· By Josie Langhans
How AFC Ann Arbor Helped Shape a Leader On and Off the Field
Emily Eitzman grew up playing soccer in Saline. She went on to become a collegiate All-American, a medical student, an amputee soccer director, and a children’s author. Her work also includes neuroscience research and community projects. Along the way, AFC Ann Arbor helped her discover how much she enjoys working with kids and giving back through the game.
When you ask Emily Eitzman about her soccer journey, she starts from the beginning, with small-town roots and big-time passion. “When I was really little, I played for SASA, which was just Saline’s club team,” she says. From there, she moved to the Michigan Hawks, played at Saline High School, and eventually found her way to the University of Michigan’s club team.
But her path was anything but linear. Her freshman year at Michigan coincided with the pandemic. “My first year was during COVID and we didn’t have a team,” she said. Even AFC Ann Arbor paused its season that year. Still, she returned to the field as soon as she could: playing four years with Michigan’s club team and even completing a fifth year during her first year of medical school.
Balancing medical school and soccer keeps her busy. “I thought I wasn’t going to have time to do anything else besides studying, but I’ve still been able to play club soccer again, or do amputee soccer, and, you know, any of the other things that I like to do,” Eitzman said.
Finding Purpose Beyond the Pitch
If you ask Emily what AFC Ann Arbor means to her, she doesn’t start with goals or games. She begins with service.
“One of the things that really drew me… was the Mighty Oak Project,” she said. As a junior in high school, she attended her first community outreach event with AFC Ann Arbor: “a soccer camp for refugee kids living in Detroit.” That experience left a mark.
“It just kind of showed me you can play a sport, but you can also give back so much through the sport. Even when you’re done playing,” she said.
Her work with AFC Ann Arbor sparked wider involvement with community organizations, including CLR Academy, Midwest amputee soccer programs, and writing children’s books. “I think that’s something AFC Ann Arbor really taught me,” she said. “It made me realize that I do really like working with kids, and helping kids learn anything new.”
Memories That Last Longer Than Seasons
When asked about her favorite memory with AFC Ann Arbor, Emily didn’t pick a single match or highlight. Instead, she talked about people.
“I’m thinking about all these different people who are from different countries and across the nation,” she says. “We still feel super close. We’ll text in a little group chat or do a group FaceTime.”
Those relationships, she explains, are what make AFC Ann Arbor special. “We just spend so much time with each other in the summer. It’s cool to think about how many different people I formed relationships with.”
What’s Next for Emily?
Emily is currently finishing her first year of medical school and looking ahead to residency. “I’m interested in PM&R, physical medicine and rehabilitation,” she says, though she is leaving the door open for wherever her passion leads.
She also hopes to continue expanding amputee soccer across Michigan. “I would love to have more established programs so we can scrimmage and do things like that.”
From children’s books to adaptive sports and medicine, Emily continues to find ways to help people. Soccer and her time with AFC Ann Arbor are part of that story.
When she reflects on how the club shaped her life, she circles back to the same idea: giving back. “That’s the biggest thing,” she says. “It’s kind of the stuff they do off the field.”
We’re proud to have Emily as part of the Mighty Oak family and look forward to seeing where her work takes her.
