U.S. Goalkeeper Emily Dolan Promotes Her Smaller Glove Label And The Big Clásico

Emily Dolan, a 27-year-old U.S. goalkeeper, testing her skills at the top level in Spain, is many things. On a professional level, she’s battle-hardened. As a brand representative, she’s open-minded. And as a women’s soccer player, she’s enthused by the game’s stature on the Iberian peninsula.

Dolan competes for playing time at Sporting Huelva in the women’s top flight. Branded as the Liga Iberdrola, it’s an emerging league with European champion Barcelona Femení—a team she says is in “another world”—the main attraction. It’s also a stage where she can drive attention towards herself, new enterprises and the sport itself.

It seems natural to start from the base. Injuries can be gutting, and the Delaware-born stopper experienced the dreaded anterior cruciate ligament tear two seasons back. Dolan says it was “career-changing but not career-ending.” Back on the radar, she has a humble outlook.

“I start with the assumption that nobody knows who I am, and I kind of take it from there,” she tells me via Zoom. “I think a part of being a professional soccer player, especially on the women’s side, is being visible, is marketing yourself, not only as a player but as an advocate and role model in certain groups. We do have a responsibility for the next generation.”

The top women’s soccer players are, naturally, part of popular discourse and are magnets for sponsors and causes. Yet the same cannot be said for everyone, even those playing at the highest level. That provides a space for athletes like Dolan to go the other way by attaching themselves to companies beyond Nike and Adidas, for example. In the keeper’s case, she reached out to glove manufacturer RG, which has branches in various European countries, and now represents them.

“I think there’s a lot of quality gloves out there,” she adds. I’ve grown up with Adidas gloves for my entire life. Nike gloves are fantastic; I used them in college.

“There are other brands out there. I think many people get stuck on the name brand of Nike, Adidas and Puma, which isn’t so fair to smaller companies. In my experience, my previous company and RG make fantastic gloves. I’m just trying to open the mind a little bit.”

Sporting—whose name does not relate to its men’s equivalent, Recreativo—is languishing near the foot of the domestic table, something Dolan and company hope to address. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Real Madrid, who form part of their institutions, boast some of the best names on the continent and are drawing plenty of interest.

The pair meets in the Champions League knockout stage in late March, and over 80,000 spectators could be there to witness it from their Camp Nou seats. Whatever the number, the match will likely attract the most fans ever for a women’s club game. Earlier in the month, the rivals face off in the league. The two installments promise to be captivating, although Real is still some way behind the Blaugrana in the standings.

“It spells great things for the future of women’s soccer” is the U.S. keeper’s take. Having faced Barcelona, she knows just how good the Catalans are in particular.

“It shows that there is an interest, that there is a market, and that people will pay money to go and see quality matches.

“For clubs that maybe don’t have the same resources as Barcelona, the product will be different on the field. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way in 15 or 20 years with the correct backing and investment. Women’s soccer can reach that level on a much broader scale. It doesn’t only have to be for the best teams in Europe.”

The potential record attendance does come with some caveats. Seats were affordable, which does not correspond to elite soccer contests across the board. There is also the challenge in sustaining interest beyond great occasions and international tournaments, such as the European Championships in England this July.

Seeking recognition works twofold; for individuals and, somewhat consequently, for the sport as a whole. It’s something Dolan relates to, having recovered from a severe injury while attempting to establish herself in a division far from home.

“My goal from the start was to make the injury experience the best thing in my career,” she reflects, considering how it gave her time to ponder and develop areas of her game.

“I’m trying to get back into the rhythm of playing, trying to work things out after not having too much regularity over the past two years. But honestly, I feel fantastic. I feel like I’m playing at a respectable level. I feel healthy and fit,” adds Dolan, as she and women’s soccer enthusiasts alike await a mammoth derby between Spain’s two massive teams. The strength of women’s soccer comes in many forms.