Interview with Ryann Torrero - Colo-Colo & Chilean National Team Goalkeeper

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with my friend Ryann Torrero who is an American-born Chilean goalkeeper that plays professional soccer at Colo-Colo and for the Chilean national team. Ryann just recently moved back to Santiago to play the 2023 season in Chile. I went with her to her presentation and signing for the club. We work together on Ryann’s digital strategy and content creation.

After the press conference Ryann and I talked about everything from football, friendship, and living abroad, to social media and brand management with a Chilean Journalist for a National Newspaper. The entire interview was not published, so I’ve decided to share it. Read below to learn more about Ryann, our friendship and our opinions on women soccer and the Chilean Liga feminina.

Interview with Ryann Torrero:

1. First of all, tell a little bit about this new challenge of playing for Colo Colo, Chile’s most popular club.

¿How did it feel when you got introduced in the conference, how are you like the infrastructure and the club itself? 

My first day with Colo-Colo at Estadio Monumental felt extraordinarily professional. Having an official press conference , everything organized, and being able to sign in the office with the president was how I imagined Womens professional soccer here in Chile should be. It is clear that the club has invested a lot of effort into the women’s side and the infrastructure available to us can only help us continue to improve positively and keep the momentum. I forsee a great year and I am grateful for the belief from the staff and managers to have me wear their jersey. 

Did you reunite with any former Chile or Santiago Morning teammates now in Colo Colo?

Yes, some former teammates from Chago are now in Colo-Colo! Of course, I have a great relationship with them and many of the other players who are in the Seleccion and Colo-Colo. I believe this familiarity will provide great chemistry on the field. 

2. What made you take the decision of returning to play soccer after a couple of years of hiatus? How long was it since you last played an official match or were part of training sessions?  

My absence from competition was only one year and although I was not with a club, my training never stopped. Fortunately I have a wonderful group of trainers, professional goalkeeping coaches, and the ability to train with teams in Los Angeles to keep my form. It’s very simple why I returned to football: I love the game. It is my passion!

You were basically working on your modeling stuff back in the US, right? Or were you doing something else as well? 

Yes, I am a professional model and have been modeling since I was 16-17 years old. This includes print work, commercial work, e-commerce, social media, sport, and fitness modeling. I am signed with 6 agencies in USA and have always worked in that industry parallel to my soccer career. I also am signed to a modeling agency here in Santiago where I am able to continue working whilst also playing professional soccer. 

3. What did you miss most about playing soccer and being on a squad? And what did you miss the most about Chile? 

My favorite part of being in a team is obviously the camaraderie, but also the responsibility and pressure we have as goalkeepers. I also greatly enjoy training with my teammates and crave working hard together in unison to attain our goals. It is internally rewarding. 

My favorite part of Chile is the south of Chile. It is absolutely beautiful, natural, and authentic; and any chance I have free time, I try to spend a few days in the south to recharge my batteries. I’ve always said, the most beautiful part of Chile is how eclectic the land is. Breathtaking. 

4. How big was Katlyn’s support during this whole process, including her “behind the scenes” content and media advices? 

Katlyn and Jorge, my media team, have been instrumental in the planning of the creative process and the branding of my image as an athlete and person. They are professionals at what they do and understand the Chilean and football market extremely well. Having content specifically crafted and geared towards me as a person and athlete is imperative financially and fundamentally for who I am.

Can you talk about your friendship, how close you are and what does she mean for you and your career?

Luckily, Katlyn and Jorge also are two of my best friends, both of whom I am very grateful for their presence and support here in Chile. Although my family is from Chile, they all now live in USA where I was born and it can sometimes be extremely lonely here. Katlyn and Jorge are business partners, friends, and family as far as I am concerned. Having that trifecta of support has proven to have a very positive influence on my performance as an athlete.

5. As a model I bet you have a full understanding of the branding of your public image and this content made by Katlyn fits right on the same line of thinking. Do you believe Chilean athletes should focus more on this too?

