Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast: Pitt WSOC in transition with Ben and Randy Waldrum

Photo courtesy John Krysinsky

In May, Pitt women’s soccer program announced an official change in leadership, with Randy Waldrum stepping into a new role as Technical Director, while Ben Waldrum is taking over as the team’s Head Coach.

All in the family: Pitt Women’s Soccer names Ben Waldrum head coach

For the first time since the transition took place, Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s John Krysinsky had a chance to visit Pitt’s Peterson Sports Complex and sit down with the father and son duo who have led Pitt women’s soccer to its most successful era and has reached its greatest heights since they arrived in 2018.

In this exclusive, in-depth interview, which can be heard on Podcast formats in two parts and one part on PSN’s YouTube Channel, among the topics discussed included:

Audio Podcast Part I

• Has anything changed since the transition was made official, even as Ben Waldrum had been serving as de facto Head Coach for the past couple of years
• Impact of House Settlement (*), as the settlement establishes new rules governing student-athlete NIL rights, compensation, scholarships, and roster sizes
• State of women’s soccer and College game’s role in its growth along with how it can be relevant in its changing landscape

Audio Podcast Part II

• Final thoughts on last season and the program’s make-up in what will also be a transitional season with many new faces along with some key returnees
• What are three qualities that stand out to Randy and Ben about each other

and much more.

AUDIO PODCAST PART I

AUDIO PODCAST PART II 

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* What is the House Settlement? 

Grant House is a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five biggest athletic conferences in the nation). His lawsuit and two others were combined and over several years the dispute wound up with the settlement that ends a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes. Now, each school will be able to make payments to athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA.

In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22% of their revenue from things like media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress “those are resources and revenues that don’t exist.” Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through “talent fees,” concession price hikes and “athletic fees” added to tuition costs.