Coach Jodi Ulkekul brings a global playing and coaching background rooted in both elite competition and a lifelong love for the game.

Born in Sammamish, WA, and Turkish-American, Jodi grew up playing soccer alongside her father and two older sisters, often guest playing for their teams and developing an early feel for the game in competitive, family-driven environments. Her playing career took her from Crossfire Premier, where she earned an ECNL roster spot her senior year, to Gonzaga University as a walk-on, eventually becoming team captain in her final two seasons.

She went on to play professionally across the world with Roma CF (Italy), Castellón (Spain), Seattle Reign, Spokane Zephyr, and Sydney FC (Australia), gaining a deep understanding of different playing styles and football cultures. Along the way, she faced multiple injuries and surgeries, experiences that shaped her perspective on resilience, pressure, and the challenges athletes face in earning and sustaining opportunity.

As a coach, Jodi has worked across youth camps, college environments, and professional settings, including TOCA training, individual player development sessions, Eastside FC, and most recently with Sydney FC’s Sky’s Her Limit Foundation. She is influenced by mentors including her parents and sisters, former teammates, Tom Bialek, and Tim Reynolds, as well as her experience within professional club environments.

Her coaching philosophy is attacking and possession-minded, built on strong 1v1 defending, courage in taking risks, and a belief in playing within structured team systems while still encouraging creativity and freedom. She places a strong emphasis on how adversity, discomfort, and challenge build character and drive continuous growth.

Jodi holds a USSF Grassroots License, Coerver Coaching License, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist credential, Special Olympics Unified Sports certification, and Certification in Applied Functional Science (Gray Institute), and is continuing her US Soccer education.

Off the field, she enjoys reading, coffee and tea, cooking, movies, interior design, and getting back into snow skiing and water sports. Some of her favorite soccer memories are watching Liverpool and Champions League matches with her dad on weekend mornings. She is also currently learning Spanish with the goal of becoming fluent.