Salmon Bay FC will kick off for the first time in Spring 2025, and the team has appointed Malia Arrant as the first head coach in club history.
For over 25 years, Arrant has been involved in the Seattle soccer scene as a player, coach, and club director. Now, Arrant will extend her Seattle soccer story with Salmon Bay FC.
Salmon Bay FC, just like its brother club, Ballard FC, prides itself on being a hyperlocal club that showcases Seattle talent, both on the pitch and in the technical area. Arrant’s appointment fits that bill.
Arrant was a midfielder and played her college soccer at the University of Washington where she made the NCAA Tournament twice and won the program’s only PAC-12 Championship in her senior year. Arrant would later go on to play five seasons with the Seattle Sounders Women, making the national semifinals three times and serving as captain in her final two seasons.
In addition to playing, Arrant started coaching in 2001 at Northwest High School. Since then, Arrant has built a coaching resume that includes two more local high schools (Eastside Catholic and Liberty High School), U.S. Youth Soccer, U.S. Soccer, Washington Youth Soccer, and the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club (PacNW). Arrant serves as the technical director at PacNW and is the only female technical director in the State of Washington.
At PacNW, Arrant coached in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), which was the premier pre-professional women’s soccer league before the USL W League started in 2022. This experience has Arrant prepared to coach and mentor the aspiring professionals that will join Salmon Bay FC.
Arrant describes Seattle as a “hotbed for female soccer talent,” but also knows first-hand the lack of professional opportunities and pathways within the women’s game. Now, she wants to change the landscape with Salmon Bay FC, “I am highly motivated to help develop a women’s team that opens more doors for female athletes, competes at the highest level, showcases local talent, and brings the community together.” Arrant feels Ballard FC has done a great job connecting to the local community, and aims to do the same with Salmon Bay FC.
When asked about the hire, Salmon Bay FC Vice President Tiffany Mallick remarked “I am thrilled to welcome Malia to our club! Her unwavering commitment to positively influencing women’s soccer in our community makes her an invaluable addition to our staff! She’s displayed leadership throughout her career as a player, coach, and club director, and is a perfect fit to lead the club into our inaugural season.”
At this level, some of the most important aspects of coaching are recruiting and roster creation. Arrant is building the roster now, utilizing her connections in the Seattle soccer community to build a team that is competitive from day one. The roster will be primarily composed of college-age players, but Arrant mentioned the possibility of top high school talent being included as well as former professionals that can serve as veteran leaders.
Ballard FC fans will be accustomed to an exciting style of play, and Salmon Bay FC should be no different. When discussing the roster creation process, Arrant said she wants players who will “play with creativity, play with passion, and enjoy an attacking style of soccer.”
Arrant has her work cut out for her, as the team will play in the highly competitive Northwest Division. The division is headlined by an FC Olympia team that went undefeated in the regular season and featured two Paris Olympians on their roster. Additionally, the division is expanding as West Seattle has also launched a USL W team, setting the stage for a cross-town rivalry.
Salmon Bay FC begin play in Spring 2025. Get connected with the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook ahead of their inaugural season. Excited about the season? You can secure your seats at Interbay Stadium by purchasing season tickets today!
