CHICAGO (Thursday, November 1, 2001) - At the October 21, 2001, Board of Directors Meeting, the Board was presented with the new structure for U.S. Soccer's National Staff Coaches.  As part of our ongoing effort to be inclusive and provide quality service to our members, U.S. Soccer has redefined the basic operating structure of our National Staff Coaches Program, as well as the technical and administrative reporting structure for these positions.

The NSC's function is to provide service in the areas of coaching education and player development to all US Soccer constituents, including State Associations, clubs and leagues.  Their role is to be responsive, operate from an inclusive, network mentality and to deliver a consistent message to all members.  Each NSC is responsible for servicing the State Associations, as well as targeted events and clubs.

Click here for the full presentation - a summary of the presentation follows.

Summary of Roles & Responsibilities
In our ongoing effort to be inclusive and provide quality service to our members, U.S. Soccer has redefined the basic operating structure of our National Staff Coaches Program, as well as the technical and administrative reporting structure for these positions.

On the women's side, April Heinrichs has done an outstanding job of working with and integrating our National Staff Coaches into ODP as well as other player development initiatives. On the men's side, John Ellinger, Head Coach of the U-17 National Team has been named the Director of Youth Development and will work with Bruce Arena in managing the National Staff Coaches and integrating U.S. Soccer's efforts with those of ODP with a sharp focus on the age groups between 13 and 17.

The U.S. Soccer National Staff Coach Program (NSC) consists of eight (8) coaches operating throughout the US. There are four NSC's assigned specifically for women's initiatives and four assigned to men's initiatives. Currently there are six NSC's in place, with plans to hire two more in the near future.

As stated above, the women's NSCs will continue to report to April Heinrichs in her capacity as Women's Technical Director, while the NSCs on the men's side will report to John Ellinger. All NSCs will report administratively to John Stelzer, Director of National Teams Administration.

The NSC's function is to provide service in the areas of coaching education and player development to all U.S. Soccer constituents, including State Associations, clubs and leagues. Their role is to be responsive, operate from an inclusive, network mentality and to deliver a consistent message to all members. Each NSC is responsible for servicing the State Associations, as well as targeted events and clubs.

We have also enclosed a more detailed description of the NSCs responsibilities, as well as complete contact information for all of the NSCs. As always, if we can be of service, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact John Stelzer directly at 312-528-1268 or jstelzer@ussoccer.org.

Detailed Description of NSC Responsibilities

Coaching Education

• Instruction and execution of National Coaching Schools and State "C" courses
• Instruction of State level coaches to teach the "D", "E" and Youth licenses
• Curriculum Development
• Development and management of the National Instructional Staff
• Organization of national and regional coaching symposia

Player Development (National Team Network)

• Men's NSCs will focus on players at the U-14 through U-17 levels, in order to assist with the development of the U-17 MNT
• Women's NSCs will focus on players at the U-14 through U-19 levels, in order to assist with the development of the U-19 WNT
• Develop a Call Frequency Program for State Associations and selected clubs
• Attend Priority Tournaments
• Attend selected ODP events
• Develop opportunities outside of ODP, with the goal of connecting more players to the ODP / NT system