Spokane’s first professional women’s soccer team will play its first home game on Saturday and the players are excited to contribute their skills to the team dynamic on their home field.

The team’s first home game will be Saturday at 6 p.m. Mayor Lisa Brown will be on hand at ONE Spokane Stadium to proclaim the opening game “Women’s Soccer Day in Spokane.”

The United Soccer League Spokane established two professional soccer teams in the city this year. Spokane Zephyr FC plays in the USL Super League, which is recognized as Division One by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

“For us, the Zephyr team was the really exciting thing. From the beginning, it was always about this team,” said Katie Harnetiaux, president and owner of Zephyr and Velocity FC Club, at a media event on Tuesday.

“There has been massive underinvestment in women’s sports,” added co-owner Ryan Harnetiaux.

Ryan Harnetiaux said he was “obsessed” with the idea of ​​changing that.

“When this opportunity came up, we thought we could build some kind of community at the club in Spokane, and I think that’s happening,” he said.

The community is crucial to the growth of this club, Brown said.

“This gives us an opportunity to showcase what a great city this is, what a wonderful region this is, right here on the river and in the middle of the Inland Northwest, and I want to point out that the stadium we’re in is also a community stadium,” she said.

Ryan Harnetiaux said that “there is a lot of attention on Spokane because of this club.”

“These women know they are only at the beginning, but this is just the beginning,” said Katie Harnetiaux.

As players recover from professional careers in Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Portland and more, many new relationships have been formed, but Zephyr’s team dynamic has fostered support on and off the field.

“We all get along really well,” said 24-year-old striker Jenny Vetter, “we support each other a lot and want the best for each other.”

25-year-old striker Taryn Ries noted that everyone was new to the team.

“So it was really special to get to know everyone, to all be in the same boat and try to get along, get to know each other and the city,” she said.

Head coach Jo Johnson said the communication fans see on the field also carries over into the locker rooms and players’ personal lives.

“We want them to have that communication. We don’t have any downtime.”

Midfielder Emina Ekić, 25, has only been training with the team for three weeks due to international matches. Nevertheless, she said: “It is so easy to fit into the group.”

“What sets us apart is how close we are and how good we are in the locker room. And I think that will be reflected on the field when we start playing,” she said.

Spokane Velocity and Zephyr FC already have a presence throughout the community, Katie Harnetiaux said. Nine Zephyr players recently helped out with the nonprofit Family Promise, and a coalition called Aequus Collective is giving them a chance to get involved, too.

“Our Aequus Collective has partners like Thrive International, Hispanic Business Peoples Association and Family Promise,” said Ryan Harnetiaux.

The owners said community involvement is an integral part of their mission and that it helps that the Zephyrs have a limited training schedule that gives them time to focus on other things.

“The men and women are all really willing to go out and volunteer their time in the community, and that’s what we always wanted,” said Ryan Harnetiaux.

“It was 100% about seeing what we could give back to Spokane,” added Katie Harnetiaux.

Now that the team has settled in, Katie Harnetiaux said she feels like they have “accomplished what we set out to do,” which was to turn Spokane into a soccer town.

“I love standing there and watching people come in and say thank you,” she said. “And it’s really moving and humbling to hear a fan say thank you. They’re so grateful that they can do something nice with their family on a Saturday afternoon.”

Katie Harnetiaux is the only president of a professional soccer club that includes both men’s and women’s teams.

“It was wonderful for Zephyr in particular to hear fathers and brothers come up and say, ‘Thank you for giving my daughters something to look up to and something to envision, a path to follow: professional sports.'”

For Brown, his team’s first home game is an indication of important things to come for the city.

“Over time, this will only enhance Spokane’s reputation as a great sports town,” Brown said. “First, we want to thank the Zags and Cougs and all the others, and now we want to thank the Velocity and Zephyr.”