Zag & WeCOACH Partner to Lead, Include, & Empower Globally

I was fortunate to have played field hockey at the University of Iowa which was at the forefront of fighting for gender equity in sport going back nearly 50 years. We had one of the few women’s only athletic departments led by the visionary Dr. Christine Grant who has spent her life fighting for the opportunities I was and am privileged to experience as a player and coach. I was coached by what I deem to be coaching legends Beth Beglin & Tracey Griesbaum. They demanded excellence. They exuded professionalism. They taught me what it meant to be a leader. They set the bar for what it meant to be a coach, leader, mentor, & professional on the field and off. It was these models that served as a foundation for nearly 20 years in coaching which saw stops back at Iowa, UVA, and Princeton. I experienced the joys of conference and NCAA championships many of which were alongside former teammates and then coworkers rooted in those same Iowa ideals. I was privileged to share these ideals with the hundreds of student athletes I served over the years.

This all started with pioneers who believed in pushing back on social norms of the time and fighting for the opportunities I was fortunate to have experienced. Today, I take this same experience and passion into leading the team touring company, Zag Sports, which I co-founded over 15 years ago. Our unique blend of high level sport, responsible and impactful give back, interactive and transformative adventure and cultural learning has taken teams to over 30 countries in over 15 sports. As a majority female owned and operated organization, 90% of the teams we serve are women’s teams. We take great pride in understanding our female athletes, coaches, and teams and carry our Iowa ideals into building programs that empower our young women to take risks and step out of their comfort zones with the aspiration of carrying these experiences into being impactful female leaders in all walks of life.

Our vision for impact doesn’t stop with our international tours. We also have our LeadHer sports division which focuses on leadership and character development for K-6th grade girls using hockey as our platform. In addition, our Zag the Zonkey children’s book team building and fundraising aims to plant seeds of transformation into young families through the gift of children’s story telling. The characters are rooted in inclusion, celebrating differences, and super hero character qualities. Check out the latest team to create and express their values and story through our team building platform here.

In the end, we hope to pay forward what we have been gifted by those before us. WeCOACH is an organization we believe is doing just that. WeCOACH is the premier membership organization dedicated to the recruitment, advancement, and retention of women coaches of all sports and levels. Our partnership is a reflection of mutual passion for transformation and aspiration of challenging and changing social norms for the better. We look forward to creative synergies to furthering that mission. In the mean time, please reach out to us if you are looking for a player changing and team changing team touring experiences! Travel. Play. Give Back.

Melisa Meccage
Chief Performance Officer
Zag Sports Tours & Events
LeadHer Sports
Zag the Zonkey Team Building & Fundraising