"Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of my time with Tracy. I didn’t feel like the environment was very supportive, and I feel like I actually got worse as a player and experienced a lot of unhappiness under her coaching style. Overall, I left pretty disappointed, and I personally wouldn’t recommend her."

"My experience with this coach was extremely negative. I felt singled out and treated unfairly, and I believe race played a role in how I was treated as a Black athlete. Her behavior felt hostile, personal, and unnecessarily demeaning. I would strongly caution athletes and families to consider their options carefully."

"I had an extremely negative experience with this her. She was often antagonizing and discriminatory in many forms, did not know how to communicate with players without belittling them, and constantly pitted players against each other, creating cliques and division within the team. She showed little concern for players’ physical or mental health. I say this as a player who has started and played in different parts of the world under many coaches, so my concerns are not based on having only one perspective of coaching. My advice to any young player who values their confidence, self-esteem, health, and development is to pleased hour research when choosing a college coach. I understand players may praise her, but my experience was very different, and I feel it is important to share it honestly."

"I watched this coach for four years as the parent of a player who was a starter and played significant minutes. I say that upfront because negative reviews of coaches are too easily dismissed as coming from athletes or parents unhappy about playing time. That was not the issue here. What I witnessed was a coach who identified certain players early and treated them very differently, regardless of ability or contribution. A small group received warmth, friendship and extraordinary personal attention. Others were subjected to hostility, humiliation and intensely personal criticism. Players seemed to be either in her inner circle or a target. This went far beyond demanding coaching. I witnessed public humiliation, a lack of empathy, players being pitted against one another, and personal feelings affecting how athletes were treated. I also witnessed comments and patterns of treatment involving race that I found deeply disturbing. Over four years, I saw enough to become concerned that race played a role in how certain athletes were spoken to and treated. There were serious issues around body image as well. I became aware of multiple players who developed disordered eating while in the program after being subjected to comments about their bodies. These were young women navigating Division I athletics, often away from home for the first time, while attending a rigorous academic university. They deserved better. Perhaps the most disturbing realization came when parents finally began talking to one another. For years, many of us thought what our athlete was experiencing might be isolated. Only later did we discover multiple families had been having versions of the same experience. There was a collective realization: Why didn’t we know? Why didn’t we talk sooner? Why didn’t we go to the athletic director together? Several of us deeply regret that we didn’t. Separate from her treatment of players, I also did not consider her a strong developmental or tactical coach. Over four years, I watched talented athletes stagnate or regress. Opposing teams frequently appeared better coached, making tactical adjustments and using their depth while our players were left visibly exhausted. Too often, personal preferences seemed to interfere with decisions that should have been about developing players and winning games. College athletics should be hard. Coaches should demand excellence, hold athletes accountable and push them beyond what they think they’re capable of. Humiliation is not accountability. Discrimination is not intensity. Body shaming is not player development. And creating an environment in which selected athletes are psychologically worn down while others are welcomed into an inner circle is not good coaching. My greatest regret as a parent is that we didn’t understand the full picture soon enough to act collectively. Knowing what I know now, I would never recommend that another family entrust their daughter to this coach."

"I played for Tracy as a starter and witnessed a consistently toxic environment built around favoritism and manipulation. She has clear favorites who are excused for mistakes and held to different standards. Many of these favorites were solely because they had wealthy families who would donate a lot of money to the program in exchange for playing time and benefits. For example, players are required to pass a fitness test at the beginning of the season to play, yet favorites who were not able to pass were excused and allowed to play, while other players who could not pass had to repeatedly try until they passed in order to play. Some favorites would go out the night before games, be late to practices or team meetings, or lash out at other players with no consequences. Working hard and doing things right doesn't get you anywhere with her. She's dishonest, makes false promises, and even puts players against each other by starting drama on her own. I witnessed her single players out in front of the whole team to embarrass them, make racist comments, and create a psychologically damaging environment. Our team sports psychologist encouraged several girls to leave specifically because of the harassment and emotional abuse. She was also disturbingly focused on players' bodies and food, checking grocery bags, commenting on players' bodies, and requiring one teammate to lose a specific amount of weight to stay on the team, and I watched this contribute to teammates developing eating disorders. I also witnessed her play a teammate through mono who was begging to be taken off the field, to the point of her collapsing. She leads with fear, causing players to feel like they have no voice or way to stand up against her, while her favorites defend her every move. She publicly claims to support mental health and women's empowerment, but what I witnessed on this team was the exact opposite. She looks good on paper, but unless you're one of the few favorites who can do no wrong, I'd steer clear. This is an environment that can genuinely take your love for the game and replace it with real trauma."

