While some soccer clubs opt for one stand-alone team captain, over the past few seasons the Houston Dash has consistently turned to multiple leaders as a part of its culture.
In a notably turbulent and unpredictable 2022 season - both in Houston and around the NWSL as a whole - the exemplary guidance co-captains Jane Campbell and Katie Naughton have displayed has been even more noticeable.
Drafted in 2017, goalkeeper Campbell is the joint-longest serving player at the club. She recently reached 100 appearances for the Dash and was first named co-captain alongside club legend Rachel Daly in 2020. Daly, the club's all-time top scorer, departed Houston in August 2022 after seven seasons.
One of the league's most notable iron women, Naughton hasn't missed a single minute of the NWSL regular season since she signed for Houston in January 2020. Due to Campbell and Daly's respective international obligations, the defender first assumed a more public leadership role with the Dash during the Challenge Cup and summer months of the 2021 season.
Ahead of the Dash's historic first-ever NWSL playoff match, The Striker virtually sat down with the duo for a roundtable conversation to dive deeper into what it really means to be a captain and establish a locker room culture.
(The questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity)
Before we get started, I wanted to check in to see how you two and the squad have been since the Sally Yates report came out.
Katie Naughton: I mean, obviously, it's been a pretty heavy week with all of the reports coming out and the E:60 episode. It's very disheartening to see that again, and kind of relive those experiences.
But I think we have come a long way and are in a much better space now. For the players and staff that needed to take the time, they have. So that's been a nice gesture. I think the staff understands that this is a really sensitive time, and it's good for them to realize the gravity of the situation.
Thank you for sharing that. Transitioning into what I wanted to talk to you both about today, I really wanted to do a deep dive into the captaincy culture of the Houston Dash.
As an icebreaker - if you’ll amuse me - I wanted to get Katie to ask Jane, and Jane to ask Katie, what is something that you admire about the other captain?
KN: Okay Jane, what do you admire about me as a captain?
Jane Campbell: I think Katie is definitely the most even-keeled person on our team. Maybe even in the NWSL. When I was playing against her, when she was in Chicago, the scouting report always that she was consistent.
We've known each other for quite a long time. But now getting to know her even more as a teammate, it couldn't be more true about her personality and the way she carries herself. I think that quality is a massive positive for her. And I greatly admire her for it, because I know I'm probably the exact opposite.
So I think that is my favorite trait about Katie, as a leader and as a person. When I lose my fuse, Katie's always there to keep the room kind of calm
KN: Thanks, Jane.
JC: So what do you admire about me then?
KN: Even though she doesn't think she's consistent, I think she is one of the most consistent players in the league. Jane is just so fierce and her passion for the game is amazing. She wants everyone to feel like they're getting the best out of the situation and she wants everyone to feel comfortable going to her.
The way that she is able to communicate with so many different types of people. It doesn't matter their background doesn't matter their experience, rookie or veteran, none of it matters. She just looks at the person. And I think that's so admirable, and she fights for every single one of us. So I'm really honored that I get to work with her day in and day out. And she usually takes the hard conversations.
Thank you both for doing that. Can I ask what you meant by the "hard conversations?"
JC: Well, there are players on every team and in every locker room who are scared to speak up, which is totally fine. Everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to communication. I'm sure there are people who are especially intimidated to speak to the coaching staff. And now that Alex [Singer], our GM is around all the time, they're probably a little bit on edge, which is totally fine and very understandable.
So sometimes I’ll go running up to Katie one day and be like: "Oh my frickin' Lord, you won't believe this.’ Katie will then say "maybe we should talk to the coaches about it." And then I'll be the one to go and talk to the coaches immediately.
We try to put our ears to the ground and listen to the locker room. Sometimes everyone's saying the same thing but no one's talking about it. This could be a red flag, so let's just squash it. So it doesn't turn into anything big.
It could just be something so silly like there's a miscommunication about training or something on the schedule. But it could be a big deal.
My biggest question for anything that I do, and anything the team does, is why are we doing it?
I've been here for six years, I'm not afraid to ask those questions anymore. I think when I was younger, under different leaders and under different coaches I was the player who was quiet and wasn't comfortable. But now Katie and I are very comfortable speaking to the staff, we have a great relationship with the staff.
