Shaun Harris, the head coach of Gotham FC, the top‑ranked team in the National Women's Soccer League and 2025 champions, recently stepped away from the pitch for a personal reason that few in professional soccer have publicly acknowledged.
When his second child, Laia, was born, Harris chose to take five weeks of paternity leave in the middle of the season, a decision that ran counter to the typical few‑day absences many fathers manage in the United States.
The Weight of Choice in a Demanding Environment
The leave came after a period of instability that had seen the team relocate from Seville, Spain, to Houston, Texas, and then settle in New York City, where financial and structural hurdles had previously limited the kind of parental leave available in his native country.
Support from the coaching staff, the players, and Gotham FC owner Carolyn Tisch made the extended absence possible, allowing Harris to focus on bonding with his newborn and sharing the early weeks with his wife.
He says the time away not only strengthened family ties but also cleared his mind, reducing stress and ultimately enhancing his performance when he returned to the sidelines.
Harris hopes his experience will encourage more men to embrace paternity leave, arguing that missing irreplaceable moments with a child is a loss that cannot be recovered, and that workplace cultures must evolve to accommodate such choices.