"Players were repeatedly singled out in ways that left them feeling humiliated, isolated, and excluded from the team environment. Throughout my time on the team, I felt consistently discouraged rather than supported. I was told I would have opportunities to play, but I never felt I was given a fair chance to earn meaningful playing time. In my experience, certain players appeared to receive significantly more attention, encouragement, and development opportunities than others. I also observed what I believed to be inconsistent enforcement of team standards. For example, the required fitness test did not seem to be applied equally to every player. Some athletes who had not met the requirement were still allowed to play, while others who had met expectations were not given the same opportunities. This created the impression that effort and consistency were not the primary factors in playing time. The overall team culture became emotionally difficult for many players, and I felt there was insufficient support when concerns about fairness and inclusion arose. As a result, some athletes did not feel respected, valued, or psychologically safe within the program. The coach often spoke about fairness and equal opportunity, but in my experience, those principles were not reflected in her actions. Decisions regarding leadership roles and playing time often felt predetermined, leaving many players feeling they were never given a genuine opportunity to earn their place. I also found the coaching style to be more critical than constructive. Rather than receiving guidance on how to improve, I often felt criticized without meaningful feedback. The overall environment negatively affected my confidence and motivation. From my perspective, there was little emphasis on player well-being or creating an inclusive, supportive team culture. As a woman athlete, I found the environment to be discouraging rather than empowering. Based on my experience, I believe the program would benefit from a stronger commitment to equitable treatment, respectful communication, and creating an environment where every athlete feels supported and included. If you are looking for a program that prioritizes fairness, player development, constructive coaching, and a positive team culture, my experience did not reflect those values."

"Some players were repeatedly singled out because of their race, leaving them humiliated, isolated, and dehumanized. The team culture became toxic and emotionally harmful, with bias and discrimination dominating, leaving many completely unsupported and unsafe. For young, vulnerable athletes, this coach is dangerous and damaging."

"I cannot recommend this coach under any circumstances. She consistently degraded and demotivated her players rather than supporting or empowering them. Despite promising me opportunities to play, I never received a fair chance on the field. It was painfully obvious that she only cared about a select few “favorite” players, giving them all the attention, praise, and development opportunities while completely ignoring the rest of the team. The double standards were glaring—there was a fitness test required to play, but she would selectively enforce it. Some players who didn’t pass were still allowed to play, while others who worked hard and met the standards were denied the chance. This favoritism created a toxic environment where effort, talent, and fairness meant nothing. She never provided guidance to improve, only criticism, and would play games that tore players down rather than building confidence or skill. Mental health and well-being were clearly not priorities; there were no check-ins or support for her players. This environment is toxic, especially for women athletes. Rather than empowering us, she used her position to control and undermine. If you value personal growth, fair opportunities, or supportive coaching, I would strongly advise avoiding this program."

"Tracy Joyner is the most evil person I have met. She is constantly doing psychological warfare to her players. She plays minds games, is never completely honest and ruines the mental health and wellbeing of so many players. Tracy is constantly saying micro aggressions and a gaslighter. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IF YOU LIKE SOCCER!! "

"The coach often spoke about fairness and opportunity, but actions did not reflect that. Decisions about leadership and playing time felt predetermined, and many players were never given a real chance. Constant roster turnover created an unhealthy environment, leading to multiple players leaving. Trust was difficult to maintain due to inconsistent communication."

"One of the worst people I have ever encountered. She mentally abuses her players. Wouldn’t recommend she is a narcissist "

"Tracy Hamm is an ABUSER! She took the love of the game from several players and it will continue. Eventually someone will die under her coaching. If you could get the girls to speak up there would be huge lawsuit against her. She is a rotten horrible person!"

"I’ve had a really great experience as an athlete under Tracy. She is a highly competitive person who brings energy to every practice. Definitely some challenging practice days but it only makes you realize what you’re able to get through and that you’re stronger than you think"

"Great soccer player, and understands the game well. However, unable to form meaningful connections with players and unable to empathize with players apart from her own race. Passionate about the game but not sure if she understands how to truly support student-athletes on and off the field. "

"Tracy was a phenomenal coach. She trained my team as if we were a D1 program- it was intense and nerve racking but I grew into a better player because of it. Most organized the soccer program ever was. "

"I had such an amazing experience while playing for Tracy Hamm at UC Davis. She made each player feel valued and heard. "

"Coach Tracy was by far one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. She is passionate about the game and a boss lady. A leader in every way and a supportive person. "

"It was an honor to be coached by Tracy. She is everything you’d want in a college coach. "

"Tracy is such an inspirational coach, she knows the game well although can implement it a little better in her players. She demands a lot from you because she knows when you are playing to your potential or not. "

"She is very experienced and treated our practices and games like a D1 program. She is dedicated and genuinely wants the best for you. "

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"My coach is the most passionate and dedicated coaches I have ever been with. The way she motivates the team is so inspirational. Her life revolves around soccer so you know how much the team means to her and how much effort she puts into the program."