Due to my being in the entertainment industry in a large capacity for the last 15 years, I have a deep-rooted understanding and appreciation for the importance of branding and image for any public figure. While it may come naturally and is a huge creative outlet and passion for me, I hope to create a path and encourage other young athletes here in Chile to embrace the idea of content-creation and branding as another pillar of their professional careers. The world is different now, it turns in a different direction than before the presence of social media. The first place anyone searches to see who someone is - is on social media. Sponsorships, brand partnerships, and endorsement deals largely come from the media presence of a person. An athlete in particular can largely benefit from having a tailored brand in a financial way if managed and produced correctly. The shining benefit of creating your own content that identifies with who you are as a person is that you are able to find and control your own voice. I find that here in Chile it is rare for athletes and clubs to want to optimize their social media and invest in it with creative and engaging content, often leading to an emotional and personal disconnect between them and the fans. I hope to be a pioneer in this particular road and show that creative branding and an engaging media presence actually is a positive and can only bring greater financial opportunity for any athlete or club and can only deepen the emotional connection with any fanbase or audience. 

6. What are your expectations for this new year back in Chile and with Colo Colo? What dreams or goals do you have? 

My first job and focus is to defend the goal of Colo-Colo and a Chile with as much power and passion as I possibly can. I hope to earn the respect and trust of the fans and my teammates as their goalkeeper. I want to have winning campaigns and bring success to Macul in the Campeonato and Copa Libertadores. Lastly, I dream of going to a 2nd World Cup with Chile and making this country proud. 

Interview with Katlyn Stevens:

1. First of all, can you tell me about your friendship with Ryann? When and how did you guys met, how many years have you been friends and what does it feel to be together trying to do something special in Chilean football? 

Ryann is a very good friend of mine. We are friends first and business partners second. We met though Instagram in 2019. When my partner and I decided to move to Chile I chose to pursue playing soccer in the women’s league here in Chile. Ryann was the only player from the USA that I knew of  in the league at the time so we connected. I ended up leaving Chile for all of 2020 to travel full-time but when I came back in 2021 Ryann helped connect me with the front office at Santiago Morning so I could speak with them about trying out for the team. 

It feels really good to be working together on this project and bringing positive attention to women’s football in Chile. I am having a lot of fun and am thankful that people seem to be enjoying the content we are putting out. Most of all of am thankful that Ryann sees the importance in prioritzing her digital presence and has trusted myself and Jorge, our videographer, to be a part of her journey.

2. Do you guys actually live together as well? Or near each other? Do you hang out during the day? What type of stuff do you enjoy doing together? 

We do not live together but we live close to each other. We enjoy going out to eat or just hanging out and relaxing at the house and doing an asado. We also have plans of exploring more of Chile together this year.

I am balancing running my Digital Marketing company (please link my website katlynstevens.com),  building an ecommerce brand here in Chile that will launch in March of 2023 and managing myself as a travel influencer. (please link my tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@katlynstevenstravel)  Ryann is balancing being a professional model and a professional footballer for both club and country. It is safe to say that neither of us have A TON of free time but we do meet up often and talk almost every day. It’s really nice having a friend here in Santiago from my home country and even better that we naturally get along so well and share the passion for football, among many other things. 

And are you really Ryann’s shadow during this past couple of weeks, recording each and every move? 

I wouldn’t consider myself Ryann’s shadow - I am my own person. I am Ryann’s friend who wants to support her as much as I can and see her succeed on and off the field. I naturally create content for my own social media channels and know that working with Ryann will help her grow her own brand while leading by example and hopefully inspiring other footballers in Latin America to start taking their personal brands more seriously. 

I am committed to growing my career in Digital Strategy in the soccer industry, specifically with professional players, clubs and brands, so it is a perfect match for us to be able to support each other in our goals. 

When Ryann decided she was going to come back to Chile to play - we both agreed it would be a good opportunity for me to be her Brand Manager and work on this project together along with Jorge, our videographer.

3. Can you describe the digital work you did for Ryann? 

I am working with Ryann as her Brand Manager and Digital Strategist. This means that I develop creative concepts and strategy for Ryann’s digital channels and work with Ryann and our videographer to execute them. I also assist Ryann as a liaison when necessary. 

The third member of our team is my husband, Jorge Figueroa, our videographer. He also played at Colo-Colo until he was 19, which is a funny coincidence.

What was the purpose of doing all this “behind the scenes” content? Do you think Chilean footballers (male and female) should focus a little more on this aspect, in order to make their brand bigger?