Listening to what you said about each other, there were a lot of different skills and traits highlighted. Is there one way to captain or what are the things most valuable to a captain?
JC: I don't think there's a right way at all. I think that's the cool part about leadership. You could name 15 players on our team or any given team and put them in a leadership role. It's about balance, and you have got to kind of find that right mesh for it to be successful.
I'm very honored to be partnered with Katie here. I've told the coaches in the past that if I'm not a captain, it is no sweat off my back. I will still be the same. And I think that's the greatest part about Katie and I. I don't think either of us will ever fake it. We're just very genuine. We're very fortunate and honored to be in the positions we're in.
KN: There are just so many different styles of leadership and captaincy. And you see that throughout the league, and you see that with Jane, and I. We’re little bit of a microcosm. It's unique, and really interesting.
JC: I also think it's cool that someone who hardly speaks on the field could actually be that team's captain. And then there's people who are firecrackers who are other teams' captains.
On your relationship though, how did you come up with the system that you have in place? The system that maintains that balance, and knows when the different tact - the calm or the firecracker - is needed?
KN: We kind of built it out of each other over time. In meetings, Jane always writes everything down, she's very meticulous with the notes that she keeps, which is great. So she usually kind of takes charge.
But before we go in, we'll always kind of collaborate over topics we want to hit. And we will just come up with that stuff together. I think for the most part, Jane usually starts the meetings off with her notepad.
Jane, what does that look like when you open up the notepad?
JC: The joke is, it is my little burn book. I've got four of them around the house. The one that I have now is maroon. It's something that I learned years ago. After my first couple of seasons, I was losing a lot of patience. So I decided to write everything down.
That way I have a document if I ever did have to present something. I at least had the truth in front of me, whether I liked it or not. It was literally a record of everything.
If someone on the team came up to me and said “didn't we do this in training?” - then I could literally look at the training plan from that day and I know exactly what we did and be like, “No, we didn't” or “Yes, we did.”
Sometimes a coach would say something and I would jot it down just to make sure we had the right verbiage. And then you can go back and be like you said this.
So what does it look like when you two have to speak in the team meetings?
JC: Well, I will jot down what we're going to say in the meeting. And then I'll ask Katie if she has any other points to bring up and she'll come up with three more that I didn't even think of. They will always be really important points.
I'm much less patient than Katie is. In meetings, my fuse gets lit really quickly. And Katie is much calmer. And so she kind of circles the conversation back around. So we do have very good chemistry in that regard, which I'm very thankful for. Because if it was just me, it would probably be a disaster.
KN: So not true.
Are you two the only ones that say the stuff written in the book?
JC: It's technically everyone's book isn't it? It's not really private. I mean, I guess it's private, because it's my book, but anyone can read it because literally everything we do is in it.
It's all just open communication. We'll have team meetings without the staff. And we'll write down everything in the team meeting so Katie and I know exactly what's in the book. It's more so that we don't lose track and we don't make up lies. Not that we would, but we just want to make sure we're saying exactly what we said. So, you know, we're not, we're not twisting anybody's words. And we also don't want to twist like the coach's words, we just want to be very clear.
So while we’re talking about communication, how did Katie end up doing the pregame speeches this season?
JC: At one point we didn't really know who the captain was. So I was going to give Katie the armband, and Katie was like: “Absolutely not. You have to wear it.”
So I told her that if I wear the armband then she’s doing the pregame speech. She crushes it. And she has these amazing speeches every game, whether they're funny or serious, or motivating or whatever. I love it.
KN: I had actually forgotten about the armband part of that story. But yeah, I just try to mix up the speeches a little bit. So it's not so monotonous. And I think the girls like it, I think they kind of make fun of me a little bit for it.
This is funny to me because Jane you said that Katie was very even-keeled, and she said that you are the passionate one. And yet Katie is on the pregame speeches.
KN: Well, I think if I go crazy then the team knows something is up. If I'm going crazy, there's a reason for it. I think that kind of gets everyone pumped up because I usually don't, I'm usually pretty reserved.
Stars were dimmed on Saturday night 😏#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/6dNLmsisxa
— X - Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) September 20, 2022
A lot has changed in the captain’s room recently. Especially since Rachel Daly - a huge part of the team's culture since 2016 - moved on in August. How has the culture of the captain role changed this season?
