Aaron Heifetz at a press conference with USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes. Courtesy of Linda Meyer

When the United States women’s national soccer team faces off against Chile at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 27, the match will mean much more than an international friendly in Harder Stadium. For Aaron Heifetz, the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) director of communications and a UCSB alum, the game represents a return to the place where his career in sports media began: first in the Daily Nexus newsroom, and then as an assistant coach of the UCSB women’s soccer team. 

Heifetz’s path to the national level did not begin in the newsroom, though, it began with soccer. Originally transferring to UCSB with hopes of playing soccer, Heifetz found himself searching for another outlet when that opportunity didn’t materialize. He later tried out for the newly returned UCSB football program in 1987, earning a spot on the roster as a kicker. But when his athletic ambitions at UCSB stalled, Heifetz made a decision to change course, one that would ultimately define his career.

“I walked into the Daily Nexus and into the sports editors’ office and I said ‘Hey, I’d like to cover your men’s soccer team’ … in a sentence that changed my life, he said, ‘Well, we have someone covering men’s soccer, how would you like to cover women’s soccer?’” Heifetz said.

Heifetz accepted this offer, and in doing so he unknowingly set off a chain reaction that would shape the rest of his life. While covering the UCSB women’s soccer team for the Nexus, Heifetz developed a close relationship with Head Coach Tad Bobak, bonding over their shared passion for the game. This bond continued past Heifetz’s graduation from UCSB.

After graduating, Bobak offered Heifetz a position on the team as an assistant head coach. Heifetz accepted this offer, becoming the assistant head coach for the UCSB women’s soccer team from 1989-94. It was during his time in this position that another door opened. 

In 1991, Bobak came up with the idea to bring the USWNT to Santa Barbara. The visit included a training camp and two exhibition matches, one against UCSB and another against a Southern California all-star team.

“Because that match in 1991, opened a door, which opened another door, which opened another door, it’s very special to come back,” Heifetz said.

Two years later, when the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) played Romania at UCSB, Heifetz crossed paths with U.S. Soccer Press Officer Dean Linke. Linke invited Heifetz to assist with communications duties and travel with the team for matches in Southern California. 

While traveling with the team, Heifetz began to write game stories and assisted Linke with press operations. That experience led to an offer for a position as the assistant director of communications for the USMNT. In 1995, with the experience of writing and performing communications duties for the men’s world cup team in his belt, U.S. Soccer offered Heifetz a position as the director of communications for the USWNT. As a result of a chain reaction that started with the Daily Nexus, Heifetz has been with the team in that same position since.

“The Nexus played a big role in where I am today, and I’m very fond of that,” Heifetz said.

Now, as the director of communication for the USWNT, Heifetz oversees the messaging and media that surrounds one of the most influential teams in sports. 

“I deal with all of the media that surrounds the USWNT — all the interviews for all the players, the broadcasts, a lot of public relations, our content team — basically making sure what we are putting out to the public mirrors the themes that we want as U.S. Soccer, that is real and true to who we are and who the players are,” Heifetz said.

Heifetz’s role carries a lot of responsibility, given the large influence and cultural impacts of the USWNT.

“This team and these players, they mean a lot to a lot of people. That’s why I call myself a professional reminder … I remind them that they need to do interviews, I remind them that they need to keep pushing … if you can do something in your life that you feel has positively impacted sports culture, which these women definitely have, then you can feel pretty proud at the end of the day, Heifetz said.

Over the span of Heifetz’s career with the USWNT, the media atmosphere surrounding women’s sports has changed drastically.

“Massively. Like night and day,” Heifetz said. “That kind of growth is just remarkable, and I give the players a lot of credit because they are the ones through all of the years that kept pushing and kept doing the work, the interviews and the winning … It’s massively different and it’s awesome.”

The evolution of the USWNT makes the return to UCSB on Jan. 27 a lot more meaningful for Heifetz, who can trace many memories, opportunities and turning points back to Santa Barbara. 

“It means a lot … you always have a soft spot for your college and the program there … It’s definitely full circle,” Heifetz said.

As the USWNT prepares to take the field at Harder Stadium on Jan. 27 against Chile, Heifetz’s return serves as a reminder of UCSB’s lasting influence on its students, not just on the athletes also but on the storytellers who help shape how sports are remembered.

“It’s a special place, there is always something going on, there is always a good energy there, whether you’re in I.V. or on campus,” Heifetz said. “Yeah, people should be full of gratitude that they get to go to school in such a beautiful place.”