Women’s History Month Spotlight: Laura Harvey

OL Reign is celebrating Women's History Month by honoring the women that teach, inspire, make history and push us to greatness. It's no surprise we chose this ledge to kick it off - our very own Head Coach, Laura Harvey.

Harvey was the head coach of the Reign from 2013 to 2017, the first five seasons of the club’s existence. This was a crucial time in deciding what OL Reign’s culture would look like, on and off the field, and Harvey was a huge part of the process. A consistent positive force on the field and in the locker room, Harvey is an inspiration to the players, as showcased by OL Reign’s comeback season in 2021.

Harvey is legend on the field, as she has won the honor of NWSL Coach of the Year three times – in 2014, 2015 and most recently 2021. From 2013 to 2017, Harvey finished with a regular season record of 51 wins, 33 losses and 26 draws with a .464 winning percentage over 110 regular-season games with the Reign. In 2014 and 2015, she led the club to consecutive NWSL Shields and NWSL Championship appearances. In 2021 when Harvey rejoined the Reign after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she led the team to a second-place finish during the regular season, ending the season with a 7-2-2 regular season record as head coach. This comeback finish also allowed OL Reign to host a playoff match for the first time since 2015.

After stepping away from the Reign in November 2017, Harvey served as the head coach of the Utah Royals for its 2018 and 2019 seasons before joining U.S. Soccer as the head coach of the women’s U-20 team in January 2020. During this time, Harvey was shaped into the coach she is now, as her role with U.S. Soccer challenged her to become a better coach and a better person.

Another area Harvey has made a large impact on, is helping to create the foundation of OL Reign Academy. She has been the most involved OL Reign head coach in history when it comes to the development and academy side of the club. She is also a fierce advocate of helping other women become coaches and take on other essential roles in the soccer world. Though she may not always be the flashiest about her support of getting women into coaching and leadership roles in soccer, she is a massive advocate of helping women get the resources they need to do so.

“What I love about Laura is off the field she is such a fun personality and just a fun person to be around. She just brings us all together in that sense,” said OL Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle. “On the field, she is an amazing coach. Her attention to detail has been incredible and something I have honestly never experienced in my NWSL career, so just all around she has been exactly what we needed. She’s amazing and I love playing for her and she’s great.”