Bay FC’s Zambian star Racheal Kundananji beat long odds to make NWSL, now giving back

Racheal Kundananji wanted to be there.

When Bay FC was setting up a trip to Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame last month, Kundananji was in.

The second-year striker is one of the most well-compensated women’s soccer players in the world and has plenty on her plate day to day. Yet it was important for her to volunteer her time as Bay FC handed out merchandise to new parents and patients in the orthopedic wing of the hospital.

“I wanted to have this experience,” Kundananji said, “and know how it feels, being around this environment.”

There were peripheral benefits as well. 

“It’s my first time to see a day-old child, and they were looking so, so beautiful,” said Kundananji after visiting two newborn babies and their families.

Kundananji’s journey in soccer has brought her a robust variety of memorable escapades. A native of Zambia, she’s played in Kazakhstan, Spain and the United States after commencing her career in her home country.

She wasn’t allowed to make more meaningful memories during a recent international window, as Kundananji was among four players from her homeland that the Football Association of Zambia removed from the national team because of increased challenges entering the United States.

Kundananji declined to comment about the decision.

From her previous experiences, she’s attained wisdom from a diversified path that few can match. Her global travels and struggles early in her own career to get established as a player, often due to lack of resources, have informed her charitable efforts.

Now, she’s established her own organization, the Racheal Kundananji Legacy Foundation, which leverages her status as one of the more recognizable women’s soccer players in the world to create the opportunities for young people that Kundananji sought as she was blossoming into an elite forward.

Kundananji originally wanted to have her own soccer team, a dream she’s still hoping to make a reality someday. But she realized there was a lot more she can do, including providing equipment, advocacy and support for young players in Zambia and other nations in need.

“After traveling around, learning new things, I understood having a team won’t make that much impact,” Kundananji said. “Because the impact I want to make is to make sure that every young girl out there gets what they deserve, and they stand up for themselves and for others. So our goal is to look after the girls and make sure that we have a safe space for them, and they understand what they are capable of.”

Kundananji’s foundation, which was launched in July 2024, has lofty goals. The foundation’s stated mission on its website is “to ensure every girl and boy, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to play, learn, and thrive.”

The work is still in the early stages. So far, soccer gear has been donated to boys and girls youth teams in Zambia, and Kundananji and co-founder Bernadette Deka Zulu have spoken at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, which discussed gender-based violence in women’s sports. 

But Kundananji thinks this is just the beginning. As her notoriety continues to grow in the Bay Area and around the world, she envisions her work outliving her soccer career and outpacing its achievements. 

“We are focusing on sports and also education,” Kundananji said. “I was appointed as the UNAIDS education ambassador, which is goodwill. It’s what I love doing, which is making me happy to do that.

“Every time when we go, maybe to a school, just to talk to the young girls and boys, when they see me, how motivated they are getting and how happy and excited they are getting, that motivates me to say, ‘I think we have to do a lot. We have got a good job to do.’”

The long-term ambition is for Zambia, and the wider world, to be an example of excellence in education, healthcare and youth sports. The road ahead is a long one, but in some ways, it’s much easier than the one Kundananji herself walked. 

“Our vision is to build schools, hospitals,” Kundananji said. “Also to help players to build many talents, to be all over the world. When they are playing, they remember, ‘I come from the Racheal Kundananji Foundation.’ Because right now, we can’t build a player from scratch. But we can help those who are talented, those who want something, those who have passion for soccer.”

Kundananji visualizes this progress having a knock-on effect down the road.

“When you go to Zambia, many players are lacking soccer players, soccer boots,” she said.
“They are lacking soccer balls. They are lacking training equipment. So if we are there to provide just a few of them – I know we can’t provide everything, and we can’t help everyone. But it will make a change if we help one or two players, because it’s a chain we are building. Those two players we help, they help others, and then those others, they help others too. We are going to create a good community for ourselves.”

As Bay FC toured the Sutter Health hospital last month, Kundananji wasn’t particularly loquacious. But when she did speak, her words were carefully chosen and carried weight. 

Responding to a question from a hospital volunteer, Kundananji cited her desire to challenge herself as what powers her through the obstacles she faces.

“I’m the kind of a person who needs someone to push me to my limit,” she said. “For me to grow, I have to face my fears. If you’re scared about something, it will be very difficult for you to grow.

“Sometimes, you get comfortable where you are, and that will destroy you, because you’re comfortable and you’re not pushing to work hard.”

Teammate Jamie Shepherd, who was along for the ride as Kundananji visited patients on the neonatal floor, said Kundananji’s perspective is unlike any she has encountered.

Her nickname among Bay FC’s players – Rudy – is a fitting moniker for the long odds she overcame to reach the pinnacle of women’s soccer.

“Rudy is like no one that I’ve met before,” Shepherd said. “I was amazed at how she holds herself. She shows up every day with the biggest smile on her face, no matter what, and she plays with all the confidence in the world, and I really admire that and try to be like her. Watching her every day, no matter what’s going on in her personal life, she is always working so hard. She’s a really good teammate.”

There will be many more questions to confront as Kundananji attempts to build something special. But her desire to work for what she believes in is only getting stronger.

She praised Bay FC for being among the first organizations to partner with her foundation, a list that now includes the United Nations Population Fund, UNAIDS, Zambia Kuchalo Entertainment, UN Women and the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport, among others.

Moving forward, Kundananji hopes others take up the mantle of improving the futures of the young people she cares deeply about assisting.

“We are going step by step, and hopefully a lot of people will come on board,” Kundananji said. “My fellow soccer players, just to give back. Because what I believe in, being successful is not being a superstar, scoring goals. It’s how many people you have helped to succeed, and how many people you have carried with your success.”