It’s simple: Most professional footballers would benifit more from a Brand Manager than an agent. 

Having a successful digital presence results in making more money.

People used to identify the most popular and influential athletes in sport strictly through talent. Popularity was directly connected to how well a player performs. The most talented athletes were the most talked about. Social Media has changed this.

Athletes with a large digital presence and a defined personal brand now have endless posibilities. Athletes don’t need to just perform well on the pitch to make a name for themselves - they need to have a solid digital presence and clear influence. 

The reality is; Many top players,  women and men,  do not have the digital following that matches their on-field success. 
 The player's image needs to be managed and protected as their personal brand while maintaining the authenticity of the athlete, telling their story and highlighting their success both on and off the field. 
 

I do think that all footballers Chile, no matter their gender, age or club - should focus on building their personal brand and their digital presence. A solid digital presence results in them being a more valuable player to their club, making more money in brand partnerships and having a more engaged fan base. It also brings more possibilities for a career after retirement from the sport - which most athletes don’t realize until it’s too late.

With the past few years I’ve spent around Chilean football - I have learned a lot about the way that brands, agents and football as a whole operates here. I believe that players on the womens and mens side need to start taking more control of their own careers and can benefit greatly from working with professionals that understand how to optimize reach across digital and proritize an athlete’s career for long-term success. The best way to do that is to own your audience, build your own brand, engage with your fan base, and have people on your team that are knowledgeable and truly care about your success as a human being. 

And why do you think Ryann’s persona is such a hit in social media or in any news regarding her?

Ryann is a model, a creative and a Professional footballer, so that alone will make her stand out anywhere in the world. I think people here are naturally drawn to Ryann as she is dedicated to giving 150% in everything she does. She is heavily involved in her digital presence and is an entertaining personality so I think that is why people are highly engaged in following her. 

I hope to see more of the women’s footballers in Chile using their platform and their voice to grow the game and bring more media attention to the sport. There are many things that need to be improved in the women’s league here and the more that every footballer uses their platform and voice to make those changes happen the quicker positive results will come . 

4. Also, I understand you are an expert on media content but, what did you actually study? And did you take any other classes or cursos on this?

I have two degrees - one in Communications in Digital Media and the second in Fine Art. I also completed an internship in Florence, Italy at a digital marketing agency, a Graphic Design Internship in Panajachel, Guatemala and a Digital Content internship at Atlanta United FC before I became a full time employee there on the Atlanta United Digital team. I’ve worked in Digital Marketing in sports and entertainment since 2016 - serving multiple roles from Social media management, to content producer, on-camera talent, brand manager and head of marketing. I love combining my love to create with my love for the game. 

5. You arrived to Chile in 2021 if I’m not mistaken. Did Ryann have anything to do with your arrival to Santiago Morning? And what happened afterwards? Are you still active or planning on returning to play? If not, why did you choose to retire prematurely? 

Ryann helped connect me with the directors of Santiago Morning and then I went through a tryout which allowed me to earn a spot on the team. Playing together there is what started our friendship. 

I do not plan to return to play. It was a really cool experience to have had the opportunity to play at the professional level in Chile, but it is better for me to prioritize my career in Digital Marketing as well as my love to travel the world. While I was playing at Santiago Morning I was simultaneously running my company in the USA which ended up being too much to balance. The unfortunate reality is that the majority of women’s footballers do not make a comfortable living wage and they will make more money pursuing a different career than their soccer carrer. 

I made the decision that I prefer to do my work off the field and hopefully be able to make more of an impact on the women’s game here than I ever could on the field. That is one of the reasons why I am very excited to be working with Ryann as she represents Colo-Colo this season. 

6. Can you help me out with some background info from yourself? Age, place of birth, beginnings in soccer and other interests?

I’m 29 years old and from Atlanta, Georgia. I started playing soccer when I was 3 years old and played my entire life. I played for my university in the USA. I “retired” after my senior year of college to pursue my carrer in Digital Marketing and to travel the world. My two biggest passions are soccer and traveling. I enjoy creating content that shows the experience and culture of the game from around the world. I’ve been traveling full-time with my partner since 2019. In this time I’ve visited in Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Sweden, South Africa, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Panama, Colombia, and Argentina.