similar goals that I do.”
Previously committed to Duke University, Jackson said the decision to go pro now was about more than just soccer.
“It's not just a soccer decision,” Jackson said. “It's a life decision and I feel like it's always been my dream since I was little to play and it's just an opportunity that you really can't pass up. It's perfect timing for me just where I'm at soccer wise, and I feel like I just want to make sure that I'm constantly challenging myself and this was just the best place to be able to do that in life and in soccer.”
Building a better club
The NC Courage signing Jackson is another big step in Nahas’ overarching goals for not only the team but the club as a whole.
“When I took over last year, I think we were sort of on the back end of the group that we had in the previous years,” Nahas said. “One of the big things that I wanted was to make sure that we started to lay the groundwork for building something special here, not just for one year but for down the line. As you can see we've gone to a really young roster with a great mix of veterans. I said at the beginning, this isn't a one or two year thing. This is a project for me and when I say a project, I mean building something.”
That something is a place where players can come, improve as players and flourish. Creating that is a credit to the players at the club, Nahas said.
“This is about leaving this place in a better place than when we got here and if I'm able to do that with the rest of the staff, then we've done our job,” Nahas said. “This isn't about winning this year. This is about creating something special that we can look back on in five, six, seven years and say we've done right and we've built something, we've built a club, we built a set up and a system to develop players. For years you always hear people say ‘Oh, once they're past 15-16 you can't develop them anymore.’ I’ve got about 10 players on our roster that will tell you that's not true. So what we do here is different. It's special. It's not for everybody, but there's a reason why we're playing the way we do and that's full credit to the players and the players we have in our locker room.”
Right environment to grow, support systems in place
That group of players will give Jackson the opportunity to ease into professional life.
“The best thing for her though is that she comes into a group that gets along and loves being around each other, that are building something special here,” Nahas said. “That's sometimes what allows players to sort of ease into it rather than feel they have to come in and do all this crazy stuff. There's no better situation than the one we currently have for her to step into.”
While the environment will allow her to ease into professional life, the training will also help her improve.
“I feel like every single training session that I've been a part of, I feel like I've gotten a little bit better each time,” Jackson said. “So that's the biggest thing for me. I want to continue to get better and to continue to be pushed and I feel like just the style of training sessions and the intensity and everything that goes into every single day is perfect for me to be able to reach my goals in the future.”
Jackson went and watched the Courage training before her press conference and was greeted by some familiar faces including multiple teammates from the USYNT that play for the Courage Academy and train with the first team.
“That was so exciting,” Jackson said. “It's always great to see someone that you haven't seen in a while and especially with your youth national teams, you get super close with the people that you're there with just because you can relate on such a great level. It was super exciting to get to see her today, killing it at training.”
With a year of high school left, Jackson said she will be completing school virtually with her current district in Georgia.
“First thing’s first, I've had an insanely good support system throughout the years and I've learned a lot of life skills about how to manage time, how to balance school, how to balance soccer, because it is a lot,” Jackson said. “I actually turn 18 in December so my parents will be with me up here until probably then and then we'll work out details after that, but I do think that the people around me, especially here, are going to really help me have a smooth transition. Balancing school shouldn't be hard. I've missed a lot of school in the past, so I know how to deal with it and my teachers at home are really, really, really understanding and they're super excited for me too, so that's helpful.”
Nahas said the club has the personnel in place to make sure that not only league requirements for an under-18 player are met, but that Jackson is supported.
“We wouldn't do this unless we had things in place that were necessary,” Nahas said. “The league has requirements that you have to have and we'll make sure that we take care of that and that everyone on our staff follows those rules, that everyone in the locker room follows those rules, but she's not going to be treated any differently. We're just going to make sure we take care of her because of her age, but also make sure that the parents know and the family knows that she's one of ours now in terms of we want to make sure we're taking care of her so that when they're not here on a given day that they know that she's in good hands. This isn't solely about football. This is solely about how we are going to help her grow and mature as a person. She's already mature beyond her years, but we want to make sure that we're doing right by her.”
More information on Jackson signing with the NC Courage can be found here:
NC Courage sign 17-year-old USYNT standout Riley Jackson
CARY – Riley Jackson is the latest teenager to jump straight into the professional ranks of the National Women’s Soccer League, with the USYNT standout signing with the NC Courage on Friday, July 28. The 17-year-old midfielder will be introduced at halftime of the Courage’s Challenge Cup match against the Orlando Pride on…
Watch the full introductory press conference here: