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Princeton University Athletics
Esmeralda Negron '05 Receives US Soccer's Kim Crabbe Game Changers Award
February 20, 2024 | Women's Soccer
Kim Crabbe, the award's namesake, was the first African-American woman to play for the U.S. Women's National Team, in 1986, and went on to grow the game in underserved communities. Crabbe's connection with Negron's coach at Princeton, Julie Shackford, goes back decades, as both were well-accoladed players in Northern Virginia in the 1980s, played club soccer together, and each went on to be inducted into the Virginia-D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame.
The award is to "be given to a member of the soccer community who has made a lasting impact in the areas of DEIB in a creative way while fostering long-term sustainability for the future of soccer."
From US Soccer's announcement of the honor:
"A former professional and U.S. Women's Youth National Team player, Negron founded ata football, a free digital platform which brought together premium live and curated women's football content and connected it to fans and players across all levels of the game from broadcast distribution through to direct engagement. After proving to be both an ambitious and impactful platform, ata football was acquired by DAZN in the summer of 2023, allowing Negron's work to connect to an existing global audience of 67 million viewers and providing her the scope and opportunity to achieve her vision.
"Negron identified an opportunity to make the women's game accessible to fans around the world from the grassroots to the professional levels. By collaborating with multiple soccer leagues, teams, broadcasters and organizations, Negron has built a strong community in which soccer fans can access and engage with women's soccer like never before. Now, as a Co-CEO of Women's Sport at DAZN, Negron spearheaded DAZN's decision to make its women's football free to watch around the globe. She has collaborated with United Soccer Coaches, ECNL, DPL, Girls Academy, NJYS, PDA, Penn Fusion, reaching an estimated 2 million people to provide free and live digital-first exposure to soccer fans on DAZN."
Negron graduated as Princeton's career leader in goals scored, with 47, and points scored, with 112, holding that distinction for 12 years until Tyler Lussi '17 surpassed Negron in 2016, ending with 53 goals and 122 points. Negron is still Princeton's single-season record holder for season goals, with 20, assists, with 12, and points, with 52, all during the 2004 that brought Princeton to the NCAA College Cup semifinals.
Following her playing career, Negron was an assistant coach at Seton Hall before returning to Princeton for three seasons under Shackford, from 2011-14. Negron founded ata football in 2020, three years before its acquisition by DAZN.
