For most of their career, Tina has helped other people celebrate the clubs they love. Working in the soccer industry for the past 15 years at Soccer Post, they’ve designed and produced everything from youth rec team apparel to gear for professional clubs. They’ve watched children proudly wear their first jersey, seen college athletes chase bigger dreams and helped bring professional brands to life. 

Along the way, they witnessed one thing that never changed, no matter the level. And that is the emotional connection people have with their club. Fans love to wear their colors with pride, defend their team and even create traditions that become part of who they are. For years, Tina admired that passion from the outside. Then Dallas Trinity FC came onto the scene, and for the first time, they weren’t helping tell someone else’s story. Tina had finally found a club that felt like their own.

That perspective is what makes Tina’s support for Dallas Trinity FC so unique. Unlike many fans who fell in love with soccer as children, their appreciation for the game grew through years of working behind the scenes. Every project literally became a reminder that soccer is about much more than ninety minutes on the field. 

A jersey isn’t simply fabric with a logo on it. For a new, young player, it might be the first jersey they ever wear. For a professional, it’s the tangible reward for years of sacrifice. Seeing those moments unfold year after year gave Tina an appreciation for the people behind the sport as much as the game itself.

“It’s the passion of people for their different teams,” Tina said. “Everybody has their own team, and we’re all passionate about our own teams. Getting to interact with people, debating and arguing and trash talking that’s been a lot of fun. Whether it’s your first jersey or you’re getting a professional jersey, you’ve got to put your passion and your heart into that because it could be the next player chasing that dream.”

That passion eventually led Tina to discover something they hadn’t expected, a supporter culture. While working weekends, they often found themselves watching matches on a phone or television, seeing supporters sing in unison, wave scarves and create an atmosphere that was just as important as the action unfolding on the field. It was a community built around shared joy, heartbreak and a belief that showing up every week mattered. 

“I wanted to be in a supporter section that brings that type of cheer and you have fun. Everybody goes home happy because they had this cool experience in the supporter section. I wanted to be a part of that. So then when Dallas Trinity FC got announced, it was like, ‘I’m going all in.'”

Today, Tina is one of the familiar faces in the supporter section that helped create the atmosphere, one of Dallas Trinity FC’s defining features. They even helped make the affectionate nickname “Golden Girls” for the players, cool and popular. It was a name born from the idea that this team is something to treasure. 

One match in particular stands above every other memory. During Dallas Trinity FC’s friendly against the Houston Dash, several of the regular chant leaders were away at another match. Suddenly, Tina realized someone needed to step forward. No time to hesitate! 

After Dallas Trinity FC found the back of the net, the goal that won them the game, Tina led the “Golden Girls” chant themselves. 

“I realized that’s going to be on my shoulders. I’ve got to step up and I’ve got to do this… It was the most magical experience. It was so much fun, and I want to get to that high again because it was the coolest feeling.”

Nobody assigns those responsibilities or tells someone when it’s their turn to take charge. But every voice matters, and every person in the supporter section contributes to making Dallas Trinity FC feel like home for the players and fans alike.

Tina also now has an appreciation for everything supporters don’t always notice. 

“Being in the supporter section, I know all the little things that go into making this possible. It’s given me an appreciation for it now that I get to sit there and enjoy the fruits of the labor.”

One of the things Tina values most, outside of the fans, is Dallas Trinity FC and how approachable the club has remained. Conversations with players, familiar faces around the stadium and even interactions with players’ families have helped create an environment that feels more personal than transactional.

“I just had one interaction with you, but you remembered me. That made it cool for me. It feels more like a community club. It feels like I have ownership, even if I don’t. It’s my club, and I will defend it like it’s my club.”

Getting in on the ground floor and being a day one has made every milestone feel really personal. Tina knows Dallas Trinity FC is still writing the early chapters of its history, and that’s part of what makes supporting the club so meaningful. While established clubs have generations of traditions behind them, this community is creating its own in real time. 

Kickoff remains Tina’s favorite moment. As the players emerge from the tunnel, the supporter section comes alive. Tina believes the supporters are there to provide energy just as much as encouragement, creating an atmosphere that players can carry with them throughout the match.

“The supporter section is your 12th player. We’ve got to bring the energy and the noise and make it fun for everybody around us. We want to let the girls know that we’re here. We’re behind you. We want to give you our energy.”

It’s hard to believe that someone who now spends weekends leading chants once didn’t consider themselves a soccer fan at all. Tina laughs about how working in the sport completely changed their perspective.

Looking ahead to the new season, Tina’s hopes are refreshingly straightforward. They want Dallas Trinity FC competing for silverware, they want a playoff match at home and they want to celebrate with the supporters who have helped build this club from day one. 

“A trophy. You’ve got to be lifting trophies at the end. That’s the definition of success.”

For someone who spent years helping bring soccer to life for others, Dallas Trinity FC has become a place to belong. Tina has spent years helping others celebrate the game. Now, every time they step into the supporter section, they get to celebrate a club that’s finally their own as the club’s 12th player!

If you want to join Tina in the team’s supporter section for Dallas Trinity FC’s first game of the season on August 15th, buy your tickets here.