JC: It's been interesting. I think the structure has remained the same, but the personalities have changed.
KN: Before I came to the Dash, I didn't know what their captaincy structure was like, I only knew what it was like in Chicago. Then once I stepped into this team, I realized Rachel was wearing the armband and Jane was kind of second in command. But there was also a bigger leadership group. It really was quite an honor to have an opportunity to be a part of it in my first year with the club.
Since then, it's kind of evolved because we've had different coaches and now a new GM. Everything's kind of grown, which is excellent. But we're still just rolling with the punches in that regard to see what works best for us. And right now, it's this tandem duo that we have, along with two other teammates that are in our leadership group.
Who else is in the leadership group now? And how did that get decided?
KN: Sophie Schmidt and Nichelle Prince.
JC: In the leadership group in the past, under James, he appointed Rachel to be the captain. And then we had a player survey where you could vote who you wanted into the leadership group.
At the time, I think James wanted five of us in it. Then in 2021, because of the Olympics, we needed to add two more. At the start of 2022, James said he wanted the leadership group to just be Rachel, Katie, and me.
Then when Juan [Carlos Amoros] came in, Katie and Juan had their own private discussions. Then I had a private discussion with him as well about the leadership roles. And I said, "listen, whatever you decide, I don't care. But I think the team needs to decide. And whatever the team votes, that is who should be in charge. The leadership role, shouldn't be a coach's decision."
I didn't care if Katie wears it, I didn't care if the dog wears it. The team has to vote. I just thought that was the healthiest way to do it. It turned out that Katie and I got voted in.
Is it rare for players to establish their own captains and leadership groups in this way?
JC: I don't know. A few other people around the league are a part of their own leadership groups on their teams. But I'm not sure how that all evolves on each team. It's a delicate position, one that can make or break a team.
When Juan came in, it was kind of a reset for everybody at an odd time. But you can't really reset at that point in the season. You kind of just have to keep rolling with everything we're doing.
KN: I think it was great that Juan did listen to the team vote. In Chicago, at least while I was there, I don't think we ever did a team vote for the captain. So it was good to have the players' input because they're the ones that have to deal with us every day and get to get all my messages on WhatsApp.
On those evolutions, how does being captain affect your relationship with Jess O’Neill?
KN: Jane and I have a weekly standing call with Jess [O'Neill] just to keep up with what's going on with the team and make sure that our needs are being met. And she's just so new that at the beginning I think she just wanted to make sure she was getting a pulse of what was going on. So that was nice to have her support as well. And to know that she was in our corner fighting for us, behind the scenes.
Who do you feel most responsible for as captain? Or maybe what I’m really trying to say is who do you feel like you are representing as a captain? Is it the coach? Is it the fans? Is it your teammates? Is it yourself?
KN: My first instinct is the players. Yes, we do kind of bridge that gap between the staff and the players and the coaches and the players. But we're here to do a job first and that's to play soccer. And I think if we are able to have the team on our side and then understand what the coaching side is trying to communicate, then that is where you find success.
JC: I agree.
Where outside of soccer do you find inspiration as a captain?
JC: I want to answer first because I don't want Katie to steal my answer. But I'm gonna say Mike Eruzione from the USA Hockey team. He helped them win gold at the Winter Olympics.
In the movie ‘Miracle’, and also in Jim Craig's book, you learn about how Eruzione was named the captain even though he was also on the verge of being cut from the Olympic team. And he wasn't the best player by any means"
But he was always driven. And it was always team first and country first. And I mean, me and Katie both can recite that movie. I would always want to strive to be, in a leadership role. But as a player, I'm not the greatest by any means. And I do think I have a good head on my shoulders. And I can work hard. And I think that's what Mike did. And it led their team to Olympic gold. And I think that's awesome.
KN: [Laughing] I accidentally quoted ‘Miracle’ in one of my pregame speeches. Coach Brooks, when he says: “The name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back.”
Afterwards, Jane asked me, “Did you watch ‘Miracle’ last night?’"
Who is the best captain you've ever had in your career so far?
KN: The best captain I've ever had to work under would probably be in my freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame. Elizabeth Tucker, now Elizabeth Cochran.
