Brianna Banks Reflects on Her Journey Ahead of Tryouts

“Brianna Banks is one of my best friends on the field and off. She has an amazing personality… When she is there for you as a friend she will always be there or you. She is one who is true to her word. She accomplished so many amazing things academically and physically. She always had my back on the field and if I was able to choose one player for the rest of my life it would be her. She always encouraged her teammates and her kids that she coaches. She’s fast and furious and has an amazing shot. She is strong and fierce. Playing next to her is a blessing and she is unstoppable. The G.O.A.T.” Longtime teammate and friend McKayla was describing our very own KSC athlete and Intervention and Prevention Coordinator Brianna Banks.

Brianna is in Peru currently trying out to play professional soccer. She tried out last year for Alianza Lima, and she is back again to secure her place on the roster. If she makes the team she will be the first American woman to play professional soccer for Peru. As she prepares for this amazing milestone in her career as an athlete, her commitment to developing and mentoring other players highlights how she is a beacon representative of the values we espouse at Kensington Soccer Club (KSC).

Brianna is no stranger to breaking records. She scored over 100 goals as an undergraduate at Penn State University. She learned quickly that the support she received at home was not universal, as her teammates created a pact not to pass her the ball during her senior year to prevent her from meeting the 100-goal milestone. Despite the negativity she drew from the encouragement from the male soccer players, and her support system to soar through her personal record. As a young woman from Philadelphia her self-determination and focus led her to exceed the limits others imposed on her. She says, “Regardless of all of those adversities I faced, I still stayed strong and I accomplished everything I went to college to accomplish.”

It is with that same focus, that she pursues these tryouts. Brianna has been looking forward to this for over 3 years. She initially had plans of becoming a social worker and starting a business, but through her experiences playing all over the world - from Florida to Washington D.C. to Las Vegas to Mexico and beyond - she encountered people that made her dream of playing professional soccer more attainable.

More recently, Brianna has been preparing by surrounding herself with positive energy, enhancing her soccer expertise, and coaching. She reminds herself daily to “not give up and stay humble.” She trains at least five times a week, practices her Spanish, and even watches videos of how the Peruvian teams play to get a gist of their formations and how they connect as a team. Her preparations also include her work as a coach.

As a coach for U14 Girls, she emphasizes the importance of not backing down from a challenge. As women in sports, she says, “I know a lot of women, they can be shy, have like low self-esteem, not want to go against the toughest players but you have to put yourself out there, put yourself in those kinds of situations. Because you are going to realize what you need to work on and you’re going to realize what you’re capable of doing. You’re going to really surprise yourself.” She connected her philosophy of never backing down from a challenge to her early experiences playing soccer against men. The ideals she instills in her girls reflect the expectations she upholds herself as an athlete and a person. She says, “So, me going to Peru and putting myself out there not really understanding their language, I am still going to go and tryout and to just be the best that I can be because I know. I am still capable of learning Spanish, I am still capable of being a better player. There’s always room to learn.” It is clear that as she builds her own skills she is also sharing her gems of wisdom and experience with her players at KSC.

Brianna shares her insights from her first trip with Peru to her players. During her first time, they emphasized, “what position do you play? What can you bring to the table?” She then had to assert herself, “I’m a goal-scorer, that’s what I bring to the table.” She brought her lessons to the field, as she was leading a practice. I was doing a practice with my girls, and I was like, how can we turn on our defenders? I noticed certain stuff they were doing, are certain things I am doing to this day. Overall, coaching has helped her realize she quote, “still has room for improvement.” Her coaching sessions helped her identify areas of focus for her training.

Beyond coaching, KSC has been an fundamental part of her support system. “It just helps me stay positive throughout the experience. And giving me the time and space to work out while I’m still playing with the kids that I coach. Kensington has been very supportive, just like they were supportive with me going to college and getting those connections. They helped me be a better player overall.” KSC’s support with her journey to college helped her build the foundation to prepare for her journey to Peru.

More specifically, she acknowledges Jakeema and Mariah as a part of her support system. She says, “Jakeema is a part of my support system, she makes me laugh when i’m upset. Mariah is a part of my support system, she’s always there when I need her. She is the one that will say Brianna you did this wrong. Not everyone says that, but she will be up front with me. Kensington as a whole is my support system, I can say these are my concerns, and they have been really good at helping and supporting me.”

Her support system is equally as affirmative, Maria pictured above says, Brianna has “has always been the best soccer player for real. I know she is going to make it. She has always been the best player I have ever seen. The best coach. And I’ve played with her on a lot of teams. If I could watch it I would. She’s a real team player, a real coach. A good communicator. She is very organized, she knows exactly what she wants for her team. She is a natural leader.”

Similarly Mariah said, “I know she can do it. Out of all of the soccer players I have seen play she is the most aggressive.”

Beyond her peers, and the athletes she coaches, Brianna’s experience is fueled by her mother. She says, “My mother inspires me. She was a single mom growing up, and we were homeless a lot of the time when I was in high school. But she pushed through, kept on working, and made sure her kids got a college education. She was always supportive even though she couldn’t work and stuff like that. She had a stroke in 2018, so I’ve been like taking care of her. She has been telling me she is really proud of me, she just always been like my number one person, so I just appreciate her for what she has done for her kids.

We are profoundly proud of Brianna as an athlete and a phenomenal young woman. In closing she says, “I hope the next time I’m speaking to y’all it will be that I made the team, and I can’t wait for everyone to come and visit me.” We hope to celebrate her as she shares her light and love for soccer with the world.