ABOUT US

Beyond Our Game was founded in 2020 in the US amidst a time of racial division, with the goal of establishing an inclusive and uplifting community. Our organization quickly grew, welcoming nearly 200 diverse DI student-athletes to our platform. We provide resources to help student-athletes enhance their resumes, ace interviews, and make a seamless transition into the workforce. We also educate our partner companies on the valuable skills student-athletes bring to the workforce and the benefits of incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Darcy Bourne, a former Beyond Our Game team member has been working to expand our platform to the UK since 2023 and we are excited to share that BOG UK will host its first multi-sport camp in London in 2025 - the first of many! These camps are for girls from underrepresented groups to bring more sports into more communities.

  • For inquiries, contact courtnie.williamson@gmail.com

    Courtnie grew up in the Philadelphia area and developed a passion for sports and the sense of camaraderie that came along with being a part of a team. When she first tried playing field hockey, she instantly fell in love with the sport, and knew she wanted to earn the opportunity to play in college. Her dream came true when she received an offer from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. What she didn’t realize was that she would soon become a three-time National Champion as well as the first Black captain in the history of the UNC Field Hockey program.

    As she held a leadership role on the team and advanced toward her MBA, she recognized that she had the resources and the platform to make a difference. Courtnie strongly believes that those who have attained positions of power have the opportunity and the responsibility to create positive change. Therefore, she developed Beyond Our Game; an organization focused on creating equity in athletics.

Meet the team

  • Valery Orellana is a student at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and a dedicated Co-Founder of student organization, Evenin’ Out The Playing Field (EOTPF). As an aspiring professional in the entertainment industry with a focus on marketing, Valery is also dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusivity within sports. Growing up, Valery was exposed to a wide range of sports, but Field Hockey held a special place in her heart. As a minority who received the position of captain in a white-dominated sport in her high school Field Hockey team, Valery quickly became aware of the lack of diversity in this sport and was motivated to take action.

    In the summer of 2022, Valery co-founded the student organization, EOTPF, at UNC Chapel Hill. This organization is focused on increasing accessibility and diversity for minority students who wish to participate in white-dominated sports. The organization provides free clinics and workshops to empower these students and help them overcome any barriers to entry.

    Today, Valery works as a project manager under Beyond Our Game, where she plays a critical role in developing detailed project plans and ensuring resource availability and allocation. With her passion for sports and her commitment to diversity, Valery continues to make a positive impact in and out of the sports world.

USA Team

  • Arriving to college in January 2020, I slowly started to expand my view on the world and integrate myself into my new community within Duke Athletics. As I began to interact with my peers and administrators, I realized how truly sheltered I was in my predominantly white community in Massachusetts playing the predominantly white sport of field hockey. This realization was stretched further by the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. The truths and trends about diversity in the world started to come to the surface for me, and it revealed new pieces of my own identity that I hadn’t unlocked before. I had more stake in this fight than I realized growing up, and I had to be an active supporter and ally in my community.

    When Darcy and Courtnie approached me about getting involved with their organization, there was no doubt in my mind that this was the perfect opportunity to strengthen my allyship. I knew that it was necessary to recognize and combat injustice in any way possible, and I needed to do more than sit back and watch. After all, the fight for racial equality goes beyond our screens, beyond our lives, and Beyond Our Game.

  • A Kenan Flagler Business Student and Kenan Scholar, Founder of student organization, Evenin’ Out The Playin’ Field (EOTPF), Nora Elsayed aims to mix her academic interests with her passion for representation in white-dominated sports.

    After playing soccer for most of her life, Nora decided to try something new and began playing field hockey. Quickly, she was able to pick up the sport and compete at a higher level. However, as much as she enjoyed playing field hockey the lack of diversity was puzzling. She wanted to do something about this and knew that field hockey would be more popular within communities that looked like her if there was something to bridge the gap of accessibility, thus the birth of EOTPF’. This student organization aims to increase diversity in white-dominated sports through clinics for students of color.

    Nora now works under ‘Beyond Our Game’ to execute even larger clinics and with ‘EOTPF’ to host smaller public school hosted ones. Racial inequality and lack of representation encompass all industries, and Nora hopes to continue being part of the change.

CONTACT US

Team@BeyondOurGame.org