Again, she wasn’t the most flashy player. She was consistent in her work and had a great head on her shoulders and just carried herself very well. And I think I really looked up to that. And wanted to emulate the way that she played and the way that she carried herself on and off the field. She also had a 4.0 GPA, like she was a genius.
How does being a captain affect your role off the pitch, in the community in the city of Houston?
JC: I think it's an interesting debate, right? Like, every athlete has a platform, do you use your platform or not? And to me, there's no right or wrong answer. There shouldn't be any pressure. Our job is to play soccer.
When I was drafted here, I really wanted to just dive into the city. I wanted to love the city. And fortunately, I've loved playing here. I feel as though the city is like my second home. I mean, I love it here. I bought a house here. And it is home to me.
We also don't make millions, so we can't just donate money. So I thought about what else I could do. Fortunately, my family has a lot of connections in the military. And so I've met so many veterans who can't even walk and here I am playing a game for a living and getting paid. To me, that just seems a little bit unfair.
Reporting for duty in the community.
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2022
@jane_campbell1 is representing @missioncontinue in their work to empower veterans and communities.
#NationwideImpactAward | @HoustonDash pic.twitter.com/iQmooOL6RN
So the way to give back is with the Mission Continues, which is partnered with Dynamo charities. The past few years has been incredible. And then at Christmas, I always like to do a gift of some sort to the Children's Hospital. Last year, I donated 500 little soccer balls to the Children's Hospital and hopefully, all the kids got a ball and can juggle one day.
The fans are also so close to us. And so we always talk to them after every game. I feel like the more we get connected to the city, the more we can hear what they want out of the game. Whether that's more hotdogs or more music. They'll tell us anything.
KN: That's really special about our team. Every single person on our team, in some capacity, is involved with the community. I don't think being a captain limits me or pushes me harder. I think I would do the same things I do now.
I've really started to take the MD Anderson Cancer ambassadorship really seriously, I had two family members that had been directly affected. So that's something that's close to my heart. And I really want to continue to pursue that mission that they have.
Katie Naughton serves as an ambassador for MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer after experiencing her aunt’s and grandmother’s cancer diagnoses. @K_Naughton24 @HoustonDash #HoldItDown #EndCancer pic.twitter.com/010EfiuSer
— MD Anderson Cancer Center (@MDAndersonNews) August 20, 2022
My last question is, what makes good locker room culture? And who is responsible?
JC: Good question. My gut reaction is that you're always going to have egos, you're always going to have your top dogs and you're always, unfortunately, going to have the players who don't play. And then you're always gonna have the people in the middle.
Obviously winning helps, but I never really believe it’s just that. I think that's an excuse when you have bad locker room culture because you're losing. I think if everybody has one common goal, and everyone is driven to achieve that, and whatever role they have, I think you've got a good culture.
It is our responsibility to some extent. To let players know that if you're going to be disrespectful, if you're not going to say good morning, if you're not gonna hold the door open for people and thank the janitors, who clean our dirty showers, or even thank the littlest people at the club, then they shouldn't be on the team.
KN: If we all respect one another, that's huge. For me, it's the respect that I’ve seen that either makes or breaks the success of a team.
Right now we're in a good spot. So it's good, but at any point that could change. So it's about how we respond to adversity and then how we build back from that. I like how our locker room is at the moment. I hope this trend continues.
Family everywhere we go 🧡#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/bfP1wmYJcX
— X - Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) October 2, 2022
What’s an example of how this good locker room culture was fostered?
KN: I think a good example is someone who day in and day out comes in with a good attitude. For us, that is someone like Annika Schmidt. She tore her ACL in a pretty dramatic fashion and could have completely taken a different path. But she comes in with a smile on her face every single day, and really brings the light to the group. She's a good tell-tale sign of how the locker room is feeling.
I know a ton of different people that reach out to teammates if they're having a bad day, or they notice something's off. We keep track of each other. And if it gets really bad, then that's when it might come to Jane or I’s attention, or even to the coaching staff. But I think we do a really good job of checking in on each other.
The Dash play the KC Current in the NWSL quarterfinals on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at PNC Stadium.
The @HoustonDash locker room celebrations at Audi Field tonight are a whole vibe! #NWSL pic.twitter.com/Y0uRcwOsek
— The Striker (@TheStrikerNews) October 2, 2022