Mia White hopes to be a positive example and inspire young people

KTP has signed a contract with Mia White. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, the new signing believes that having talent, determination and passion is enough for anybody to reach any goal, if they’re just given the opportunity to do so.

From Kotka, Finland and currently playing in Naisten Ykkönen – the second tier of the Finnish women’s soccer pyramid – KTP have announced a new player signing. Mia White from the United States, has now joined their squad.

White will describe herself as an energetic, even an aggressive player, who prefers offensive midfield roles. However, before delving deeper into her player profile, let’s take a short view back to the past.

Her childhood in the city of Denver – overseen by the lofty Rocky Mountains of Colorado – was brimming with various activities. Already at the age of 3, she was on the skis, and snowboarding two years later.

Yet there was one sport she loved more than others. She got her first taste of soccer as a two-year-old, and while it began just as a fun activity with friends at the pre-school, only a few years later, she was donning the kit of the local youth team.

– All the time, I kept yearning to go back to the soccer field. It’s a feeling I still recall. It would be unimaginable for me not to play soccer, White says.

One dear memory she holds of the time with her youth team is a match they played against the parents’ team when they were just seven.

– That was really fun, although I remember I wanted to win even that game, White laughs.

White has won a lot of soccer games since then. As her career highlights, she mentions winning the gold medal at the 2022 Deaflympics. One year later, she and the United States won the World Deaf Football Championship in Malaysia.

It’s easy to smile as the World Champion.

– Those were amazing experiences – we got the opportunity to measure ourselves against deaf players from other nations. There are some great memories I have from my college career too. Especially the championship match was memorable, even though we lost. We had a really hungry group of players and developed a lot during the season.

Now, Mia White is preparing for the upcoming season, where she will play amongst non-deaf team-mates, against non-deaf opponents. White says that getting here has required a lot of effort – which is a good moment to get back to her player profile.

The new addition to the KTP squad describes herself as a player who will never give up. The sort of character that shares a lot with her greatest idol, Mia Hamm.

– She played at the top and won a historic World Cup at the American home soil in 1999. For me, the most inspiring thing about Mia was that she was always fighting on the field, and worked so hard for her success. She never gave in to any setbacks.

Happy with the opportunity that KTP gave her, White looks forward to the start of the new season. Her new team from Kotka, Finland, underlined the importance of humanity in their press release – everybody deserves an equal opportunity and the sporting merits should be all that matters.

Every day, White works hard to be better at soccer. Her aim is to play the sport at a premier level, and in addition to that, she also wants to inspire other deaf athletes. To show that if you work hard to achieve your goals, becoming a pro is a realistic ambition.

– Even though you do not have everything that non-deaf players have, it doesn’t make you worse in any way. It takes a lot to reach your goals but it’s also worth it. We all share the same passion for this amazing sport, White says.

White believes that promoting equal opportunities in sports gives a strong message in favor of diversity. As people see top athletes from diverse backgrounds, they will forget about stereotypes that they have. Deafness should not bar anybody out of having opportunities in sports.

– Having talent, determination and passion is enough for anybody to reach any goal, if they’re just given the opportunity to do so.

White thinks that deaf players might have some attributes that might become assets when playing against non-deaf players. She highlights instincts and intuition. Having grown up without hearing ability, anticipating different situations has become second nature for deaf players.

– I have to rely on my instincts and understand the game, what happens on the field, through what I can see on the pitch. Actually, in a way, it’s quite great to anticipate long passages of play.

– Naturally, the challenge it poses is that, for example, I cannot hear opposition players when they are running behind me. That’s why I have to keep glancing over my shoulder and observing my surroundings all the time.

White has set high and clear targets both for her team and herself in 2024: she wants to win the league and promote to the Subway Kansallinen Liiga. She sees a lot of potential in her team and expects to improve as a player and as a person too.

Mia White and KTP are preparing for success in the Naisten Ykkönen. Picture: Sami Perttilä / Kotkan Energia Oy

She only has positive things to say about her new country. White’s dearest hobbies involve spending time in the nature – hiking at the mountains, cycling, frisbee golf and climbing – which is why she relishes the opportunities of the beautiful Finnish nature.

– The tall trees remind me of home, even though there are no mountains here! Kotka seems to be a fascinating town located by the sea.

The Rocky Mountains sure are not nearby, but perhaps we will meet White at the Santalahti nature trails or at the Petäjäsuo frisbee golf course.

Most importantly, we will see her on the green field of the Arto Tolsa Areena.

As a player who never gives up.

Article photo: Mikko Mäkelä