By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor are pleased to announce the return of Emily Eitzman to the club ahead of the 2022 season as a player for the women’s team. Both on and off the pitch, Eitzman has been a proud representative of The Mighty Oak since joining the family in the 2019 season in her first season as a player.
On the field, Eitzman made waves quickly, becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in AFC Ann Arbor history when she found the back of the net against North Oakland in the Michigan Milk Cup at the age of 17. Eitzman also represents a breed of a local player, going from watching The Mighty Oak and playing for Boyzzz Khumalo as a young girl at the youth level to starring on the field with her hometown side in the USL.
Off the field, Eitzman has been even more of a star than on the field, as she dedicates countless hours to serving her community and assisting various projects in and around the Ann Arbor area. A board member of The Mighty Oak Project (recently elected co-Vice Chair of the nonprofit's board), Eitzman has assisted at the ‘Giving Back 2 Give Thanks’ event in partnership with Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper, the CLR Academy Winter Coat Drive, and throughout the summer at the CLR Academy. She was the only Community Kicks coach to help at multiple locations spending time at the Detroit, Belleville and Waterford sites. In addition, Eitzman also found the time to write and illustrate her first children’s book, ‘Grandpa’s Advice’, in 2021.
Eitzman is looking forward to making up for lost time on the field as she said, “By the end of the season, the women’s team became stronger and more cohesive, and the anticipation for the next year was palpable. I was really looking forward to building on all we had worked hard to create. Losing two seasons due to COVID-19 was very disappointing, but we are ready to move on and forward.”
Always focused on the community, though, Eitzman looks forward to making an impact off the field as well throughout the 2022 season. Eitzman would note, “My goal is that during this upcoming season, we will not only have a great experience on the field, but we will continue to be extremely active and impactful in the community.” Eitzman would continue, saying, “AFCAA is a very special club and, as a player, you quickly appreciate what people mean when they say, ‘it’s more than a sport.’”
Eitzman would also go on to note her growth and change over the past two years, emphasizing her deepened love of assisting her community. No longer a high schooler as she was in her first season in the blue and white of AFCAA, Eitzman is now a student at the University of Michigan, balancing work in two research labs, her first in-person collegiate semester, and playing with the UofM Women’s Club Soccer team in addition to all her community service.
Women’s Head Coach Boyzzz Khumalo would also say of welcoming back Eitzman into the fold, “She does a lot of work outside of soccer … so those things speak highly of her and show what kind of person she is.” Noting his work with her in Saline, Khumalo would add, “I’m glad to have her back and work with her again!”
Khumalo also described Eitzman as someone that can be a role model for young girls in the Ann Arbor area, and the reason he expresses that sentiment is obvious when Eitzman speaks, as she would note perfectly, “I believe it is this type of participation and engagement that best promotes women’s soccer and their players, and in the end, the athletes, the clubs, and our communities all reap benefits.
“I have always felt the need to give back, and becoming involved with AFCAA and TMOP is one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” said Eitzman. “I have really fostered my love for community service, and I have met people who continuously inspire me to do more and more.” With the breadth and depth of her work, Eitzman has quickly become one of those people that inspires others, as well. AFC Ann Arbor look forward to welcoming Emily Eitzman back onto the field of play in 2022.