The Work Behind the Game: Chelsea Khoury

by Tessa Alegre

A clipboard in one hand, a pile of rosters sitting in her lap, phone ringing, a line of clients building in the front with a group of her employees clustering for direction in the back, it’s an ordinary workday for Chelsea Khoury. After attending Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing, Khoury secured her position as the Adult League Manager at the Maryland SoccerPlex at just 24 years old.

Beginning her journey as a recreational player, she progressed to playing on a travel team for 12 years, eager for college recruitment. The hard work paid off. At Concord University, where she spent 2 years, she played center mid for the women’s team (despite her preferred position as winger). In 2023, Khoury received an incredible opportunity, as her dedication to the sport led to call-ups to national teams, including El Salvador, her mother’s native country.

Unfortunately, Khoury sustained a critical injury, halting the momentum she had invested years of building in soccer. After colliding with two opponents during a recreational co-ed game: one twisting her torso, one gridlocked with her standing leg, Khoury heard a *pop* signaling a torn ACL and meniscus. As she is currently on the mend, frustrated and disheartened by her rehab’s plateau, Khoury reflects that she “needed [the injury]” because it has granted her time off the field to reflect on the sport, her confidence, and the competition.

What keeps her going through 12-14-hour workdays is her love for soccer. Khoury typically takes work home with her, finding that there is “no time to do anything” outside of her employment. Still, that doesn’t stop her from finding ways to stay on the field. Three days a week, she coaches at Virginia’s Fieldhouse, working with players aged 2-17, bringing the same passion and earnest intensity to that role.

Instead of playing in the game, she’s now responsible for managing it. With 1,384 players – 108 teams (i.e., 108 captains) – to keep things in perspective, Khoury often reminds herself there is “only one of me.” While she works to create exciting, competitive, and fun adult league sessions, much of her role comes down to holding firm on decisions, which are met with pushbacks.

“I’m happy where I am, but it can be frustrating that a man probably wouldn’t have the same problems.”

Initially, she assumed that, given her background in the sport and the camaraderie she had always experienced on teams, she would be able to connect easily with others. She was amiss. As a woman in a position of authority, she finds herself needing to reinforce decisions more firmly to earn the same level of trust that others might be given more readily. Weekly, Khoury receives a high volume of emails, phone calls, and complaints, many from players vexed by rules and decisions, scheduling, refs, and suspensions, while simultaneously voicing their doubts about her judgment, authority, and competence. Yet, Khoury did not create the rules for SoccerPlex’s games; she is the enforcer, thus often becoming the point of contact for that frustration.

It’s a different side of the game that Khoury is still getting used to. More than anything, she wants to show she is capable, equitable, and accountable. Although not everyone will agree with how things are handled, the work still must be done, and Chelsea Khoury is the one to do it.