Kate Ward

International career

Ward was first invited to try out for the women's deaf national team at age 12. At age 15, she knew little sign language before joining the team for the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taiwan, where she was a flag bearer for her country at the opening ceremony. She started every game at her next international tournament, the 2012 World Deaf Football Championships in Turkey, and recorded one goal and four assists as United States took the gold medal.

Ward captained the team at the 2021 Deaflympics in Brazil, where she led the United States to another gold medal, though she had to be subbed out in the final due to injury while the team prevailed on penalties. She won her sixth international gold medal at the 2023 World Championships in Malaysia.

Coaching career

Before deciding to coach soccer, Ward considered entering otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) or physical therapy and spent a gap year after college in a physical therapy clinic. She volunteered as a high school coach at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and her alma mater, St. Pius X.

Ward became an assistant coach for the UTEP Miners women's soccer program in 2019. Her family realized when she was three years old that she was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other. She became totally deaf at the age of six and had surgery to wear cochlear implants.